Ozobot robot moving on a line through a city acting like a car
Blog 3 - Technology Hardware
Our world is everchanging being a librarian in the 21st century. We are not only expected to have
collections of books that reflect our community or schools, but we are also responsible for
implementing new technologies. A piece of technology hardware that I explored is Ozobots. Ozobots
are small robots that follow lines, detect three different colors, and can be programed using visual
codes. They can be coded two different ways. Students can draw lines with different color (black, red,
green and blue) markers. These robots can interpret these colors that tell them different commands
depending on the sequence of the colors. For example if you draw a line that contains red, green, red,
green your Ozobot will spin. Another way to code your Ozobot is through your computer. Students
must be able to connect the robot to the computer. The students will use the computer program to code
what they want their robot to do and transfer it to the robot.
Ozobots can be used in so many different to enhance learning across grade levels as well as across
curriculum. Coding has become a required skill in so many jobs of today. Exposing these skill at an
early age can spark interest and encourage further exploration. Coding allows students to use their
imagination to solve real-life problems, break these problems down into simpler terms and solve them
effectively. It encourages abstract and logical reasoning and critical thinking in a fun way! Having
this skill set will not only help students work through problems but teach them to communicate their
ideas and findings to an audience. Ozobots would be the perfect piece of technology hardware to
implement into our school library.
Technology Integration Matrix is one of the technology-embedded learning modules that can help
me integrate Ozobots into the library. Using the five characteristics of entry, adoption, adaptation,
infusion and transformation can help me teach coding with Ozobots to my students. The TIM is
designed to help students use what technology is available to them to solve a problem or answer a
question. At the entry level, introducing Ozobots by just handing them the robot with not instructions,
will allow students to actively try and figure out what it is, how you turn it on, and try to discover how
it works. This may cause some frustration, but with collaboration from their peers they will gain
confidence with the new device. At the adaptation level, students will then try and get their Ozobot to
move using markers without any direction from the teacher. Students just know that their robot will
move with the help of the colored markers given to them. At the infusion level, students will be
handed the color guide which tells them the sequence of colors that they need to code in order to get
their Ozobot to move in ways to which they want them to move. Finally at the transformation level,
students can work independently to use their Ozobots to solve problems that the teacher has given
them.
Additional Resources for Ozobots:
Teacher Pay Teacher Lesson Plans
Hi Heather! I really enjoyed reading your blog post about Ozbots. How neat that the robots can determine colors to tell them a command. I have never used an Ozbot, but this sounds like something I could incorporate into my new K-5 library. Coding is a new and intriguing skill for me. What a great skill to learn at a young age for helping encourage logical reasoning and critical thinking. I appreciate the links to the resources. Ozbot.com seems like a great source that highlights lesson plans each month. Thank you for breaking down the ways that ozbots can be used through the technology integration matrix. I think it is important to know what skills students will acquire at each level, so that I can create plans based on the needs of different grade levels. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete