740 Copyright © 2016, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 33 DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8789-9.ch033 Educational Robotics as a Learning Tool for Promoting Rich Environments for Active Learning (REALs) ABSTRACT In our ever-changing society where new technological tools are being introduced into daily life more rapidly than ever before, more and more innovative and creative people are needed for the work of advancing technology. However, current educational practice in schools seems to be moving away from helping to educate our future innovative and creative workforce. With the extensive focus on as- sessments through standardized testing, the concern is raised that more and more teachers are forced to teach to the test. In this chapter, educational robotics is introduced as a transformational tool for learning, which promotes learning of computational thinking, coding, and engineering, all increasingly being viewed as critical ingredients of STEM learning in K-12 education. The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the importance of integrating educational robotics as a technological learning tool into K-12 curriculum to promote Rich Environments for Active Learning (REALs) to prepare students for the technology-driven future. INTRODUCTION The rapid pace of technological advancements enhanced by the interconnectedness brought on by the power of the Internet and social media has resulted in the ‘flattening’ of the world (Fried- man, 2005). New technological tools are being introduced into our daily life more rapidly than ever before. The introduction of new iProducts in almost every six months is in turn accelerat- ing the development of similar products includ- ing other smartphones and tablet technologies. Creative project crowd-funding platforms, such as Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com), Indi- egogo (https://www.indiegogo.com/), and Quirky (https://www.quirky.com) are contributing to Amy Eguchi Bloomfeld College, USA