![]() ![]() ![]() I know others have explained already the great free curriculum Sphero has available. This amazing tool has transformed the way my students look at programming, and has quickly become the #1 item on all their Christmas lists! Thanks again! Reply I also started “Club Code” where my 4th graders voluntarily give up their recess to program, and again Sphero is the star. Every student will have a chance to use Sphero, which is the coolest thing to see. This week all 540 of my K-6 students are participating in our first Hour of Code, and Sphero has become the official mascot. My ultimate goal is to have a class set, but with limited funds, I will need to take it one at a time. I immediately saw the value of having the students get the instant feedback from a physical object they programmed, but also the limitations of only having one. I got so hooked that I found Sphero in a search and bought my own to share with the students. I recently spent a week long project with my 4th graders learning about programming, something I hadn’t done personally since I was their age (25 years earlier). Thanks so much for the tips on using Sphero in the classroom. As with our Lego sets, the kids tend to imagine much greater possibilities when unfettered by our expectations, and engagement levels are never better. I envision students having brainstorming times where they plot, sketch, and plan things that such a robot could do, problems it could solve. I am interested in the outcomes of taking a hands-off approach, beyond the basic introduction/activities. The coding seems appropriate for young students, the device itself is fun and exciting (and free of parts that break off/get lost!), and it looks like a potentially great tool for engaging our students in STEM. I am interested in the use of the Sphero as a means of getting our younger students hooked. We have looked at several possibilities, including Bee Bots and MakeDo, which is being given a trial run at one elementary, courtesy of a grant received. Our need now is to grab their attention even earlier, as so many of our interestests, tendencies, etc. Many of our parents have expressed to me their gratitude, telling me things like, “I always wanted my kids to have this kind of experience, but I had no idea how to make it happen.” What I want more than anything here is for Seguin, Texas, students to have aspirations that aren’t limited by their life experiences, and giving them these types of opportunities early is critical to expanding the possibilities they envision. We have a very low socio-economic population here, and the response has been extremely positive. Here in Seguin, we are just starting our experience with robotics this year, and we hold free summer camps and have a club at each campus for our 4th through 8th grades. You can usually find her laughing with her students or digging into a book. Twitter is her favorite place to share and she loves to make homemade sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls and enjoys running half marathons with her sisters. If you talk to Vicki for very long, she will encourage you to "Relate to Educate" or "innovate like a turtle" or to be "a remarkable teacher." She loves to talk to teachers who love their students and are trying to do their best. ![]() She is passionate about helping every child find purpose, passion, and meaning in life with a lifelong commitment to the joy and responsibility of learning. Vicki has spoken around the world to inspire and help teachers reach their students. Vicki has been teaching since 2002 and blogging since 2005. The goal of her work is to provide actionable, encouraging, relevant ideas for teachers that are grounded in the truth and shared with love. Vicki focuses on what unites us - a quest for truly remarkable life-changing teaching and learning. ![]() She hosts the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast which interviews teachers around the world about remarkable classroom practices to inspire and help teachers. She is Mom of three, wife of one, and loves talking about the wise, transformational use of technology for teaching and doing good in the world. Vicki Davis is a full-time classroom teacher and IT Director in Georgia, USA. ![]()
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