What is Sphero?
Sphero is a robot ball that includes several features that are controlled through mobile apps. One of Sphero’s features is rolling where the robot can roll at a given speed and for any given amount of time. Sphero can also light up any color. Sphero also has bluetooth technology and can connect to devices such as iPads, iPhones, and Android phones and tablets. The bluetooth capabilities allows the Sphero to be controlled by a number of apps. There are four education related apps that control Sphero. Sphero is the main app which is used for firmware updates and general driving. Draw and Drive allows you to draw a shape with multiple colors and have Sphero roll in that shape and color. MacroLab creates simple programs that are a series of instructions for the Sphero through an easy-to-use graphical user interface. OrbBasi creates more complex programs using a text-based programming language.
Learn more about Sphero: https://www.wintergreen.ca/img/Circles.pdf
How to Code Using Sphero:
My Expectations of Sphero Before Using It:
I was extremely excited to use Sphero. I had taken a lot of computer classes in high school. We were taught coding in both AP Computer Science and Multimedia and Design so I had some experience using it. I also believe that having to do the hour of coding for homework built up my confidence because it gave me a refresher on coding. I was a bit nervous though since it was a robot it just seemed a bit intimidaating. Having to code it to go on a path perfectly seemed extremely daunting. I did feel better that I was assigned a group to do it with though which relieved some of the stress I felt about using Sphero.
My Thoughts After Using Sphero:
Sphero ended up being a bit more challenging then I thought it was going to be. You have to get the timing, speed, and stops exactly right for it to make a pathway around our fake campus map. There was a lot of trial and error involved. You have to keep letting Sphero attempt the route to see what you need to change with your coding whether it is fixing the amount of seconds it is suppose to go for on a certain part, the time frame that it needed to stop for, etc. It was definitely something that needed to be done with a group. Each member had a different task such as holding down the paper, accessing what was going wrong during the test run and saying what needed to be fixed, or using the Ipad to enter the code. Using Sphero gave me a newfound confidence with coding. I am glad that I got to be challenged in that way and do something that was a bit intimidating and out of my comfort zone.
Benefits of Using Sphero In the Classroom:
I believe Sphero could be extremely beneficial to be used in the classroom. I would recommend it to middle school and high school teachers. This is not something I would recommend to elementary school students. It would be very complex for them to do at such a young age. If you want to introduce coding into elementary schools I would try doing the hour of coding such as the Moana one I did myself. It would keep them more engaged and they would think it was similar to a game. It would be a great start for younger children. For older students I think it is great and would be perfect for technology-based courses in middle and high school. I had to do a lot of coding for AP computer science and it would have been nice for sphero to have been incorporated since it is so interactive. I would not personally use it since I am teaching elementary school sudents but I would definitely tell teachers in middle school and high school about it.
Link to Moana Hour of Coding: https://partners.disney.com/hour-of-code/wayfinding-with-code
Link to purchase Sphero: https://www.sphero.com/products
