STEMTech Co. Navigator Feature: Binal Kamdar

STEMTech Co. Navigators are teacher representatives for Naomi Meredith’s brand. These educators are here to help other teachers all over the world navigate STEM & Technology in their K-5 classrooms. They have the opportunity to implement and use STEM and technology lessons sent monthly, created by Naomi Meredith.

To learn more about this program and to apply, click here.

In this post, we will learn more about fellow Navigator, Binal Kamdar; a Computer Engineer by education & founder of ‘TeachSTEAM Hands-on Education’.

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the link, no extra cost to you, but I receive a kickback from purchases. 

How many years have you been teaching? 

20 years. I have been developing content for children aged 3-13 years & training teachers to promote hands-on education & learning through play since 2005. I am also one of the first certified Six Bricks Facilitators of India. 

 

I have also facilitated as a coach for the robotics competitions like World Robot Olympiad (WRO), FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) & FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC) for over a decade & coached more than 45 teams successfully & marked many national & international achievements.

State/City/Country You're Currently Teaching In

India

What are your top 5 favorite STEM and/or Tech tools? 

1. Six Bricks

2. LEGO Education Story Starter Set

3. WeDo 2.0 set with software

4. Stud.io – a software to build, render & create building instructions for LEGO models

5. Google Doc, Sheet, Slides

How did you become interested in STEM & Technology in relation to teaching? 

Being a science & math student, I always connected them with things around us. Conceptually, STEM didn't exist back then. 

As I began my career as a computer educator in 2001, I began to teach & apply software tools to strengthen Science & Technology. I used to design programs like Planet World to teach solar systems through Microsoft Word. Another program was Jungle Safari to teach animal science through Microsoft PowerPoint for children aged 5-15. 

I came to know about LEGO Education in 2005. Since then, I found the perfect tool to connect understanding with application to reinforce STEM.

 What do you love most about integrating/teaching STEM & Technology? What are some positive changes you have seen in your students and/or school? 

Integrating STEM & Technology brings understanding about how things work in the real world. Each & every concept taught with this combination comes clear & lasts longer.

 

Some positive changes:

1. Children become life-long learners

2. Better at problem-solving/critical thinking

3. Inquisitive & observant with scientific inquiries

 What is a project or lesson that you've seen be very successful in your classroom that you think other teachers might be interested in? 

• Story Sequence & Depth Perception with Six Bricks
• Coding with Bricks to teach Encryption and Navigation
• Sudoku
• Tangram

Where can teachers find you to connect with you?

Website: teachsteam.in

Instagram: @teachsteam