Emerging Technology
Robotics
According to the Horizon Report for k-12 in 2017, robots are automated machines that accomplish a range of activities. The industry of robotics is experiencing a great amount of growth, from a 34.1 billion dollar industry in 2016, to a forecasted 226.2 billion dollar industry by 2021 (Horizon Report 2017). There are worries that with this increase in the use of robotics, many jobs in many different areas will be taken over by automated machines in the near future. To prepare students for the future in the workforce, the use of robotic technologies is rising in the k-12 learning environment. The skills the students learn can be applied to many different fields of work. Robotics tournaments are booming in the high schools and even in some high schools it is considered an official sport. The use of robots can even expand to assist the teachers in the classroom by helping with different learning activities.
There are some key risks with the emerging technology. Those risks include that students are worried about their privacy and lack of interpersonal skills or relationship building skills due to the increased use of robotic machines. Though there are these risks, the Horizon Report has found that the good benefits of robotics seem to outweigh the bad. For example, the use of telepresence robots can help chronically ill children and homebound children learn and achieve academic success.
The Horizon Report has links to other sites providing more information as to why robotics is so important and a great emerging technology. Additional information found on (Five Reasons to Teach Robotics in Schools 2017) explains why it is important to teach robotics in school because it is an introduction to programming. Learning to program a computer is a great skill to have to be successful in the work force later on in life for our students. Another benefit cited is to increase student creativity. Not many fields combine creativity with engineering and technology like robotics does. This emerging technology also prepares students for the future. Some of the fastest growing careers are in these fields of work. The STEM field is growing rapidly and possibly more than half of the students who graduate in a few years can find themselves with a job in the STEM field. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.
Robotics also helps students promote inclusivity because it attracts students of all different talents and skill levels. Girls are becoming more involved with robotics and as they learn to program through school they can become more confident and empowered to have successful careers with creating innovative technology. According to the RoboticsNasa.gov website a graphic organizer is available to view with significant information regarding curriculum, competitions, and internships available for students of all ages. Information is available for students from elementary, to middle school, high school, undergraduate, and graduate studies. The site provides a list of the National Standards for the following subjects; math, science, engineering, technology, language arts, social studies, and ISTE standards like we have been learning about in this course. Prek-12engineering.org is a website linked to the RoboticNasa.gov website that provides more information about different opportunities for students of all age groups in robotics engineering. Colleges and universities are partnering with schools to expose students to robotics. The information learned can promote guidance to enter the workforce in health care or engineering. Here is a screen shot of an example of the robotic emerging technology from students in a STEM program:
Works Cited
NMC/CoSN Horizon Report 2017 K-12 Edition. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nmc.org/publication/nmccosn-horizon-report-2017-k-12-edition/
(2017, May 21). Five Reasons to Teach Robotics in Schools. Retrieved from https://www.theedadvocate.org/five-reasons-to-teach-robotics-in-schools/
RoboticsNasa.gov (n.d.). Retrieved from https://robotics.nasa.gov/edu/matrix.php
Prek-12engineering.org . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.prek-12engineering.org/