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Sphero and Ollie

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Sphero. SPRK Lessons - Sphero - Timberdoodle Co. Programming isn't easy, but you don't need to be a rocket scientist to give kids a strong foundation.

SPRK Lessons - Sphero - Timberdoodle Co

All you need is a Sphero. Sphero created the SPRK program because play is a powerful teacher. SPRK lessons give kids a fun crash course in programming while sharpening their skills in math and science. Download the free lessons below. Each lesson will have a link that will prompt you to download a .zip file which is a compressed folder. Intro. MacroLab1 StudentGuide. MacroLab2 StudentGuide. MacroLab3 StudentGuide. MacroLab4 StudentGuide. MacroLab5 StudentGuide. STEM1. STEM2. STEM3. STEM4. Design Challenge Makerspace.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again.

Design Challenge Makerspace

We are so fortunate to have the University of Georgia right next to our school and even more fortunate to have instructors like Gretchen Thomas who collaborate with local schools. Gretchen and I have been collaborating for about 3 years now, and each year we try some new things. We’re always looking for ways to improve the makerspace time at our school as well as the opportunities available to students. Gretchen teaches an undergraduate course at UGA all related to maker education, design thinking, STEAM, and more.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, at least 4 of her students come to our library to work with students who sign up for our open makerspace time. This semester we are once again trying something new. This week, we had our first UGA group of the semester and they offered a chariot building design challenge. The UGA group started out my explaining what a chariot is. Next, students started construction of their chariots. Like this: The Final Sphero Battle. Real learning is messy.

The Final Sphero Battle

It doesn't happen sitting in desks in rows listening to a teacher lecture about a topic while students take notes then regurgitate the content on a worksheet or test. Real learning means getting your hands dirty while tinkering, creating, and failing. At the end, you may have hot glue burns, broken pieces, and marshmallow squished into the carpet. But the learning that happens in the process is worth all the time, trouble, and tears. When Susan Barber (@APPhysicsNB) approached me about her end of year PBL that let her students apply Physics concepts in real world applications, I was all in. The project had two parts that culminated in a mash-up.

Ollie: The App-Controlled Racing Robot. Sphero Connected Toys. Tickle: Program Star Wars BB-8 Droid, Drones, Arduino, Dash and Dot, Sphero, Robots, Hue, Scratch, and Smart Homes on your iPhone and iPad. Using The Tickle App. Programming Sphero and Ollie with Tynker. This is a quick start guide to program your Sphero and Ollie robots with Tynker.

Programming Sphero and Ollie with Tynker

Here are a few links to get you started with unboxing and pairing the devices with your tablet: In addition, Sphero has a great support section on their website with more guides, tutorials, help and videos. Compatibility Sphero 2.0 – Sphero app-enabled robotOllie – Ollie app-enabled robotDevices – Please refer to the list of compatible devices listed on Sphero’s web site.App – Tynker v3.0.2+ for iPad and Android-enabled tablets Downloading Tynker Download the free Tynker App for your iPad or Android-enabled tablet using the links provided below: Pairing with Sphero Note that Ollie and Sphero device pair differently with your tablet device. Pairing with Ollie With Ollie, pairing is automatic right from the Tynker App, and you do not have to pair via Settings.