Coding With Purpose
Coding is all the rage these days but when testing out the process I found that students either enjoyed it or found it boring. After trying different coding sites such as Tynker, Scratch, and Code.org I observed that many of the students were not thrilled with the activities found there.
After learning this, admittedly I put coding activities on the back burner. As the trimester progressed, I began hearing a buzz about these little robotic devices that you could code - Ozobots. Kids really enjoyed watching the robots move in real time. As a teacher, I loved that they were learning coding while also enjoying a “hands on” experience that was not available with above mentioned programs.
After learning this, admittedly I put coding activities on the back burner. As the trimester progressed, I began hearing a buzz about these little robotic devices that you could code - Ozobots. Kids really enjoyed watching the robots move in real time. As a teacher, I loved that they were learning coding while also enjoying a “hands on” experience that was not available with above mentioned programs.
After purchasing the Ozobots, I allowed students to explore their potential in all different ways and levels. Students in every grade, from PreK to eighth had an opportunity to explore and enjoy the robots. Everyone, regardless of their grade level had a blast. Some students used the suggested lessons, while others used the app. Soon every hard surface became a test ground to explore the Ozobot’s abilities.
The enthusiasm in my classroom just grew with leaps and bounds. The Ozobots were the talk of the entire school. The entire Ozobot craze took on a life of its own and grew into a competition to create a themed landscape that the Ozobots could be programmed to maneuver. We formed 20 groups of 4 to 5 students taking in both the 7th and 8th grades. The project took the entire trimester to complete and the students received 3 grades for all their hard work. They were graded for their project, a journal which documented the week by week progress both the good and the bad, and their individual reflection on the entire project.
The enthusiasm in my classroom just grew with leaps and bounds. The Ozobots were the talk of the entire school. The entire Ozobot craze took on a life of its own and grew into a competition to create a themed landscape that the Ozobots could be programmed to maneuver. We formed 20 groups of 4 to 5 students taking in both the 7th and 8th grades. The project took the entire trimester to complete and the students received 3 grades for all their hard work. They were graded for their project, a journal which documented the week by week progress both the good and the bad, and their individual reflection on the entire project.
They presented their completed projects in the gym during Catholic Schools Week. The entire school was invited to visit and watch the different presentations. These small robots brought the entire school together. They love the Ozobots!
On reading the reflections the student gave both their pros and cons on the project which will help me with this project in the future. Everything did not go well and the Ozobots did not cooperate all the time but the students came away learning a lot from the entire project. When asked if I would take on this enormous task again next year I immediately said yes but with some tweaking and downsizing.
Ms. Kathy Hunt
Saint Philip Neri
If you would like to talk to me about this project you can reach me at: [email protected] and I will be glad to discuss it with you further.
On reading the reflections the student gave both their pros and cons on the project which will help me with this project in the future. Everything did not go well and the Ozobots did not cooperate all the time but the students came away learning a lot from the entire project. When asked if I would take on this enormous task again next year I immediately said yes but with some tweaking and downsizing.
Ms. Kathy Hunt
Saint Philip Neri
If you would like to talk to me about this project you can reach me at: [email protected] and I will be glad to discuss it with you further.
Kathy has been teaching at St. Philip for 24 years!
Despite being a technology teacher, she loves to disconnect and spend her free time reading a good book.
Despite being a technology teacher, she loves to disconnect and spend her free time reading a good book.
AoPTech would like to thank Ms. Hunt for sharing her classroom expertise with us.
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