MOTIVATION

Most robots in primary schools are floor based turtles. It’s been like this since the invention of Logo in the 1960s.

Although turtles are great, there’s a whole world of creative possibilities that are beyond them. We think children should have access to a creative robot system that is modelled on themselves, that they can program to talk, display emotions, act, react and solve real world problems.

CONSTRUCT AND PROGRAM

So we are developing Ohbot, a kit robot that primary children can assemble in an hour, connect to a computer and bring to life by scripting programs using easy drag-block software modelled on Scratch.

Ohbot will come with a pack containing the kit, straightforward making instructions, software and challenge projects developed by experts.

CHALLENGES

The sequence of learning-through-making projects will challenge children to turn Ohbot into a story teller, a street performance poet, teacher, actor or helper. Children will be introduced to key programming concepts including sequences, repetition, selection and variables through applying them to make Ohbot work. This is tailored to address the demands of the Computer science elements within the new curriculum for Computing.

Ohbot

with Dan Warner

Telford ICT Conference