Who Runs the World? Kids Who Run Robots!

Funded Dec 12, 2018

From the moment that I told my students our project was funded, they asked me every single day, "Are the robots here?" They were so excited about the idea the THEY would get to use robots! To prepare for using the Sphero Mini robots, we began using Scratch, a programming website developed by MIT for beginners. We began learning together (because this is all new to me too) how to use block coding to make digital things happen. Many students needed a lot of help getting started and conceiving of all of the things they possibly could program in the digital world so we used various tutorials to teach ourselves how to code different aspects of a design. I was blown away at how quickly students learned the basics and began to code on their own.

Learning to block code has challenged my students to think creatively, problem solve, collaborate, ask questions and seek resources to answer their questions about how to code. Every time students completed a code or discovered something new, they would excitedly share it with their peers or me. Every little creative victory fed their motivation and determination to try something else, something more. They day that they discovered how to code with sounds was so annoying, but so joyful and exciting.

When the robots arrived and we finally got our hands on enough iPads to control them, the students were ecstatic. After learning a few basics, on how to use the SpheroEd app to control the robots, students jumped right in and again blew me away with how quickly they were able to master the robot controls. They began to set up obstacles and challenge their partner to navigate their robot through them. At the end of the first day, students asked, "What can we do next?" and are so thrilled to begin "no hands" missions in which they program the robot to do a series of actions and movements to achieve a predetermined goal. This is only the beginning - my students and I will continue learning and benefiting from the Sphero Mini robots for many years to come thanks to DonorsChoose and our donors.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Tatum