Picture a little, round robot about the size of a golf ball. It follows marker-drawn pathways on a simple piece of paper. Based on the colors in the path it comes across, it responds with particular movements, speeds, and lights. This semester, our second-grade Beasley students have been introduced to these special bots known as Ozobots.
Right now, the second graders are learning how to use the Ozobots before they include them in their final St. Louis Landmarks social studies project. «Ozobots are small, programmable robots that introduce students to basic robotics and coding concepts,» explained Robyn Williams, Lower School Coordinator of Instructional Technology. «They can follow lines drawn on paper and respond to specific color-coded commands. The tiny bots also promote problem-solving and critical-thinking skills among students.»
A couple of weeks ago, second graders were introduced to the Ozobot hardware. They became familiar with its different sensors, lights, where to find the power button, and the general operation of the Ozobot. Students then learned how to calibrate their robot. They learned how to place their Ozobot on a path drawn with markers and observed how the robot followed the line using optical sensors. Students also experimented with drawing longer colored lines to watch the robot’s lights change color as it moved over the different colors.
«Last week, we added to their concept of basic programming logic by adding color-coding commands,» said Williams. «Students learned that if they placed short color combinations together in the middle of a black follow line, the robot would read the command and act accordingly. If the robot didn’t respond the way the student intended, the student needed to troubleshoot. As the lesson progressed, students were challenged to create their own maze for the Ozobot to follow while adding a series of codes for the robot to read.» Then, students worked together in groups to create larger, more complex paths for their robots.
Seeing the programming skills play out with the Ozobots is fun! «Watching the students’ faces light up when their robots zoomed around the table or did a tornado spin exactly as they had programmed it to was exciting,» said Williams, «but it was even more satisfying when something didn’t go according to plan, and students worked together to figure out what went wrong, try again, and then it worked.»
All this practice and new skills will lend themselves nicely to the St. Louis Landmarks project the students are currently working on. Students will use the Ozobots to navigate around a large map of St. Louis with their landmarks built on the map.
Way to go, second-grade Ozobot captains!