Our tech coach introduced me to these. Here are some high lights why these are great:
- They are small,
- Read codes drawn on paper
- Works with lots of kinds of markers (Crayola, Sharpie, Mr. Sketch, off brand...)
- Don't take batteries
- Encourage creativity
- Curriculum is free and online
For the Hour of Code for grades 2-5: (We had two 40 min. periods)
Day 1:
- We watched the Brainpop Computer Coding video (subscription)
- I showed Ozobot and the underside where the bot senses color.
- I modeled making a track for Ozobot (not too skinny, wobbly, not too wide or too sharp etc.) I modeled mistakes and how to fix them (make a thin line thicker etc.)
- I modeled calibration on the black dot.
- I gave students markers and a piece of scratch paper to experiment on. (two pieces of paper so the marker wouldn't go through)
- I let them try it out. (They learned that the bot changes color depending on the color of the line.) I loved how some groups put their papers together to make a bigger track.
Day 2:
- Reviewed Day 1 info.
- Showed them 3 codes to try on a simple track. This was from Ozobot Basic Training 1
- The codes I gave them were: blue green blue, red black red, and red, green, blue
- Once they did the outside, I have them the list of "Master Codes." Now they could code the bot to make U turns, go snail mode, turbo, and more. I had them use the same paper and use the inside of the track.
- Some of the classes got to the point that I gave them a piece of butcher paper and let them experiment.
