TOP PICKS | 34 TOOLS
Best Engineering Resources for Students
Top Picks
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Inventing and Making
DIY Nano
Turn kids into budding nanoscientists who explore the tiniest things
Bottom line: Scientist-reviewed videos and activities relate nanoscience to everyday life.
Gizmos & Gadgets
Top-notch tool empowers kids to invent, build, and control wirelessly
Bottom line: Easy-to-use, versatile electronic invention set that works wirelessly with your hand-held device.
SAM Labs
Kids use block code and wireless blocks to program, design, and create
Bottom line: With some perseverance, it's a great fit for PBL and STEAM, helping students learn programming skills and engineering concepts through invention.
Design Squad Global
Fun engineering problems encourage classroom competition, innovation
Bottom line: Design Squad Global makes learning STEAM concepts fun through hands-on activities and easy-to-understand scientific explanations.
DIY
Design, build, and share new things offline and online
Bottom line: DIY motivates kids to tackle a wide range of problems with independent and scientific thinking.
Instructables
Endless collection of DIY projects; good for sharing and inspiration
Bottom line: User-generated projects inspire sharing and learning, though more refined navigation would make it easier to sift through all the great ideas.
Make:
Fuel creative makers with project ideas, reviews, and community
Bottom line: Excellent DIY resource that empowers kids to learn by making and experimenting.
Designing and Testing Solutions
OK Go Sandbox
Creative music video-inspired STEAM design challenges
Bottom line: After watching OK Go music videos, kids will be excited to make new creations by integrating art, science, and math.
3D Slash
Minecraft-like 3D modeling (and printing) made super easy for all ages
Bottom line: This may be the fastest, cheapest route from idea to 3D printing out there, if you don't mind low-res, pixelated designs.
3DC
3D modeling tool allows for simple or complex creations
Bottom line: This is a good 3D design and modeling platform, but it might take a bit of exploration to really see the true potential.
Tinkercad
Amazingly simple yet powerful online CAD tool turns kids into makers
Bottom line: Full-featured site and app make iterative 3D design accessible, social, and relevant.
Technovation Families
Family-focused site for learning AI well-suited to classrooms, too
Bottom line: Makes artificial intelligence and machine learning accessible to students of many ages and abilities.
UL Xplorlabs
Safety engineering site blends in-class experiments with online sims
Bottom line: Middle school students get to design and test solutions to actual safety problems.
Autodesk Design Academy
Outstanding project-based tutorials for popular engineering software
Bottom line: The projects found here are a great way to teach and learn digital design; all are truly fantastic (and free!), with everything you need ready to go.
The PocketLab
Gather and analyze live data anywhere
Bottom line: A science sensor that pairs with your device to gather and analyze data is perfect for inquiry-based learning.
SketchUp
Make learning meaningful through 3D design
Bottom line: SketchUp is a fantastic, subject-agnostic tool that does take time to learn but helps students gain truly useful, transferable skills.
WhiteBox Learning
Design, analyze, and then build STEM applications
Bottom line: Complete learning modules include simple CAD design simulation tools, a digital competition, and options for hands-on building.
AI4ALL Open Learning
Free courses invite everyone into the world of AI
Bottom line: A fabulous resource for teaching about one of the most important fields in technology today.
Planner 5D
Useful home design tool held back by bugs and a lack of help
Bottom line: The paid version has potential as a design tool, but it'd benefit from more thorough educational materials like a thorough tutorial and/or a community.
Inspiration and Careers
PBS LearningMedia
Treasure trove of lesson resources will benefit from adaptation
Bottom line: For teachers with time to sift through and adapt materials, PBS LearningMedia has a lot to offer with some highly useful support materials.
TED-Ed
Support kids' sense of wonder with outstanding short video lessons
Bottom line: TED-Ed includes excellent, engaging videos and support for flipped-class lessons with an incredible community of thinkers and doers.
TryEngineering
Helpful but aging engineering career site caters to all
Bottom line: This one-stop shop is best used for helping teachers plan engineering lessons and getting students involved with the community.
BrainPOP
Clever animated hosts Tim and Moby masterfully tackle complex topics
Bottom line: Cartoon videos in this extensive collection break down ideas in clever and thoughtful ways.
Engineer Girl
Female engineers give girls career advice on this visually appealing site
Bottom line: Empowering tool encourages girls to explore engineering but is mostly static and best-suited for choosing courses and looking at colleges.
NOVA
Compelling science videos have high-quality classroom applications
Bottom line: Unparalleled science documentaries offer a window into real-world scientific topics in a high-interest way.
Couragion
Individualized STEM career exploration targets students' values
Bottom line: Students identify career values and use them to evaluate STEM options.
Simulations and Games
Simple Machines by Tinybop
Excellent elementary NGSS engineering practices embedded in fun games
Bottom line: Fun gameplay lets kids explore important physics concepts in a solid standards-aligned context.
Minecraft: Education Edition
Stellar collaboration tools, controls make Minecraft classroom-ready
Bottom line: An excellent tool to engage students in learning, collaboration, and critical thinking is now more accessible than ever to teachers.
Inventioneers Full Version
Budding engineers create design solutions with fun physics puzzler
Bottom line: A fun, engaging way to boost critical-thinking and problem-solving skills while learning about important science and engineering practices.
Contraption Maker
Solve problems, puzzles, brain teasers while creating wacky machines
Bottom line: Hands-on problem-solving leads to great fun and independent learning with the right curricular wraparound to connect what kids are doing with what they need to know.
Minecraft
Spiraling sandbox of adventure and creation gets kids to dig deep
Bottom line: An irresistible and seemingly limitless incubator for 21st-century skills that, with a little guidance, can chart new courses for learning.
Algodoo
Sandbox tool enables engaged, conceptual physics inquiry
Bottom line: A robust, free pedagogical tool that's like a digital workbench where kids build and apply conceptual science knowledge.
FLEET
Science-based shipbuilding mission sim is valuable but shows its age
Bottom line: A serviceable simulation for teacher-led physics or engineering lessons, or for students to get a feel for how different types of ships are designed and handle on the open seas.
Kerbal Space Program
Design and launch a rocket into space in realistic astrophysics sim
Bottom line: This accurate rocket sim encourages trial-and-error learning and makes for great (and often explosive) physics and engineering experiments.
