WEEK 2 – 15th January

“The curriculum introduces programmable toys as a good example for developing knowledge and understanding of the contemporary world.” (Janka, 2008, p.2) According to Alison Lydon children gain independence whilst working with beebots, after initial instruction most children were able to work independently. (Lydon, 2008)

I worked with Keryn in order to complete the beebot assessment task. For this assessment we were required to make a beebot mat game that could be used in the classroom to achieve CfE outcomes.

We chose to base ours around Maths and Health and Wellbeing. The CfE outcomes we chose were:

MNU1-03a

“I can use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division when solving problems, making best use of the mental strategies and written skills I have developed.”

TCH1-01a

“I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts.”

HMB1-28a

“I understand that my body needs energy to function and that this comes from the food I eat. I am exploring how physical activity contributes to my health and wellbeing.”

In sticking with our areas of maths and health and well-being we decided to create a Beebot mat with sum cards to go along with it. On our mat, we created flaps for each square, on these we wrote numbers between one and twenty and coloured them in muilticoloured.

We then cut pieces of paper to use as sum cards. On these we wrote sums that added up to numbers between one and twenty.

Going back to our mat we lifted up the flaps and stuck down images of physical activities.

Our Beebot game works by the children placing the Beebot at the start, they are then required to pick up a sum card. They have to find the answer to the sum by either adding or subtracting. They then have to programme the Beebot to move from the starting line to the number on the mat that was the answer to their sum. Once they get the Beebot there, they have to lift up the flap and see the activity. They are then required to complete the activity as many times as the number on the flap.  For example, if a child picks up a card saying “5+7”, they will then have to move the Beebot to the number 12 on the mat. They then have to lift up the number 12 and see a picture of an activity like star jumps, they then have to do 12 star jumps. It is then the next players turn.

I really enjoyed working with the Beebots and think this would be a great resource for in the classroom. Although we completed our assignment on paper with a mat, there is also an app for the ipad that allows you to program a Beebot and move it around the screen. Personally, I think that the real life form of the Beebot would be more affective within the classroom. As this gives the pupils an opportunity to hold it in their hand, therefore, when thinking back to programming they will be more likely to remember. It also allows the pupils the chance to communicate with eachother because they will be working in teams.

Overall, I enjoyed week 2 working with programmable toys. I had a good experience and felt confident with the programming side of Beebots. However, one area I struggled with and will have to work on was the creative side of Beebots, I struggle coming up with ideas then making my ideas come to life.

References:

Janka (2008). [online] Terecop.eu. Available at: http://www.terecop.eu/downloads/simbar2008/pekarova.pdf [Accessed 16 Jan. 2019].

Lydon, A. (2008) Robots in Early Education. Sharing Good Practice

Education.gov.scot. (2019). [online] Available at: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/All-experiencesoutcomes18.pdf [Accessed 16 Jan. 2019].