Coding with Botley

 


Botley is a coding robot that can be used with students between the ages of 5-10. Students can manually enter code to move Botley forward, backward, left, and right. Botley can run If/Then programming when an obstacle is detected, use line detection mode,  and loop commands. Botley also has accessories that can be used to make obstacle courses. My school purchased these and this summer I ran a coding camp with summer school students in the library.

Coding covers Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) standards so Botley’s can be used when covering these topics along with the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). It shows a thoughtful way to integrate technology in both a physical and digital learning space. I enjoyed seeing that TIM focuses on collaboration and using technology in meaningful ways. When planning my coding camp, I wanted students to collaborate every day. After going over the basic functions of the Botley I gave students three jobs (Engineer, Secretary, and Programmer) as they approached the obstacle course of the day. The Engineer would build the course, the Secretary would write their group's code, and the Programmer would test the code on the Botley. Once everyone had a turn to do every job, I would allow for them to change jobs after their first test.

This blog post from STEM Education Guide includes a great overview of the Botley and activities that can be used by teachers in the classroom. My favorite was combining coding and reading. I was able to purchase the book “How to Code a Sandcastle” by Josh Funk last school year, and I can’t wait to use it with a Botley lesson. This is a great video playlist from Learning Resources with short videos that show you how to use Botley. They can be used to help introduce a lesson and can be linked to your website as a quick reference for teachers who are interested in using Botley with their students.

Resources:

Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (n.d.). The Technology Integration Matrix. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from https://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix/

Krystal. (n.d.). 7 Fun Activities with Botley the Coding Robot: Home and School. STEM Education Guide. https://stemeducationguide.com/botley-activities/

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