Wait for the tablet to detect your Sphero.Access the tablet’s Bluetooth settings.Your Sphero will flash three consecutive colors when it is awake and ready to pair. Remove a labeled Sphero from the charger.With my smaller classes, I was able to evaluate pairs of coders by asking how they modified their programs and what they learned about the periodic table. Groups whose robot reaches the highest number of elements win a periodic table bookmark. Devices are placed on a library table and robots are put back on their chargers next to their paired device. Cleanup occurs with five minutes left to the class period. The adults ask students how they moved their robot to the next element. Some of my pairs only managed to program the robot to move to one element by the end of class, whereas others successfully moved their Sphero to four different elements. For better classroom management, I placed the periodic tables far apart and assigned only a few groups to each area. Others needed a reminder to read the instructions or look at the pictures for each step. Some pairs were able to work without much guidance from any adults. Successful students move the robot back to start, pull another card, and add more steps to their first program. I move around to each pair of students, questioning their methods, checking whether they have questions, and allowing pairs to help each other, if needed. Once the robot lands on the correct square, it should be programmed to change color by dragging a block labeled “Light” into the lines of code. Some of my students just used a trial-and-error method, whereas others determined the speed and distance required to get to the element’s square. To be successful, the robot has to reach the assigned element by following the required program steps (no driving it with a finger!). Students determine which element a clue on the card refers to, which is the element the robot needs to travel to from its starting point outside the periodic table. Students then pick an element card from a provided basket. The large periodic table on the shower curtain had six pairs of students arranged around it (see Figure 5). Only four pairs could position themselves around the smaller, poster-size periodic tables. All robots are placed on the starting line outside one of the large periodic tables placed on the floor. On the day of the periodic table activity, students meet in the library, pick up a tablet connected to a specific robot (or their phone), and pair up with another student. Once they feel successful in programming the robot, students move back to their desks to allow another pair to experiment with the robot. Students use a trial-and-error method to find the three numbers (time, speed, heading) that produce the results they want: moving the robot forward and backward and making it turn (see Online Supplemental Materials for student direction sheet). I suggest that the speed be any number below 50. Once the robot is headed in the right direction, students press “Start” at the top of the screen. A light will turn on when students tap “Aim,” and they rotate the robot so that the red light is facing at their feet. Before the robot actually moves using a coded program, it is placed on the floor to determine its direction. This block has three functions required to move the robot: time, speed, and heading. To use the program, the first block, “Roll” (aqua-colored block shown in Figure 4), is dragged to the programming pad. 57, for a screenshot of the app with several lines of a program added). Students could use their phone or a classroom tablet to code because the app will work on any device (see Figure 4, p. Each pair needed about 10 minutes to accomplish this coding task (see Figure 3) because the drag-and-drop program on the Sphero Edu App is easy to figure out. With one robot available in each corner of the room, my students worked in pairs to program a Sphero to roll forward, backward, and then turn 90°, while others worked on a chemistry assignment. Your science department might be interested in buying a few each year or even asking local businesses to donate money to implement coding skills. If you are looking to buy a classroom set, organizations such as are a good avenue to pursue. Any of these models, or Lego robots, would be sufficient for the lesson. Sphero also carries other robot models, such as the Ollie at $79.99 and the Mini at $50. I am lucky to have access to enough Sphero robots from the librarian, other teachers, and the district STEM office to allow students to work in pairs.
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