While many people think about back-to-school as taking place in September, most educators have already been hard at work by then, preparing lessons, taking inventory of supplies, and putting the finishing touches on their classroom designs. Adding a new STEM tool, like Cubelets, to an already jam-packed year can seem like a tall order. So, we sat down with Educational Designer Emily Eissenberg to get her insider perspective on this crucial period, and learn all of her best tips for integrating little robots into the classroom year-round.
Tell us a little bit about the classrooms you used to teach in. What grades have you worked with? Any subjects you specialized in?
I taught fourth-grade (every subject) and then became the district K-6 science content specialist, so science is my gig. I’m a nerd for all things education, though, so I’ve designed curriculum for all subjects and coached teachers in every content area!
What was your favorite part of getting ready for a new school year? Were there any tools you found particularly helpful during this process?
I loved gearing up for the “classroom culture” aspect of a new school year. I really stand by the motto, “Go slow to go fast,” so I specifically designed my first few weeks of school to be focused on routines and protocols that I wanted to use consistently throughout the year, but anchored them in get-to-know-you content. My favorite protocols are from
Making Thinking Visible [by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison] and
Make Just One Change [by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana], and our classroom routines flexed with each year’s schedule, classroom layout, and executive functioning needs.
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The Dexter Industries Rechargeable Battery Packs have the potential to short circuit, causing them to overheat and posing a potential burn hazard. While there have only been a few instances of this issue, we want to make sure your homes and classrooms are safe even if your robots are in storage.
We recommend that you immediately cease using the Dexter Industries Rechargeable Battery Packs, and have a professional safely dispose of them according to local laws. If you need help finding a disposal site, please click this link, ensure the battery type selected is “Nickel-metal Hydride” and enter your zip code to locate one near you.
Modular Robotics is offering a free replacement battery pack to all affected by the recall. To sign up, visit the official battery recall site or contact our toll-free 24-hour hotline at 877-233-6859.
In the meantime, GoPiGo and BrickPi robots are perfectly safe to use with traditional AA batteries (standard or rechargeable).
Once again, if you have a Dexter Industries Rechargeable Battery Pack, please register at the official battery recall site or contact 877-233-6859. You will automatically be eligible to receive a replacement battery pack after registering.
This recall only pertains to the Rechargeable Battery Pack sold with the GoPiGo and BrickPi robots, and does not affect any other Dexter robots or Cubelets robot blocks. 
Cubelets are utilized at GMS in a variety of ways, most notably in the library. The robot blocks serve as vehicles for students to think outside the box and explore their creativity. Students use their tactile and sensory skills to create robots that spin, roll, and produce light. They also control the movements of their robots using Bluetooth technology.
“Each week, we introduce a new Cubelet robot that does something different,” says Ms. Powell, “For example, we may introduce a noise projecting Cubelet. We teach our students how to explore and connect the Cubelet to utilize its proper function.”
“Once [the students] got to know the Cubelets, they became very excited. You could easily observe their enjoyment and comfort level increase.” Mr. Adame and Ms. Garza go on to say that when the students use Cubelets, “you see smiling faces accompanied with giggles and laughter.”
