What is it?
Coding in the classroom is allowing students to use technology and programs to create, make, or program something. This ties into robotics because students learn how to program robots and other technological devices. Through this, students learn computational and problem solving skills that can be beneficial to them inside and outside of the classroom.
How can it be used inside the classroom?
Coding in the classroom can be done through technology or other objects in the room. For example, one classroom uses a device called Beebots to help student with the addition and subtraction skills. The students would solve the addition or subtraction problem, and then they would program the Beebot to move the amount of spaces as the answer. Another classroom used the Beebot during a reading lesson to retell a story. The students created a mat that the Beebot followed during the retelling. They would program the robot to stop, turn around, spin, and do what the character did in the story. They could make the robot move slowly or as fast as they needed it too. Check out this video below to see additional ways that the Beebot can be used in the classroom!
What are the impacts on student learning?
Overall, coding and robotics have a tremendous impact on student learning, growth, and development. The skills that students learn through coding and robotics will benefit those students years down the road. With the constant change and advancements in technology, students need to know these valuable computer skills. This also has a huge impact on student engagement and motivation. Allowing students to create, build, and challenge themselves will serve as an excellent motivation tool. I mean, what kid doesn't want to play with a robot and control its movements?
What is the cost?
There are many online resources and apps that will allow students to practice coding for free. We all love the sound of that! It is important to research these apps and websites before you allow your students to use them. You need to make sure that they are safe, reliable, and safe. Yes, I said that twice but online safety is SUPER important. You also may want to try the app or device out yourself so you can be knowledgeable enough to help your students out. Many of the robotics materials will have a nice price to them, but you can always research and find places to sponsor you. You can pay as much as you want to for these materials and devices, but there are affordable devices and programs out there that won't break the bank. Overall, the cost is worth it because you are allowing your students to challenge their creativity, critical thinking skills, and processing skills.
Bonus Info:
If you aren't using coding and robotics in your classroom or your school doesn't have any resources for you, then check out these apps/devices listed below. Each of these resources were shown to me by some of my awesome teacher friends. We all know teaching is all about collaboration. So here you go!
- KIBO Robots
- Ozobot
- Kodable
- Hopskotch
- Scratch Jr.
Final Thoughts:
One new thing that I learned is that Coding doesn't always have to be technology. One of the examples they shared was a way to incorporate coding into a comprehension lesson. The students would read a passage, then they would have to answer some comprehension questions about the passage. The students could create a code that showed where the answers to the questions were in the passage. Then, they could swap codes with another student and see if they could figure out the other codes. There are so many new ideas and examples that I learned about and would love to implement in my classroom. I think coding and robotics are so important for students to be exposed to. It really makes learning more fun and engaging to students. I hope to be able to incorporate some of these coding activities into my own classroom, even if we don't have the technological resources to do so. Also, there will definitely be a Beebot on my Amazon wishlist!
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