International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract—It is increasingly important that next generation of students must acquire problem solving, critical thinking and collaborative skills to succeed in their career aspirations in the 21st century. Technology plays a crucial role in assimilation of these skills. Among flourishing arrays of technologies, robotics provides challenges and opportunities to the learners in developing innovative ideas, disruptive thinking and higher order learning skills. In recognizing these potentials, educational authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) undertook an important step in distributing Lego Mindstorms kits to schools to encourage teachers to use in their teaching. This paper explores the educational use of robotics in schools and how teachers can integrate this new technology into the curriculum. The paper also suggests the effective strategies in using robotics as an educational tool and how it will impact students’ interests in STEM related subjects. Some recommendations to enhance learning activities in the classrooms are provided.

Index Terms—Educational robotics, Lego Mindstorms, STEM education.

E. Afari is with the Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE (e-mail: ernest.afari@gmail.com).
M. S. Khine is with Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi, UAE (e-mail: dr.mkhine@gmail.com).

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Cite: E. Afari and M. S. Khine, "Robotics as an Educational Tool: Impact of Lego Mindstorms," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 437-442, 2017.