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Lego Education

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Lego Education
Other namesLego Dacta (1960–2003)
SubjectFor use by schools, particularlySTEAM fields
Licensed fromThe Lego Group
Availability1999–Present
Total sets1201[1]
Official website

Lego Education,formerly known asLego Dacta,is a specialized Lego theme created for educational purposes in schools. This theme, introduced in 1999, includes a variety of sets that cater to different educational needs.[2] These sets often focus onDuploand Technic themes and typically contain a larger quantity of blocks. By incorporating these sets into the classroom, educators can provide students with hands-on learning experiences that enhance their understanding of various subjects, from basic building concepts to advanced engineering principles.[1]

Overview

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The product line focuses on the complete Lego learning pathway from elementary through high school.[2][3][4][5]

History

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Lego Dacta and MIT

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In 1985,Seymour Papert,Mitchel Resnick,and Stephen Ocko created a company called Microworlds with the intent of developing a construction kit that could be animated by computers for educational purposes.[6]: 14 Papert had previously created theLogoprogramming language as a tool to "support the development of new ways of thinking and learning",[7]: xiv and employed"Turtle" robotsto physically act out the programs in the real world.[7]: 55–56 As the types of programs created were limited by the shape of the Turtle, the idea came up to make a construction kit that could use Logo commands to animate a creation of the learner's own design.[8]: 3 Similar to the "floor turtle" robots used to demonstrate Logo commands in the real world, a construction system that ran Logo commands would also demonstrate them in the real world, but allowing the child to construct their own creations benefited the learning experience by putting them in control[9]In considering which construction system to partner with, they wanted a "low floor high ceiling" approach, something that was easy to pick up but very powerful. To this end, they decided to use Lego bricks due to the system and diversity of pieces, and the Logo language due to the groups familiarity with the software and its ease of use.[6]: 14 Lego was receptive to collaboration, particularly because its educational division had founding goals very similar to those of the Microworlds company. The collaboration very quickly moved to the newly minted MIT Media Lab, where there was an open sharing of ideas.[6]: 14 As a sponsor of the entire lab, Lego was allowed royalty-free rights to mass-produce any technology produced by Papert, Resnick, and Ocko's group; and was also allowed to send an employee over to assist with research, so they sent the engineer, Alan Tofte (also spelled Toft) who helped with the design of the programmable brick.[6]: 35 [10]: 74 Another part of the MIT Media Lab was community outreach, thus the bricks would be used working with children in schools for both research and educational purposes.

Lego/Logo and the Technic Control Center (1985)

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The first experiment of combining Lego and the Logo programming language was called Lego/Logo and it started in 1985.[9]Similar to the "floor turtles" used to demonstrate Logo commands in the real world, Lego/Logo used Logo commands to animate Lego creations. It is important that children could build their own machines to program, as they would then care more about their projects and be more willing to explore the mathematical concepts involved in making them move. The Lego/Logo system allowed children to create their own designs and experiments, offered multiple paths for learning, and encouraged a sense of community. First, machines are built out of Lego. The machines are then connected to a computer and programmed in a modified version of Logo. The Lego/Logo system introduced new types of parts for making creations such as motors, sensors, and lights. The motors and sensors are connected to an interface box that communicates with a computer.[9]Lego/Logo would later be commercialized by the Lego group as the (Lego) Technic Control Center.[8]: 3 It was observed that using the Lego/Logo system, children developed aform of knowledge about the physical worldthat allowed those even without mathematics or verbal skills to solve problems effectively using the system.[10]: 23 

Logo Brick 1st Generation, "Grey Brick" (1986)

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While Lego/Logo was powerful, it was restricted somewhat by the requirement to have the creations attached to a computer.[8]: 3 The group began working on further iterations of the Lego/Logo environment to produce a robot that could interact not only with the environment but with other robots programmed in the same system.[10]: 24  The experiments with an untethered brick (called the Logo Brick or "Grey Brick" ) began in the fall of 1986. To speed up the design process, the Logo Brick contained the processor chip from an Apple II computer. It ran an adapted version of Lego/Logo written for the Apple II computer.[10]: 74 The Lego/Logo interface box, the previous development of the group, had only two sensor ports available, which the design team observed were not always enough. To address this, they gave the Logo Brick four sensor ports. The Logo Brick was made out of a modified Lego battery box and was about the size of a deck of cards.[10]: 74, 23 The Logo Brick was tested in schools.


Development

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In 2017, Lego Education is the arm ofThe Lego Groupdedicated to developing products for educators that fit with the school curriculum.[11]

In July 2017,Dublin City University’s Lego Education Innovation Studio teamed up with the Irish Girl Guides as part of an initiative to encourage teenage girls to become more involved with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).[12]

On November 2017, Lego Education introduced a new learning product titled STEAM Park, to introduce preschool children to science technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM). STEAM Park encourages preschool students to become interested in STEAM subjects by working in groups with Duplo bricks to build amusement park rides and attractions.[13]

In 2018, Lego Education unveiled SPIKE Prime. SPIKE Prime is the newest hands-onSTEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) product, unveiled by Lego Education. It brings together Lego bricks and a programmable Hub with sensors and motors. An app works with the hub to allow children to build programs containing lessons that have been designed to fit within the classroom.[14]

Launch

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Lego Education, the section of The Lego Group that works with schools and local communities, was launched new coding resources in 2017. The new scheme from Lego Education offers free lesson plans, online courses for educators and encouragement for schools to get involved with the popular FIRST LEGO League. These are part of a selection of new tools that Lego Education are offering to schools.[15]

In 2018,The Lego Grouplaunched the Master Educators. In a new scheme from Lego Education, 110 Master Educators have been named as part of the first cohort. It is hoped that teachers from all over the world can share best practice and new ideas. Intending to expand the program, The Lego Group will accept applications from education professionals all over the world.[16]

In 2019, Lego Education grows the Master Educator Program and had brought the total number of education professionals in the Master Educator Program to over 200 people, covering 39 US states.[17]

In November 2018, The Lego Group announced at theChina International Import Expo(CIIE) that was launched its first elementary school STEAM courses for Chinese students from next year, enabling local students to become active, collaborative learners and build 21st century skills.[18]

In 2020, to celebrate 40 years of Lego Education, the company launched SPIKE Prime. First revealed in April last year, SPIKE Prime is the new product from Lego Education for schools. It uses the same system as BOOST, featuring a programmable Hub, sensors, and motors that are used with the SPIKE app.[19][20]

In August 2020, Lego had launched new free online resources, emphasizing that they can be used anywhere, suggesting that they may help while remote learning is more commonplace.[21]

In March 2021, Lego Education had launched comprehensive professional development for educators.[22]

In June 2021, Lego Education was teaming up withNASAand theArtemis Iteam to bring a STEAM learning series to young students.[23][24]It was launched on 29 August 2022.[25][26]

In November 2021, Lego Education announced two of its minifigures, Kate and Kyle, will launch into space for special STEAM learning series.[27]

In June 2022, Lego Education had accepted new applications for Lego Education Ambassador Program (formerly known as Lego Education Master Educator Program). The applications will be open on 29 July 2022.[28][29][30]

In March 2023, Lego Education launched Hannah's STEAM Heroes: A Career Toolkit, a classroom resource for teachers.[31]

Construction sets

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According toBrickLink,The Lego Groupreleased a total of 1201 Lego sets as part ofLego Educationtheme.[1]

BricQ

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In 2021, The Lego Group announced the two sets was released in January 2021. The two sets were BricQ Motion Prime (set number: 45400) and BricQ Motion Essential (set number: 45401).[32]Both sets dedicated to educating kids about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) in a physical manner.[33]

  • BricQ Motion Prime (set number: 45400) was released in January 2021. The set consists of 562 pieces with 4minifigures.It was designed primarily for children with an age rating of six and above.[34][35]
  • BricQ Motion Essential (set number: 45401) was released in January 2021. The set consists of 523 pieces with 4 minifigures. It was designed primarily for children with an age rating of 10 and above.[34][35]

Duplo

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Duplowas a subtheme of Lego Education that consists of 51 sets that launched from 2005 until 2020. In 2020, The Lego Education revealed the five sets of Duplo, including Tubes, Letters, My XL World, Animals and People. The toy sets were marketed at children aged 2 and above.[36]

FIRST LEGO League

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Main article:FIRST Lego League Challenge

In 2019, The Lego Group had unveiled a pair of Lego Education sets created exclusively for the FIRST LEGO League season.[37]

  • Boomtown Build (set number: 45810) was released in 2020. The set consists of 738 pieces.[37]
  • Challenge Set 2020 (set number: 45813) was released in 2020. The set consists of 1634 pieces with 2 minifigures.
  • Cargo Connect Explore Set (set number: 45817) was released in 2021. The set consists of 884 pieces with 1 minifigure.

FIRST LEGO League Jr

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FIRST LEGO League Jr was launched in 2018 and currently consists of five sets. The sets were designed primarily for children with an age rating of 4–6.[38]

  • Mission Moon (set number: 45807) was released in 2018. The set consists of 693 pieces.[39]
  • Explore Set (set number: 45814) was released in 2020. The set consists of 779 pieces.
  • Discover Set (set number: 45815) was released in 2020. The set consists of 72 pieces with 3 minifigures.[40]
  • Cargo Connect Discover Set (set number: 45818) was released in 2020.
  • FIRST LEGO League Jr. Promotional Set (set number: 2000455) was released in 2019 as a promotion. The set consists of 18 pieces.

Mindstorms

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Main article:Lego Mindstorms

The biggest change from theLego Mindstorms NXTandNXT 2.0to the EV3 is the technological advances in the programmable brick. The main processor of the NXT was anARM7microcontroller, whereas the EV3 has a more powerfulARM9CPU runningLinux.AUSBconnector and MicroSDslot (up to 32 GB) are new to the EV3. It comes with the plans to build 5 different robots: EV3RSTORM, GRIPP3R, R3PTAR, SPIK3R, and TRACK3R.Legohas also released instructions online to build 12 additional projects: ROBODOZ3R, BANNER PRINT3R, EV3MEG, BOBB3E, MR-B3AM, RAC3 TRUCK, KRAZ3, EV3D4, EL3CTRIC GUITAR, DINOR3X, WACK3M, and EV3GAME. It uses a program called Lego Mindstorms EV3 Home Edition, which is powered byLabVIEW,to write code using blocks instead of lines. However it can also be programmed on the actual robot and saved.[41]MicroPythonsupport was added in 2020.[42] The Education EV3 Core Set (set number: 45544) set consists of: 1 EV3 programmable brick, 2 Large Motors, 1 Medium Motor, 2 Touch Sensors, 1 Color Sensor, 1 Gyroscopic Sensor, 1 Ultrasonic Sensor, cables, USB cable, 1 Rechargeable battery and 541 pieces of TECHNIC elements.[43][41]

An expansion set for the Educational EV3 Core Set (set number: 45560), which can be bought separately, contains 853 Lego elements. However, the expansion set and the educational set combined do not contain enough components necessary to build mostrobotsof the retail set. This contrasts with NXT; the educational set combined with the resource set could build any of the retail designs. The EV3 educational set was released a month earlier than the retail set, on August 1, 2013. Robots that can be built with the core education set are the EV3 educator robot, the GyroBoy, the Colour Sorter, the Puppy and the Robot Arm H25. Robots that can be built with the expansion set are the Tank Bot, the Znap, the Stair Climber, the Elephant and a remote control. Another robot that can be built with a pair of core sets and an expansion set is the Spinner Factory.[44]

Spike Prime

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Spike Prime was announced in April 2019.[45]While not being part of the Mindstorms product line, the basic set includes three motors (1 large 2 medium) and sensors for distance, force and color, also it has an internal sensor, a gyroscope.[46]a controller brick based on anSTM32F413microcontroller[47]and 520+Lego Technicelements.[48][49]

SPIKE Essential Set (set number: 45345) was released on 6 October 2021. The set consists of 449 pieces with 4 minifigures. The set included an intelligent Hub, motors, a Light Matrix and a Colour Sensor. The SPIKE App included age-appropriate icon and word-based coding based on Scratch, helps develop student coding skills.[50][51][52]

System

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In 2016, Community Minifigure Set (set number: 45022) was released on 1 January 2016. The set consists of 256 pieces with 21 minifigures.[53]

WeDo

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In 2009, The Lego Education launched WeDo 1.0 system in 2009 with two sets. The two sets were WeDo Construction Set (set number: 9580) and WeDo Resource Set (set number: 9585). The sets were designed primarily for children with an age rating of 7–11.[54][55]

In 2016, Lego Education at CES 2016 announced the WeDo 2.0 was launched in 2016 robotics kit for elementary school students. The updated WeDo 2.0 was designed to teach kids from second to fourth grades STEM basics. The WeDo 2.0 core set (set number: 45300) included a programmable Smarthub, medium motor, two sensors and 280 pieces. Also the software included the Get Start Project which is an introductory experience to the WeDo 2.0 resource. The software is compatible withPC,Macs,AndroidandiOSsmartphones and tablets.[56][57][58][38]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Lego Group (27 August 2020)."LEGO Education announces resources and lesson plans to support hands-on learning in the new school year".Lego.com.Lego.Retrieved7 January2021.
  2. ^Elizabeth, Shilpa (15 October 2015)."Making robotics a child's play: Edutech, in association with LEGO sets up robotics studio".The Economic Times.Retrieved15 October2015.
  3. ^Hutchins, Robert."LEGO Education introduces 'complete learning system' to encourage kids into STEAM".ToyNews.Retrieved18 August2021.
  4. ^"Building A Better Learning Model With LEGO Education".Forbes.Retrieved22 August2021.
  5. ^abcdBeland, Cristopher (15 December 2000).Lego Mindstorms: The Structure of an Engineering (R)evolution(conference paper). Docket 6.399J Structure of Engineering Revolutions.Archivedfrom the original on 27 January 2021.Retrieved25 March2019.
  6. ^abPapert, Seymour (1993) [1980].Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas.New York: Basic Books.ISBN978-0-465-04674-4.
  7. ^abc"To Mindstorms and Beyond: Evolution of a Construction Kit for Magical Machines"(PDF).MIT Media Laboratory.Archived(PDF)from the original on 22 August 2017.Retrieved2017-12-15.
  8. ^abcResnick, Mitchel; Ocko, Stephen (1 Jan 1991)."Lego/Logo: Learning through and about design".MIT Media Lab(Thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).Retrieved13 August2021.
  9. ^abcdeMartin, Fred (August 1988)."Children, Cybernetics, and Programmable Turtles"(PDF)(Thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).Retrieved13 August2021.
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  18. ^"LEGO Education Celebrates 40 Years of Reimagining the Way Children Learn With New Hands-on STEAM Learning Solution".Business Wire.Retrieved15 January2020.
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  23. ^Lego Group (21 June 2021)."LEGO Education and NASA collaborate on 10-week lesson series for engaging STEAM learning".Lego.com.Lego.Retrieved22 June2021.
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  27. ^Lego Group (23 June 2022)."LEGO Education invites U.S. educators and leaders in hands-on STEAM learning to join its Ambassador Program".Lego.com.Lego.Retrieved24 June2022.
  28. ^"LEGO Accepting Applications for LEGO Education Ambassador Program".thebrickfan.com.24 June 2022.
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  31. ^Lego Group (4 January 2021)."LEGO Education adds two new STEAM learning solutions to its K-12 education portfolio".Lego.com.Lego.Retrieved10 January2021.
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  51. ^Lego Group (17 August 2021)."LEGO Education SPIKE™ Essential expands playful, hands-on learning portfolio".Lego.com.Lego.Retrieved5 September2021.
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  53. ^"LEGO Education WeDo Classroom Robotics Product Unveiled".Fierce Electronics.Retrieved1 July2008.
  54. ^"Lego's new toy robot teaches kids coding and engineering".Venture Beat.Retrieved4 January2016.
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