My second lesson in Digital Technologies was a very enjoyable and interesting one. Our class got the chance to work with the programmable toy, “Bee-Bot”. We worked in groups to create an activity to use with the Bee- Bots which would help sharpen children’s numeracy skills. A picture of our activity has been posted at the end of the blog. I learned that using the Bee-Bots made children more excited about what they were learning and, therefore, more engaged. Also, as a class we learned that using this programmable toy allows the children to develop a good sense of direction, problem solving skills and communication skills.
The lesson started with a bit of history of the role of the robot, which gave me an insight into what I was actually learning about. The role of the robot in education dates back to the 1960s when Seymour Papert created the programming language called Logo. The Logo “turtle” (arrow) provided children with an opportunity to learn complex programming as they controlled the movement of the arrow to draw lines on the screen.
After covering some history, we were given the chance to explore Logo online and then use the Bee-Bot app on the iPads. I really enjoyed getting to use the app because it helped me understand the purpose of the Bee-Bots and made me realise what kind of skills I had to use to complete the game, which meant I understood what kind of skills children would develop including sense of direction, problem solving skills and communication skills.
The reason that the curriculum introduced programmable toys was because they are good examples for developing knowledge and understanding of the contemporary world. It has also been said that, in terms of mathematical development, children should develop the ability to describe a simple journey and be able to work the programmable toy so that it moves in the way it is instructed to. This allows the child to develop positional language and estimation (Janka, 2008, p.2).
I also read “Using a Programmable Toy at Preschool Age: Why and How?” by “Pekarova Janka” which gave me more information about why using programmable toys, like “Bee-Bots” will benefit the children’s education. According to Pekarova Janka, digital technology devices provide interactivity, response or communication.
Firstly, the programmable toys chosen by the teacher would be targeted to the specific stage of the children using them, therefore, the children will be able to access and control them with ease. I think this means that the toys won’t be overly-challenging to use and so the children won’t get frustrated, they will be able to learn effectively in a calm and enjoyable way.
The Bee-Bots must be controlled by the child using it and I have learned, due to my additional reading, that they should be included in early experiences because: they will need to be able to control everyday technology in the near future, engaging in control activities allows children to work simple “programs” and it was said that control activities may help children to develop more general abilities to think and learn (P. Janka, (2008)).
Programmable toys such as Bee-Bots are tangible technological devices that children can directly manipulate. They can improve their problem-solving skills while acting out a real-life situation, carefully thought out by their teacher, and I think that putting lessons into context helps children to be more interested in what they are learning.
According to P. Janka (2008), the British curriculum recommends practitioners to use programmable toys as a good example for developing knowledge and understanding of the contemporary world.
I also read an article by “NCTE” which focused on ICT in the classroom. The article, “Floor robots – focus on literacy & numeracy (Primary)” informed me of the benefits that using floor robots in the classroom have on the education of the pupils. I learned that “they provide a vehicle for the introduction of key concepts to young pupils in an easy and friendly way; they help with the development of skills such as logical sequencing, measuring, comparing lengths, space orientation, expressing concepts in words; they encourage group interaction, conversation and collaboration and they are usually very appealing to young pupils, with clear and bright button and a robust design” (NCTE, (2012)).
I have learned a lot of information about the benefits of Bee-Bots in the classroom and I also took the time to find a Curriculum for Excellence experience and outcome that is appropriate to the type of lesson that Bee-Bots would be a part of. The expression and outcome (commonly known as an “e and o”) is “I am 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)”.
Overall, I feel like I benefitted a lot from this lesson because it has informed me of yet another way to teach and another resource to use that will interest my future pupils, which will result in them benefitting more from the lesson as they are more likely to engage with it and remember it. Not only will they benefit that day but using programmable toys will let them practise controlling other devices that they will need to use in the future.
References
- Janka, P. (2008) Using a Programmable Toy at Preschool Age: Why and How? [Online] Available: http://moodle.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/398949/mod_resource/content/1/Using%20a%20Programmable%20Toy%20at%20Preschool%20-%20Janka%20P.pdf [Accessed: 21 January 2018]
- NCTE. (2012) Floor robots – focus on literacy & numeracy (Primary). [Online] Available: http://moodle.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/398948/mod_resource/content/1/NCT E%20Article%20-%20Floor%20Robots.pdf [Accessed: 21 January 2018]
