3D Makers Create Mazes for Perplexing Sphero Programming
My students need two Sphero programmable robot balls with protective covers, a 3D printing pen and 3D filament spools, to design obstacles, arches and bumps to problem solve the ball's path.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Students want to do and create in the media center and in school. Gone is the passive classroom, replaced by the active learning center. Students need outlets for creativity, innovation, creation and problem-solving to make school real for them. The makerspace is here to reach our students.
We are a Renaissance middle school with over 90% of our students receiving free and reduced lunch with a magnet focus on health and wellness.
For the majority of our students their main exposure to new innovative technology comes from the school library media center. We are actively searching for new ways to encourage them to think, push past obstacles and learn.
Our students need to learn to problem-solve, explore, and approach new technologies not as obstacles but as stepping stones for thought. They need to become active, not passive learners, and they need new venues to do so. Students who love to play video games need to create their own programming and this is a first step towards that. Students who love to create with their hands or their pencils need a new venue for that, and the art/creation aspect of the 3D printing pen addresses that.
My Project
My students need two Sphero programmable robot balls with protective covers, a 3D printing pen and 3D filament spools, to design obstacles, arches and bumps to problem solve the ball's path. Our makerspace is ready to integrate robotics and programming within it and the Sphero is the perfect starter tool for that. Teaching basic programming, trial and error and problem-solving, the Sphero will ensure students have a hands-on experience with an affordable programmable robot. However, simply having the Sphero in isolation is not enough. Using the 3D printing pen, students will be able to challenge each other to overcome obstacles that are only limited by their imagination. They can create looping archways, various physical bumps in the road, ramps...with the 3D pen, the possibilities are limitless.
Students will get to explore the boundaries of the Sphero before and after school as well as in the creator groups that meet during lunch in the media center. Students will be able to come in during the day and learn to program and their end result will be being able to test the programming out with the Sphero. Under supervision, students will be able to design and print in 3D!
We need to provide authentic hands-on experiences for our students to demonstrate problems-solving.
Creative opportunities to play, build and overcome obstacles lead to engagement and stimulated minds. Bringing programming and robotics into our library makerspace gives them the chance to learn through fun and play. When creative stimulating play happens, we find amazing results!
3D Drawing Pen - 3D Pen for 3D Doodling (ABS) - Includes 3 spools of filament (Black, White, and Blue)
• Amazon
$99.99
1
$99.99
3D Pen ABS 1.75mm Fun Sampler Pack Quality Filament Assorted Color Pack of 220 Lineal Ft Total of Laser-Controlled Virgin Extrusion Grade Tight Tolerance Filament - 20 Ft. Each of 11 Different Colors
• Amazon
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Newhouse and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
