As a company with a focus of building the future, it is crucial that our efforts include significant energy towards contributing to the education of students everywhere. Since temi’s first steps, we noticed that children have a certain proclivity to using the robot that is almost intuitive. They approach the robot and instantly know to tap the Interaction Bar to get it to follow them. This subconscious understanding of how to use the robot seems to be a byproduct of growing up in the internet age and it served as a major inspiration to begin aligning with educational opportunities. Over the past couple of months, we have seen a tremendous amount of momentum growing in academic spaces as an education robot.
How is temi being used in education? We had a chance to sit down with Melanie Tard, an educator from the Ninth Grade Academy to discuss the future of education and how she sees temi assisting in the classroom. Melanie is an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher who has been teaching in Trenton, NJ since 2007. Here are some of the highlights of that discussion:
temi: Since you’ve been teaching in Trenton since 2007, you have presumably seen many different technologies enter into the classroom. What is like to bring something like a robot into the classroom?
Melanie: When I first began teaching everything was so traditional. I’m always researching and looking for different types of technology to bring into the classroom. Because my students are so unique, I want to do everything I can to help make their experience memorable and, most of all, I want it to be fun. When I saw the temi robot online, the first thing that came to my head was ‘how can I get this in my classroom.’
temi: What was it about the temi robot that stood out to you as potentially being an engaging and memorable addition to your classroom?
Melanie: I’ve seen a robot before, but only on television. But having a robot right here in front of you is a completely different experience. Even in private schools you don’t really see robots assisting with education. So just the fact that we can bring this advanced technology into the classroom made me realize that it would be mind-blowing for the kids. It moves with you, you can ask it different questions, and so much more. And it’s like it’s a real assistant helping in the classroom.
temi: What do you think the future holds for robotics in classrooms?
Melanie: With the advancement of STEM programs, getting temi in the classroom is a perfect opportunity for students as it is giving the children exposure in a different way whether it’s in their science class, business class, or engineering class. A lot of our students don’t have access to this sort of thing, even in after-school programs, but given how affordable temi is I can definitely see schools everywhere jumping on this opportunity.
temi: Something we’ve been discussing recently is how one of the most important parts of education is its ability to expand perspective. This expansion of perspective can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as field-trips, talking to industry professionals, or, in this case, using future technologies. This is why we’re really excited to be bringing temi into your classroom. The more that we can give the students the ability to see the world through the robot’s eyes, the more they’ll understand that there are different ways to engage with the world around them.
Melanie: Absolutely, you see their eyes light up and you can see them thinking ‘I could build something like this.’ It really opens their eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if it inspires many of our students to want to go into engineering. The information we give them, the experiences we give them, they are taking that and they will either be lawyers, doctors, engineers, or whatever brings them happiness. They are next. They are the future.
We are really looking forward to exploring the countless ways that temi can help build the minds of tomorrow. We will continue to do what we can to assist in this effort of educating as many as possible.