MakerSpaces!

This week our class went to the Learning Commons (formerly known as the library) to explore some of the tasks available in the MakerSpaces there.  It was a great way to get some engaging, hands-on learning during a week when everyone is filled with a great deal of excitement!  Take a look below at all of the different activities we tried!

These students are using the Ozobot robots which have sensors that read and respond to the colors on the surface of an iPad or a sheet of paper.  First students made a simple path for the Ozobot to follow.  Then they tried to use the colors to send directions for the robots to follow such as go slow, go fast, turbo, etc.

 

Students also used the Dash robots on the floor and controlled them by making a path on the iPads to tell the robots to go around an obstacle or turn corners.

We also got to use the new Osmo devices that can "see" what you put on the table in front of them.  Students used letter cards to play a spelling game with a partner (or on their own).  The cards are color-coded so the device knows which player made the play and gives them their points!

Not everything there was about electronics though!  Students used the Legos to try to build the rainbow robot like the model.  It was a challenge with just a short time to work!

Our last activity was the maze wall which has large magnetic pieces that can be used to create a maze for the wooden balls to roll down.  Students worked together to make a maze with at least 3 layers.

Everyone had a good time learning with new materials about sequence and cause and effect!  The students got to experiment and "fail" and try again in a fun way.  I know they will be excited to go back and work again soon.

Learning to Code

Today my class learned some more about writing computer programs.  We have already worked on this with apps like Kodable and Hopscotch.  The students are learning to put the commands they want to use in a logical order to carry out a task.  Today we went to a website called learn.code.org and created our own versions of the Flappy Bird game.  The website has a nice tutorial that took us through the process step-by-step and then the final step was to design their own game.  Some students made the game character change locations as they played or created a game where you got points for crashing on the ground - a point for each bounce!  Some kids created an endless game that you can never lose.  Most of the kids have posted a link to their game on our class blog today.  You can try out their games by going to their posts here.  You can also go to the original site and try to make your own version or let your child show you how they program the game.  Here's my undersea version!

What is technology?

Today we started our first big engineering unit of the year by talking about exactly what an engineer is (hint:  they don't just drive trains!) and what technology is.  We learned that engineers use science, math, and creativity to design solutions to problems and to improve things so they work better.  Then we looked at some examples of technology I brought from my house and they worked with a partner to decide what problem this technology solves and what materials it is made of.  Here are some hard-working scholars with their technology.