Collaborative working in STEAM and maker spaces
The current rise in popularity of robotics, coding and programming in STEAM activities is a sign of the times. Technology is moving fast and in the digital age we live in, the coding, robotics and indeed AI industries are becoming hugely important future employers for the students of today. The industry, quite obviously, sits on the T of the STEAM spectrum but it is an industry encompassing the whole spectrum of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The programmer, the product developer and the packaging designer could all have benefitted from a broad STEAM education. These are individual functions with their own areas of expertise but they must cross over, interlock and be collaborative. The teaching of STEAM based subjects in a maker space environment fosters this sort of collaborative working and will stand students in good stead in their future career choices. Just as in any organisation, in a maker space environment, students with different abilities come together to think, solve, create and see projects through to completion. The collaborative way of working on a peer-to-peer level mimics real work situations. Just as an organisation needs to be organised, so it is with a maker space and the right choice of fixed and mobile storage options are an important part of getting it right. Students perform better when they take ownership of their own maker space, selecting their own resources, returning unused items and keeping their kit organised. For the teacher, it’s a win-win as self-service resources reduce set up and take down time, leaving more time for teaching and learning. Furniture and storage choices may all seem a long way from AI and coding but leaders in this area, developing products and activities with STEAM in mind are also recognising the importance of the physical side of maker spaces. In a recent collaboration, Gratnells donated several maker products to the Institute of Imagination in London. Here, they run daily maker workshops for a range of age groups so activities are planned ahead and organised into Gratnells trays. When needed, these trays a loaded into the award-winning MakerSpace and the recently launched MakerHub trolleys to create collaborative, mobile work spaces that can be taken anywhere in the building. This type of maker furniture and storage totally mirrors the flexible and collaborative nature of maker spaces. www.gratnells.com 0800 169 6854
Gratnells consolidates STEM packaging expertise with international partnership
Gratnells, the global leader in educational storage solutions, based in Harlow, has continued its commitment to enhancing worldwide classrooms by redesigning a CoDrone STEM education kit for a robotics company in the USA. Established 7 years ago in San Diego, California, Robolink make STEM education accessible, engaging and fun for American children and hobbyists. The company encourages students to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics through hands-on robotics kits, the latest of which required fully customisable speciality packaging. Gratnells, the creators of the iconic Gratnells tray, has been providing solutions directly to more than 68 countries around the world from the UK for over 40 years. Opening a dedicated US operations site last year, the company has solidified its international offering by producing modern STEAM activity and makerspace storage designed to suit a curriculum shaped by the modern world. As education equipment becomes more technologically advanced and sophisticated, an increasing number of STEM kit developers at home and abroad are turning to Gratnells to provide trays and SmartCases capable of housing bespoke kit components. Protective and customisable systems are often required that are capable of carrying inserts for segmenting delicate equipment, small components, electronics and art supplies. For the Robolink CoDrone kit, a tough, lightweight and versatile storage case with ideal qualities for storing delicate parts was selected, Gratnells SmartCase. The Gratnells product development team then established that a suitable solution would need to house all components, spares, controllers and finally assembled drones. A bespoke design of die cut foam inserts with removable sections was created and full customisation procedures were implemented to ensure all components remained secure in pre and post build states. To complete the package, the SmartCases were finished with the CoDrone logo. Wes Hsu, VP of UX & Design at Robolink, said “Customers love the way the parts are laid out and say they just can’t wait to start building. The Gratnells team were able to take feedback and reach a solution that made sense despite have a pretty tough set of parameters for the CoDone case to meet.” Anthony Byrne, Product Manager at Gratnells said, “We are very pleased with the way the solution turned out for Robolink. The SmartCase solution really adds value to STEM coding, robotics and programing kits and the customisation looks great.”
Gratnells confirms collaboration with Makeblock
Gratnells, providers of award-winning trays and storage systems used by schools in more than 60 countries worldwide, has confirmed its collaboration with Makeblock, the leading STEAM education solution provider, to supply classroom management and storage systems to the Chinese education market. Makeblock’s STEAM educational robotic kits and curriculum resources, currently used in more than 20,000 schools worldwide, will be housed in iconic Gratnells trays that are used and specified by leading school furniture manufacturers around the world. The product of choice for many STEAM kit makers, over 3 million Gratnells trays are sold each year, with over 50 million in regular use. Jasen Wang, Founder & CEO for Makeblock, said “Our partnership with Gratnells is truly a win-win as it has been met with a lot of enthusiasm from educators everywhere. We are always looking to collaborate with like-minded companies such as Gratnells, whose primary focus is improving children’s education.” For the past 40 years, Gratnells has partnered with international leading school furniture makers that create and commercialise furniture models using the tray storage system. “We are excited to be partnering with Makeblock as we continue to expand across educational environments”, said Spencer Randon, Commercial Director for Gratnells. “By packing Makeblock in a Gratnells tray, the deployment and storage of Makeblock becomes more efficient, allowing teachers to spend more time on what is truly important, which is teaching with the aim of improving learning outcomes.” www.gratnells.com www.learning-rooms.co.uk