This year I'll be exploring a new role within my school, I'll be a specialist teacher that focuses on 21st Century Skills and innovative technologies with a STEAM focus. I'm quite excited about the challenges and opportunities this change in roles is going to bring.
I'll be using the ISTE-S Standards and the P21 Framework to focus my units and instruction, but there is not really a good curriculum that is sitting on a shelf back at school (and I am glad about that!). With that being said, I have an INCREDIBLY supportive principal (go follow him!) that was able to make one of my topics of study (programing/robotics) come to life with the purchase of ten Ozobots!
I think that I am going to start with a unit that is going to engage students in some critical thinking and creativity using Ozobots. These neat little (and inexpensive) robots use color sensors to not only stay on "track" but also read special "OzoCodes" that students can mark on tracks they can create using markers and printer paper. By using wide-tip markers students can create their own tracks (using black ink) that include these OzoCodes for the Ozobots to follow. As I was exploring what an Ozobot could do, I quickly realized that the students will need about 10-15 minutes to explore on their own, figure out the features, and practice drawing the tracks.
To bump this learning experience from "neat toy" to 21st Century Skill, I am going to need to add some critical thinking. I am planning on introducing the Ozobots with a small group challenge - each small group must complete a certain number of OzoCode based activities within a time-span. By engaging the student in learning about this piece of technology through exploration, we will be working on setting a tone of thinking, planning, doing, and making. I hope the students are going to enjoy this new style of specialist rotation!
A few things about Ozobots...
- Ozobots can be purchased exclusively on Amazon ... this is perfect because you can add it to your wish-list or DonorsChoose project.
- Ozobots work best with wide-tip makers - such as wide Crayola or chisel Sharpies.
- Ozobots have partner apps for iOS and Android
- Users can program simple actions into the Ozobot using the partner apps
- Ozobots are smaller than a golfball and are usb rechargeable
- When an Ozobot comes to a point in the track with 2 or more turn-offs, it randomly chooses a path unless programed otherwise.
- I am super bummed because right after our Ozobots arrived, Ozobits were released. Ozobits are the second generation of Ozobots and can be programed (using more commands and programming skills) using OzoBlockly (a form of Google's Blockly software!) Oh Well - there is alway another day to purchase v3!
Learn more about Ozobots!
ps - I was not paid or supplied anything for this post - I just think these tools can change the face of "programming" in the primary and elementary grades!
