Naomi Meredith  00:00

Have you been wondering what robots you should buy for your elementary STEM space? In this episode, I will be giving my recommendations for the best robots that you should invest in for your elementary classroom. 

Naomi Meredith  00:11

All right, before we jump in, I have a couple of announcements for you to get you going for your day. I am working on planning one of my last few episodes of 2022, and I actually wanted you to help me create it. It's going to be an Ask Me Anything episode. So you can ask me anything STEM or personally related that you want to know about me, and I will answer it on the show. You can send me a DM on Instagram at Naomimeredith_  or a recorded voice message at Naomimeredith.com/voice. I will answer your questions on the podcast. Also, I have some upcoming virtual workshops that are going to be launching in 2023 that I would love for you to be a part of. It will be a good time to learn and connect with other STEM teachers and about topics that are important to us in the elementary STEM space. You can join the waitlist to be the first to know when they're open, and you can do that at Naomimeredith.com/workshopwaitlist. All of this will be listed in the show notes, so you don't have to stop your car or stop what you're doing. You can go get those links when you're ready. 

Naomi Meredith  01:56

When it comes to purchasing robots for the classroom, it doesn't have to be super scary. You really don't have to buy everything at once. All of the robots that I'm going to be talking about I'm not sponsored currently by any of these companies. But of course, if you're listening to this and you work for those companies, let me know because I would love to chat. But these are robots that I have used in my elementary STEM space that has definitely been worth the investment and that I could use with hundreds of students for a variety of different lessons. All of these robots have different coding languages, and there are some similarities and differences that we will talk about. So again, these are things that I have used with kids and that have worked well over the years. So let's jump in. 

Naomi Meredith  02:41

The first robot that I would recommend to use in your STEM space is the Dash robot by Wonder Workshop. It is a teal robot that has a round head and then three round parts at the bottom with two wheels. There are different pieces to attach different accessories. This robot is recommended for K through five, which you can definitely use with all of your students, which is a great investment. If you don't have a whole lot in your budget, you have a robot that you can use with all of your students. I talked a lot about Dash and Wonder Workshop in general with Bryan Miller, who works for the company. Make sure to check out the interview I did with Bryan Miller back in episode 32. At the time of this episode, they're about $180 per robot, which is slightly pricey, but again, it can be used with all of your students, so it's worth the investment. When you're using this with the younger students, there are apps that really help the students understand how the robot works in a more simple coding language. When you move to the second through fifth graders, there is an app where you can use block-based coding to get more into higher-level coding. This robot is super durable and easy to get started with. You just unbox it, turn it on, push through any updates, and you are ready to go. 

Naomi Meredith  04:01

Dash has a rechargeable battery that you can use a power cord with. The battery lasts for a long time. So if you're using this with multiple classes throughout the day, you might just have to charge Dash in the middle of the day, and you should be good to go the entire day. That's really awesome, too, as you can code Dash with tablets and Chromebooks. So with the web browser, as long as the device has Bluetooth, you can code Dash, which is awesome because I know not all of us have tablets in our classrooms, so you don't have to be limited to that option. As I mentioned that there are parts to Dash where you can attach various accessories that are available to purchase separately. There are also these really cool simple attachments that you can put on Dash that students can actually build with LEGO bricks to help them solve their solution. Not only that, Wonder Workshop has an annual competition that you can do as an after-school club and use this robot, and they have various challenges that you can have students problem-solve and collaborate together. The challenges and themes change every year to keep your students excited and engaged year after year. So I definitely recommend this as an after-school club opportunity. Again, this robot is so amazing, it rolls, it can make sounds, and it can perform different actions with those accessories. So again, if you only are able to purchase one type of robot, this guy, Dash, could be your go to.

Naomi Meredith  05:29

You may notice there are other robots that Wonder Workshop offers. They have Dot, which is a smaller robot that doesn't move but can interact with Dash. Then they have Cue, the older sibling that we like to say. They can interact as well and can perform multiple coding actions that Dash can't currently do. But you don't need either one of these robots, Dash is just fine. If you get about 6 to 12 of these for your classroom, you will be set. When you're first getting started with Dash, they have some coding cards that are excellent for learning the basics of Dash. There are many challenges that students can complete and work on with groups. I love using these when I first get Dash out with my students, and they have no prior background when using these robots. They are perfect challenges that students can progress through. It teaches them how to use the coding language and to see how Dash responds when different coding actions are performed. 

Naomi Meredith  06:30

The second robot that I would recommend for the elementary classroom is the Sphero robot. There are a lot of different variations of these offered by Sphero. There is a Sphero mini that is the size of a golf ball, Sphero bolt, and Sphero Spark Plus. There are a lot of different variations, and they all do about the same thing. So you can always try to purchase the newest version that they have at the time. This robot is shaped like a ball, and it rolls like a ball. They move very, very fast. So different than Dash. Dash has wheels on the bottom, and Sphero rolls around, but it has a very similar coding language. I will say a big difference between the coding of Sphero and Dash is that Sphero can perform more tight turns and angles. So when you have more obstacle courses or things that have corners and turns, Sphero might be the best robot for this. Dash has a bit more of a personality. It's cuter, I would say. So students really connect with that, that it has a personality. But again, robots are things that perform and automate a task. So it's really awesome that these companies have different robots, and they look different. Some look like they have a personality, and some don't. But either way, that's okay. The goal is to teach students that it's performing an automated task that you code it to do. There are a lot of different apps that you can use for Sphero. The one that I like to use is the Sphero education app. The coding is a bit more complicated, so if you're looking for a challenge for students, I would recommend using Sphero with your older students, like fourth, fifth, or even sixth grade, because the coding can be even more complicated. You can talk about the speed and rate of things, again, those lines and angles. So you can even have very specific degrees, which Dash can too. But the way that you can code Sphero can get even more complicated, which is great for students who want more of a challenge. 

Naomi Meredith  08:54

There are other offshoots of Sphero that also I would recommend looking into for your classroom. There is the Sphero rover. It's not spelled rover, it's RVR. But this is recommended for even the higher up grades, so sixth grade and beyond. So if you're a teacher who teaches K through eight, this would be a great investment for you, because the students would be used to the black base coding, like with the Sphero, the ball Sphero. But there is just more of a challenge when it comes to the coding and the capabilities of that robot, and it looks like a little car. So that is pretty exciting as well. Likewise, there's a younger student offshoot the Sphero Indi, which I talked about in that holiday episode, things to buy for your classroom. This one is really cool, too, because this robot reads the color codes on the cards. So you don't necessarily need a device to code that robot. But it reads the cards, and then students can put the cards in a different formation on the ground. Then when that robot drives across those colors, it will perform the action. So there's a whole line of variation. So if you have more room in your budget, I would mix this type of robot in, especially if you teach all the students in the school. It is pretty cool to have a variety of robots for students to experiment with because if you're using the same one, year after year, they might master that type of coding, then you definitely want to mix up the lessons that you're doing. So again, if you have more room in your budget, mix these robots in so you have more variety. Students can compare and contrast the type of coding and the different challenges that they'll perform in your classroom. 

Naomi Meredith  11:52

The very best robots to use for students in the elementary classroom are robots that use directional coding. There are a lot of options for this type of coding. When I describe directional coding, that would be the code that uses the arrows. So this is definitely used for primary students or pre-readers, where there's an arrow that shows the direction the robot is going to be moving. These robots definitely are cute, and they have a lot of personality. There are a lot of different options out there, and I'm going to describe the difference between those to help you with your purchasing decision. Because all of our coding languages are pretty much the same thing with the arrows. But here are the differences between those robots. The cheapest option is the code and go mouse. It's about the size of your fist, and it doesn't use a screen. It does use batteries that you have to replace. It's not a rechargeable robot, and they are the cheapest. So if you are on a tight budget, this is the cheapest option. Now, I will say the coding is great. But if you're using this for hundreds of students, they don't really last a long time, and they come up with some weird little issues and kinks where it might go the opposite direction. The wheels don't always work. So if you're looking for longevity of a product, I wouldn't really recommend the “mouse.” Love the coding since it's super simple to use. You could just buy the robot, you don't need the whole kit that has the squares that come with it. They are these green squares that students can build on, but you don't really need those. The robot is awesome. If you're on a tight budget, if you're a classroom teacher, let's say you only teach about 25 to 30 kids, definitely invest in this code and go mouse or if you are a parent, perfect for at home. But if you teach hundreds of kids, if you can swing it, I'm gonna give you a couple of different options for that. 

Naomi Meredith  13:49

A robot that does the same exact thing that is more durable, and you don't have to replace the batteries are the Bee-Bots. Yes, they are pricier, but they are extremely durable and hardly ever have any issues. I've had the same ones for years, and I know that they were in my classroom even before I got this job. They were used for years before that. So they are definitely worth the investment if you can splurge a little bit more. This is the top one that I would recommend for primary students, and it is the Blue Bot. The Blue Bot, again, also has the arrows that you press on the robot, the directional coding, it's see through so it looks just like the Bee-Bot but it's see through with kind of a bluish tint so students can see inside of the robot and what all of its components are. But not only does it have the screen-free option, it does have the option of being able to be coded by using an iPad. I like having this option because this is a great progressive robot, meaning students could start off in Kindergarten or in first-grade coding by using the arrow keys on the back of the robot, and then at the end of first grade or beginning of second grade, they can code the robot using a tablet connected with Bluetooth. They can code using the arrows on the iPad, but you can also code using block-based coding that is even more simple than the Dash robot, which I love. If you have a variety of robots, then this type of coding with the Blue Bot will help them with the Dash robot. Let's say you have the Sphero, then if they can master Dash, then they can go with Sphero. So like I said, I love having a variety of robots in my classroom to have that progression of learning. So when I'm teaching robotics, we're all doing robots at the same time, and we are interacting with robots where there is that progression of learning. There are different challenges along the way that students can explore different coding languages and things that are exciting for them. So that's why I like having that variety. 

Naomi Meredith  14:08

There's also another robot that uses directional coding, and that is the Botley robot. There are two versions, there's the Botley, and then there's the 2.0, where there are just more capabilities with the Botley. The 2.0 basically does the same thing. Instead of having the arrows on the back of the robot, there is a little remote. Now again, it's a really great robot, not as terrible as the Bee-Bot with a ton of hands. Just be careful that the remote doesn't get lost. I haven't used a bunch of these with a whole class. I've used this before, just one robot with a station. So I'm not sure when it comes to the remote if the remote can control all of the Botleys in the room or just the one that comes in the kit. As I said, try it out, and if you know, let me know. But this one is a cheaper option. It's a little more expensive than the Code-and-Go-Mouse. But cheaper than the Blue Bot and Bee-Bot. It can do a little bit more than the Code-and-Go-Mouse. It has a few more functions. So there's just a variety of price ranges when it comes to that directional coding. They all do the same thing, perfect for the same grade of students. But if I were to have to choose one, I would choose the Blue Bot robot. 

Naomi Meredith  17:16

As a recap, here are the best robots for elementary students that I would recommend for your classroom. First, we have the Dash robot by Wonder Workshop. Next are the different robots that are offered by Sphero. We have the Bolt, and the mini, which are both shaped like a ball that can roll around, there is the Rover RVR, and there is the Indi. Finally, there are robots that use directional coding. So we talked about a variety of those. There's the Bee-Bot, the Blue Bot, the Code-and-Go-Mouse, and the Botley. I hope that this helps with your decision-making when it comes to the robots to use in your classroom and what is available out there. We will talk more about specific lessons in future episodes. But I don't want you to be overwhelmed with all the decisions out there. These are ones that I have used with students or ones that I know people have used and that have worked well. So hopefully, this can take out that decision fatigue and find a resource that will work best for your STEM space.