Teacher training in every Classroom Package
Professional development
True Robotics makes robots and lesson plans for K-8 classrooms. Teacher training comes with every Classroom Package at no extra cost. Teachers take an online course, meet us for a 30-minute session, and get one named person to call for help.
What the training includes
Every Classroom Package has three parts: the robots, the curriculum, and training for the teachers who will run it.
Access to expert training was one of the four challenges educators named in our research, alongside alignment with standards.
| Layer | What it is |
|---|---|
| Learning Portal | Open 24/7. An online course of videos, articles and quizzes. |
| Intro session | 30 minutes, one-on-one. Accounts, a portal tour and setup. |
| Point of contact | Ongoing. One named person to call, not a support line. |
| One-on-one training | One to two hours, virtual. Building and programming together. |
| In-person sessions | Optional, at additional cost. Training at your school. |
The Learning Portal
Teachers log in to one website, the Teacher Digital Portal. It holds two things: the Curriculum Portal, with their teaching resources, and the Learning Portal, with their training resources.
It works like any other online course. Teachers read the articles, watch the videos and take three short quizzes, at their own pace. The portal is open 24/7, so the night before a hard lesson a teacher can go back in and rewatch it.
Every group of build steps has a video to follow, and we always recommend a teacher builds the robot before the students do.
One portal per program
- Paving the Way with TreadsCoding with math and ELA built in, SEL in every lesson
- Taking Off with PilotBuild the kit, then program sensors, races and science
- Introduction to Robotics with AxleEngineering design, sensors, game controllers, physics and math
The 30-minute intro session
Training starts here. Every teacher gets a 30-minute session of their own, one-on-one. It is an onboarding session, in Emily Hajko’s words. In it we:
- Make sure the teacher's username and password are set up
- Show them the whole digital portal, including how to find the lesson plans and download the PowerPoints
- Help get their classroom set up
- Introduce the teacher to their person within our company
A person, not a help line
Every teacher is given one named person at True Robotics to contact for help. They meet that person in the intro session, so the first call is never to a stranger. The portal home page also carries a Support Form and the Robot Parts Catalog.
It's a very personalized experience versus calling a 1-800 number and figuring out who you need to talk to to get your robot to drive straight.
Live training sessions
The portal is not the whole of it. Every teacher also gets live training with us, one-on-one, usually one to two hours. A session is spent:
- Building the robot together with the teacher
- Starting to program it with them
- For teachers with prior experience, the quick learning curves of our particular program
Virtual or in person
The sessions in a Classroom Package are held virtually. A school can add in-person sessions at additional cost, and the virtual sessions stay in the package either way.
| Detail | Virtual sessions | In-person sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included in every Classroom Package | Additional cost |
| Format | One-on-one, held virtually | Training sessions held in person |
| Best for | Each teacher's own tailored training | A full-school implementation with several teachers |
True Robotics’ trainers were not only relatable and approachable but also top-notch professionals who created an engaging, supportive, and accessible learning environment. Their high-level curriculum design and hands-on activities made it seamless to integrate robotics into our lessons. Thanks to their training, my students have shown heightened excitement for problem-solving, collaboration, and teamwork.
Training in the price
Training does not need its own line in a school’s budget. It is priced with the curriculum licensing and bundled into each Classroom Package at a discount. A first year covers the robots, the curriculum materials, the Learning Portal and the full one-on-one training package. See what a Classroom Package includes
Robots are priced per robot
- Treads Robot$200
- Pilot Robot Kit$399
- Axle Robot Kit$650
Curriculum licensing and professional development are priced separately and bundled into Classroom Packages at a discount. Prices subject to change.
Questions about training and support
What is the Learning Portal?
An asynchronous online course, one of several ways we deliver professional development. Each teacher uses the Learning Portal for the program they teach. It works like any online course: teachers move through chapters, watch videos, read articles, follow tutorials and take short built-in quizzes. It covers who we are, how to download the curriculum and what a lesson plan looks like; building the robot, with videos to follow along; maintenance tips; installing and using the software, with screenshots of exactly what the teacher will see; and programming the robot, including the challenges students will do. Teachers have access 24/7, so they can brush up the night before a complex lesson.
What live training and support do teachers get?
It starts with a 30-minute personalized intro session. We make sure the teacher's username and password are set up, show them the digital portal, how to find lesson plans and download the PowerPoints, and help get their classroom set up. That session also introduces the teacher to their person at True Robotics: an assigned point of contact they can reach any time they need help, a very personalized experience versus calling a 1-800 number. We also schedule longer one-on-one training sessions, usually one to two hours, tailored to each teacher: building the robot together, starting to program it, or the quick learning curves for teachers with prior experience.
Is in-person training available?
Yes, for an additional cost. The one-on-one sessions included in a Classroom Package are held virtually, and schools can elect to add in-person training. We always recommend adding in-person sessions for a full-school implementation with several teachers involved; that is when in person can really benefit a rollout.
A trained teacher in every classroom
Every Classroom Package includes the training. Tell us your grades and how many teachers, and we will put a quote together.
