OZOBOTS...continued!

I finally had a few spare minutes to finalize the costumes and props I have been using with my students to add a little flair to our Ozobot Bits. I was able to play with these robots over the summer with a group of science camp kiddos who had just completed 2nd-4th grades. As part of our free explore, some students created the Ozo Town you see below.

The town had everything from a bowling alley-the mini bowling pins came with the classroom kit I was using. It was a great way for the kids to practice drawing lines of correct thickness and corners the Bit could navigate. The swimming pools were actually a nice touch because Ozo will cruise around the blue ink enjoying himself until he finds another path to a different part of the city. This was a pre-code lesson so the kids were unaware you could add speed, direction and point codes to their map, but that would be a great addition...more on that lesson to come.

I also let the class dress up their Bits with props and costumes. The donut was also made into a flying UFO as well. The headbands were really easy to jazz up with feathers, sunglasses, googly eyes or superhero masks. What I loved most about these costumes was the fact they didn't damage the Bit. I create templates the kids cut, colored and glued together, however they were able to just wrap around or sit on top of the bots. So no gooey stickers or expensive skins were needed! The kids had a blast creating a costume that matched their personality. I can see holiday costumes in my future too!

I uploaded a few of the costumes we used in class with plans on adding more as I have time. Check out the link below to get a few other ideas.

~Keep It Up Buttercup!

Comments

WeDo 2.0

Have you heard about Lego's latest version of their codeable robots for primary students? I have been teaching a summer camp sponsored by a local college this summer and I am IN LOVE with the WeDo 2.0 kit. Click the image to learn more. It is a set for primary aged students, maybe 1st-4th grade. It costs about $190 for one set, but they are amazing. I have 10 sets so each kiddo was able to get their own, but they could easily be shared by 2 or 3 students as well. The kit comes with 280 building pieces, a nice tub with a lid (which is awesome for stacking when you're done), 2 sensors and a smarthub (battery pack). It also comes with a bluetooth dongle you plug into a computer if you need it, otherwise you just need to download the free wedo 2.0 software from Lego. The set up is easy peasy...just buy the kit and download the software (link above). I was using desktops in a computer lab set up so I also utilized the bluetooth dongles...

OZOBOTS

Are you looking for a simple way to add more instructional technology into your school or classroom...Ozobots could be your answer!. These tiny little codable robots are so easy my two toddlers have them on and cruising on code within minutes. I have experience with the smaller and cheaper version the Bit (left image), but there is a more advanced Evo (right image) available now as well.The bit is about $60 but I have seen it on sale for $45 and the Evo is usually $99 but sale price was $75. I always check the ozobot official website for new bots and accessories. When I used them I found some great activities in the ozobot education page. Since I taught 2nd and 3rd graders, I used the 3-5 beginners guid e I found. Always begin with calibration on paper followed by color coding with markers. I followed most of this guide and taught the kids how draw thick consistent lines, corners and paths ways for the Ozo Bit to follow. I then moved into adding blo...

Accelerated Reader...AR

Does your school have the Renaissance AR program? I have taught with and without the program and have to say I really like having it as an extra tool to measure my kids independent reading comprehension. The year I didn't have it, I found myself struggling to assess and hold my student accountable for the just right books I was asking them to read each day. Plus the goal setting option is a big motivator for even struggling students because it usually means there's a prize involved. If you are unfamiliar with AR, it begins with a reading test which is adaptive to the student responses. The test for my primary age students is about 36 questions, however, if the student gets three of the practice problems wrong at the beginning they are prompted to end the test. So your early readers may not score until they can read a bit. It typically takes about 30+ minutes, depending on the kiddo to take the test. If they are getting the answers correct, the...

Keep It Up Buttercup

Search This Blog