VEXcode VR Enhanced & Premium Coming Soon!
This fall will mark the addition of VEXcode VR Enhanced and Premium subscriptions, as add-on options to VEXcode VR. Enhanced and Premium will give you additional playgrounds and functionality, like Switch Mode, to help you make the most of teaching and learning with VEXcode VR. Preview the new playgrounds and robot features this summer, and get excited about the possibilities! Visit code.vex.com to learn more about what will be included in each subscription.
VEXcode VR continues to grow with the additions of new playgrounds, robot features, Activity Series, and more! Capitalize on the engagement and motivation of coding a virtual robot in order to bring Computer Science concepts to life in new and interesting ways. Incorporate Computer Science into a wealth of curricular areas with Art Canvas +. Additions to the VR Robot give you the ability to explore colors, drawing, and painting on a blank canvas, or the uploaded image of your choice. Add a map, a color by number drawing, a life cycle, or a worksheet of your choosing to bring Computer Science to your students in unique and creative ways. Storm the new and improved castles in the Castle Crasher + playground, where the enhanced environment makes developing an algorithm that much more exciting and motivating for students. Expand your Computer Science curriculum with more VEXcode VR Activities, featuring the newest playground additions, robot features and more! Visit vr.vex.com to begin coding on the new playgrounds today!
Check out Interviews from VEX Worlds 2022
Inspire your students with stories of other teams from this year’s VEX Robotics World Championship! The PD+ Video Library contains a number of interviews with students, mentors, alumni, refs, and more. See real teams talk about their robot designs, how they developed their strategies, what challenges they faced during the season as they show their robots to Jason McKenna and Bob Mimlitch. Learn from mentors, refs, and VEX alumni as they share their stories about being involved with robotics and competitions. As you prepare for your new year, or to welcome new team members, these interviews can give students motivation for the coming year, and a goal to work towards. Don’t have PD+ yet? Register your team to get access to Mentor PD+, or learn more with a 3 Day Trial.
A Summer of Learning with VEX
The VEX Education Team has been traveling to conferences around the country this summer, joining educators around the globe for presentations, hands-on workshops, flash talks, poster sessions, and more! We learned about different ways that educators are using VEX to bring learning to life for their students, and shared new developments in the VEX Continuum, like Switch Mode, with enthusiastic conference participants. Here are some of the places we’ve been this summer:
- ISTE Live 2022 – New Orleans, LA
- CSTA 2022 Annual Conference – Chicago, IL
- Northrop Grumman Teachers Academy – Chicago, IL
- Desert Research Institute, Robotics Academy of Nevada – Las Vegas, Elko, and Reno, NV
- ICICLE 2022 Learning Engineering – MIT, MA
- SITE 2022 – San Diego, CA
- IDC 2022 – Brage, Portugal
- ASEE Annual Conference – Minneapolis, MN
- RESPECT 2022 Conference – Philadelphia, PA
- RockCS 2022 – Denver, CO
Using VEX 123 & VEX GO to Support Literacy and Mathematical Thinking
There are a number of ways to teach foundational skills that support literacy development and mathematical thinking – including hands on, minds on engagement with things like VEX 123 and VEX GO. When the push to do ‘more math’ or ‘more literacy’ instruction happens, often perceived ‘extras’ like STEM or Computer Science can get pushed aside. However, these engagements support students’ development of foundational skills like executive function, motor, and spatial skills that underlie literacy and mathematical thinking. In new articles on research.vex.com, learn about how VEX 123 and VEX GO can be used as part of teaching literacy and math with young students. These articles build on the PD+ interview series between Claire Cameron, author of Hands On, Minds On: How Executive Function, Motor, and Spatial Skills Support School Readiness, and Jason McKenna. Watch the interview series to learn more about the meaningful connections that can be made with VEX 123 and VEX GO in service of student development across the curriculum.
New Products Released this Summer
New Anti-Static Omni-Directional Wheels, High Strength Shaft Ball Bearings, and V5 Flywheel Weights are now available! Omni-Directional Wheels are great for quick, lateral movements, enabling your robot to navigate the Field with greater ease and agility. High Strength Shaft Ball Bearings achieve a lower rotational friction than traditional Bearing Flats, by using rolling balls built into the Bearing. They are great for high speed mechanisms, like shooters and intakes. Flywheel Weights prevent your launcher wheels from losing speed after firing. Order yours today to be ready for this season’s builds!
V5 Workcell Extensions
New V5 Workcell Extension Activities give teachers a way to extend their Workcell curriculum beyond the initial 12 STEM Labs. Each Extension gives an opportunity to further explore a concept from the STEM Labs, including designing, building, and coding conveyors, diverters, gates, as well as further sorting and automation concepts. Extensions include background information for the concepts in that particular extension, information on how to adapt and construct the Workcell build for the extension, and three different levels of challenges that increase in complexity. Explore the Extensions on education.vex.com.
Gear up for New PD+ Live Courses
August will see the return of PD+ Live Courses, aimed at incorporating STEM and Computer Science into classroom curriculum. Live Courses follow a flipped classroom model, with participants engaging with coursework throughout the week and gathering for discussion during a weekly virtual session. All sessions are recorded and made available in the PD+ video library, so you can watch them at any time – to revisit course content or explore a course you missed. This season’s courses are Using VEX 123 & VEX GO in Your Regular Education Classrooms and Cross-Curricular Connections with VEXcode VR. Learn more about each course and register on PD+ now.
Students and Teachers Share in Summer Learning with VEX
From camps to conferences, students and teachers are engaging in summer STEM learning across the VEX Continuum!