In the Digital Technology class today we were looking at the use of programmable toys in a classroom. We discussed their function in education, focusing mainly on early years and how they can be used in relation to the various areas of the curriculum including literacy and numeracy.
The toy chosen for us to work with was the Bee-Bot, ‘The programmable toy Bee-Bot4 was awarded as the most impressive hardware for kindergarten and lower primary school children on the world educational technology market BETT 2006’ according to Janka (2008, p.3).
I have been lucky enough to work with Bee-Bot in the past both in university and while out on school placement. I would say that I am fairly confident using the Bee-Bot however when I was asked to try the Bee-Bot downloadable app on the iPad I found it quite difficult. I am assuming it was teething problems and I will be ok with it next time.
In our small groups we brought together our ideas and we designed a lesson plan that would include a Bee-Bot and a Bee-Bot mat. The lesson would make clear links to the Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes across all levels to ensure we could use the lesson through out the school.
The group decided that a number grid would be good as numbers are used across all levels and also that greater numbers could be added allowing the children to challenge themselves. We made a mixture of flash cards which included addition and subtraction questions, we also used a mixture of symbols and words within the questions. The children would work on a points based system and record their answers and scores, first to reach five points was the winner. Most questions were worth one point however in-order to encourage the children to challenge their own abilities we awarded slightly more challenging questions with two points. There was also a discussion in the group about the lesson moving to higher levels and in that case, the children can be in control of the activity and make flash cards for their peers that they thought to be more challenging.
All of this supports development in the ‘four capacities’ which are:
- Confident individuals
- Effective contributors
- Responsible citizens
- Successful learns
I say this because, as a class we discussed what the benefits are of programmable toys. Some of the benefits included were; concentration, estimation, communication, problem solving, interactive learning and instant feedback. All of which are crutial for development, according to Janka (2008). When taking into consideration the benefits, the small group decided which learning experiences and outcomes would link to our lesson plan. The E’s and O’s best related were Mathematics and Technologies:
- I use practical materials and can ‘count on and back’ to help me to understand addition and subtraction,, recording my ideas and solutions in different ways. MNU 0 – 03a
- I can use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division when solving problems, making best use of the mental strategies and written skills I have developed. MNU 1 – 03a
- I an developing problem solving strategies, navigation and co-ordination skills, as I play and learn with electronic games, remote control or programmable toys. TCH 0 – 09a/TCH 1 – 09a
Janka (2008) suggests that by introducing programmable toys at an early age, it is a good time for developing knowledge and understanding in an ever changing world of developing technologies. This is happening within curriculums across the world and educators are finding out that it does not take long for the children to grasp how the programmable toys work, according to Lydon (2007). Bee-Bot is an excellent example of how digital technology can be operated by early year level children, this is because Bee-Bot has a very few buttons and it makes noise, which confirms instructions. The Bee-Bot is also very colourful and looks fun, it is a little bumble bee which the children can then give character to and create a story.
In conclusion I feel very positive about working with programmable toys, I am confident that I will be able to involve toys like Bee-Bot into my lesson plans. One thing I need to ensure is that I don’t spend too much time away from these technologies, as in the past I have forgotten how to operate them. I will do this by keeping up to date with changes and advances in education regarding programmable toys. It is very clear why these technologies will help learning in the classroom and I look forward to any developments or changes in the future.
References
- Education Scotland. (2004) Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers [Accessed: 16 January 2018].
- Janka, P. (2008) Using a Programmable Toy at Preschool Age: Why and How? [Online] Available: http://www.terecop.eu/downloads/simbar2008/pekarova.pdf [Access: 16 January 2018].
- Lydon, A. ( 2007) Let’s Go With Bee-Bot: Using your Bee-Bot across the curriculum. TTS Group Ltd.
- NCTE (National centre for Technology in Education). (2012) NCTE Floor Robots – Focus on Literacy & Numeracy. [Online] Available: http://www.ncte.ie/media/NCTE_Floor_robots_focus_on_literacy_numeracy_primary_12-06.pdf [Accessed: 16 January 2018].
