Push for coding, robotics in classrooms seen in local elementary, high schools
These days, it might not be so uncommon to see a robot in your child’s classroom, as a number of local schools are integrating robotics and the tenets of coding into education in a variety of subject areas at all ages.
Most recently, thanks to grants from the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation announced last week, teachers at O’Gorman High School, Adventure Elementary School in Harrisburg and John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Sioux Falls are using robots in the classroom.
Danielle Martin, a technology integrationist at Adventure Elementary School, received a $1,200 grant from the SFACF to purchase several Sphero Indi Robots for use in any classroom at the school.
The Indis look like little robot cars, and they’re designed to incorporate problem solving and computational thinking into literacy, language and math development for early learners.
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On a Thursday morning, first graders worked on the floor laying out different colored tiles in the formation of different puzzles or obstacle courses to get the cars to steer the way they wanted them to go.
Each colored tile corresponded with a different action: green to go faster, yellow to slow down, red to stop, pink to turn left, blue to turn right, orange to veer left, teal to veer right and purple to do a little dance and celebrate.
Students laughed and smiled as they completed each obstacle course assigned to them, and rushed over to Martin each time they had set up their course correctly to get the Indi car to complete a task.
Vayda Peterreins, 7, said she likes that it's a "big challenge," and that she gets to partner with other students to work together on the tasks. Sawyer Amolins, 6, said he likes playing with the robots to help him learn how to code.
While it looked like fun, there’s more beyond the surface, as the technology actually introduces the young students to basic coding and computer science. “It’s so neat to see, and (the students) have so much fun,” Martin said. “Sometimes, they don’t even realize how much they’re learning, because it’s just play.”
Learning in this manner can help Martin’s students practice storytelling, pattern recognition, algorithmic thinking, abstract thinking, measurement, spatial relationships and shapes, she said. She’s used the robots in math lessons, too, changing the tiles to match up to different numbers and asking students to create a pattern that will equal a certain number.
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Martin also started a coding club several weeks ago with the new robots she has, as part of the larger push for computer science in the community.
Students in Rebecca Hirschman’s classes at JFK in Sioux Falls are learning in a similar manner to Martin’s students in Harrisburg thanks to another SFACF grant Hirschman was just awarded to purchase a pair of robots, Dot and Dash, designed to teach students how to code.
Dot and Dash are capable of interacting with their surroundings by detecting sounds, objects and movement, the Foundation said in a press release.
“Dash can dance, sing and respond to voice commands. Dot has similar capabilities but is stationary,” according to the release. “With the help of apps, kids can learn to program these robots to learn and play games, send messages, solve puzzles and even complete obstacle courses.”
High school students are also getting in on coding and computer science in a new way in Darwin Daugaard’s classes at O’Gorman. The Foundation also recently awarded a $1,396 grant to Daugaard for the purchase of 24 Spheros robotic balls for use in his physics and engineering classes.
Daugaard’s project, “I Think I’ve Lost My Marbles,” helps students learn about velocity, friction and acceleration while developing skills in coding, graphing and measurement.
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Students operate the robots on their iPhone, iPad, Android or other mobile phone or tablet through an app, and can control them on the app using their thumb or finger as a sort of joystick to move the robots around, or can tilt their phone to get them to move. Different covers on the balls can change their friction, too, Daugaard said.
Learning with the robotic balls will help the students with an end-of-year project they will complete showing their knowledge of four or five laws of physics, Daugaard said.
“A bunch of (students) want one for Christmas,” he said. “They were pumped to work with them. If this can get them enticed into staying in physics, then I’m going to do it.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Coding, robotics education expanding in local Sioux Falls area
