Whilst many schools now have access to robots (Spheros, Beebots, Ozobots, You-name-it-bots), the # 1 challenge is how to meaningfully integrate their use. Guest writer Bec Todicsco shares an interesting way she utilised Ozobots to enhance her school’s Geography focused unit.
I wanted to integrate their weekly STEAM sessions with their Inquiry unit through the use of Ozobot Evos. Senior students were posed the question “If not us, who? If not here, where?” for our Geography themed unit. The focus was exploring refugees, migration and countries in our world. Integrating their ongoing learning into the weekly STEAM robotics sessions made for an engaging and relevant unit of work.
Did you know? Ozobots can be coded in two different ways:
Colour Codes: Using coloured markers and paper (no screens needed)
Ozoblockly: Using block coding (like Scratch) on www.ozoblockly.com. The code is then transferred to the Ozobot by placing the bot on the screen and receiving a series of flashing lights.
Process of Discovery, Coding and Applying
Explore robotics in the world around us (where and why do we see robots?)
Establish expectations, responsibilities and roles (including staff)
Colour Coding Challenge: in pairs students had an A3 page landscape that they drew a path from one side to the other. Then as a class we aligned the page edges and the challenge was to see if we could get the Ozobot to make it across all of the A3 pages. Making us all successful colour coders!
4. Patterns and sequencing: Order matters, although some codes can be symmetrical (meaning either way you turn it, Ozobot will read the same order of colours)
5. Debugging: if your code isn?t clear then Ozobot?s decisions are random with no logic behind them.
6. Ozoblockly.com – learn to calibrate, load and run the program
Challenge: Once students were prepared in both their geography learning and their coding skills, students were set the task of representing the journey of Ferdinand Magellan (The first person to circumnavigate the globe). After cutting out and assembling paper continents, students used the OzoBlockly language to program an Ozobot Evo to navigate around the continents along the path Magellan took. Along the way students labelled different parts of the world's geography.
“When we started we all realised what an important part the lines played in the coding. The project was fun and helped us to get a better understanding of coding and how we can use it to help other people or solve problems.” – Annabelle (student)
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