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Cracking the Code
Lynde RobertsTeacher Librarian
Sandstone Elementary School
Kourtni McHughTeacher Librarian
Central Heights Elementary School
Sandi DerrigExtended Studies
Billings Public Schools
“Whether you want to uncover the
secrets of the universe, or you want to pursue a career in the 21st
Century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to
learn.-Stephen Hawking
7,840,023,799 lines of codeas of 10/07/15
131,162,507 students
“Good programmers do
programming not because they expect to be paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun
to program.-Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux)
Hour of Code (code.org)
What is a BeeBot?
A BeeBot is a small handheld robot that students can program to move forward, backward, left, and right.
They are manufactured by Terrapin and cost about $90 each. Terrapin also makes accessories and lesson plans for purchase but you can either improvise or make your own.
What would I use a Beebot for?
◎ sequencing◎ teamwork◎ problem solving◎ estimation◎ basic coding skills
Uses and Resources available courtesy of Pinterest(the only limit is your imagination)
“Oh, they are so cute!!!”
“It was harder than I thought it was going to be.”
“I have to try again.”
“I love this!”
What are kids saying about BeeBots?
“I need to learn my right from my left!!!”
“This is fun!”
“I want one for Christmas!”
“We should do this every day!”
“When do we get to use these?”
“Let’s get together this weekend to finish our program.”
“This is our 5th try but it is going to work this time.”
The ProBot
The ProBot is the “next level” learning robot made by Terrapin. It features more coding options, editing capability, and drawing.
Cost: $140 (can bundle with a BeeBot for $200)
Specifications
BeeBot
◎ Travels 4” increments
◎ 90 degree turns◎ 4.5” long x 4”
wide◎ rechargeable ◎ docking station
available◎ input full
program
ProBot
◎ Travels in 1 cm increments
◎ 1 degree turns◎ 9” long x 5” wide◎ AA batteries◎ can use with pen◎ program can be
edited each line
Sandi Derrig:Extended Studies
Kourtni McHugh:Central Heights Elementary
LibrarianBillings, MT
Our Model
◎ Meetings at least twice a month◎ Whole group instruction with
hands on activities first half◎ Independent group projects
second half◎ Guest speakers◎ Field trip
Options with Limited Technology:Limited technology? No technology? No worries!
◎ The offline/unplugged activities are a great way to still do computer coding without technology.
◎ When I do hour of code in the library I pair up students. I am lucky enough to have 8 iPads, and an interactive whiteboard. I paired up all of my students, put them on code.org, on the iPads and the interactive whiteboard and they did pair programming. It works really well in pairs because they have someone they can immediately problem solve with. All of code.org courses work on the interactive whiteboard.
◎ Only a few computers or iPads? Make it a station! Use a coding app if you have iPads/Kindles/tablets. Set up a code.org course on a few computers.
Apps
Hopscotch: Free form game creation. We used this for the second half of coding club. Hopscotch has EXCELLENT tutorials. Our students used the tutorials as a starter. From there they created their own games based off the tutorials. Scratch: has an online web based platform, as well as a junior app. Scratch has a huge number of resources available on their site. Many of the Scratch programs can be used with the Makey-Makey. Kodable: Great app to expose primary students to coding. I’ve used it with my Kindergarten and first graders. They direct a fuzzball through a maze using only arrows. Forces them to really think out their problem solving and ordering.
For More Details:
◎ List of our resources◎ Our first year lesson plans
Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made and released these awesome resources for free:
◎ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival◎ Photographs by Unsplash◎ Find more BeeBot info at http://www.bee-
bot.us/◎ Thanks to Mr. Haber’s 5th grade◎ Bots purchased with a “One Class at a
Time Grant” and book fair proceeds.
Thanks!
Any questions?You can find us at [email protected], mchughk@billingsschools.
org, [email protected]