Physical computing – controlling Sphero robots with I-pads
During the Autumn term, Mr Ingham and Mr Rivers worked with Year One to introduce them to an exciting new piece of a equipment to support their work on coding in Year One.
During their sessions, the children used Sphero, which is a robotic ball that uses both block coding and JavaScript. The children learn o use the Sphero app to program the ball to move, roll and avoid obstacles. The children had to move their finger along a white circle on the screen to drive the robot around a range of obstacle in the hall.
After a few moments practising, the children showed their skills by doing a slalom around a track and even racing against other teams. These initial lessons, will allow for future learning where the children will learn to navigate the Sphero through a range of programs, create their own programs for Sphero to follow, which add movements, lights, sounds and many other options.
