Using Beebots and Roamers

1. Using Beebots and Roamers Developing spatial awareness Using Beebots and Roamers

2. What are they? • A floor robots • Command it to move and it will do what you want Using Beebots and Roamers

3. Introducing Floor Robots • Human robots • The blind leading the blind! • Language development • Directional language • Forward, backward • In front, behind • Right turn, left turn • Links to counting and estimation • How many forward/ back? • How many turns? Using Beebots and Roamers

4. Beebot basic commands Using Beebots and Roamers

5. Playing with the Beebot! • Make your Beebot • Move • Turn • Try a sequence of commands • Challenge each other to direct your Beebot from one place to another • Successful arrival – 1 point • Fewest commands – 2 points • Whole sequence entered in one go and successful arrival – 5 points Using Beebots and Roamers

6. Maths identification • What mathematical understanding is being developed? • What mathematical skills are being developed? • What mathematical thinking is being developed? Using Beebots and Roamers

7. Roamer basic commands • Press “CM” twice BEFORE you start • If you don’t Clear Memory, Roamer will do what you ask as well as everything the previous commands said too! • Press direction key • Press numerical key • Press “go” Using Beebots and Roamers

8. Try different things • Try to move the Roamer around the room • Try putting more than one command in at a time • Possible activities • Roamer mats • Mazes with Rt angles • Mazes with 45deg angles • Slaloms • 10 pin bowling Using Beebots and Roamers

9. More complicated Roamer • Drawing specific shapes • Square, rectangle • Triangles (what thought processes required) • Other polygons • Using the pen holders • (This leads into using Logo) Using Beebots and Roamers

10. FUN!!! Strictly Roam Dancing! • Dress it up • Strictly come dancing! To music (limited by Jon’s collection and what ipods you have!) • Routine must demonstrate turning through 800 degrees and inc forward and backward sections • Routine must include a square, triangle and another polygon Using Beebots and Roamers

11. What maths? Advantages? • What mathematical understanding could these robots develop? • Are there advantages? Disadvantages? • Where next? Using Beebots and Roamers

12. What now? • Over Christmas???!!!!!! • Play with a roamer • Design an activity for students to become aware of the potential of using floor robots This material was used in one of the series of CPD workshops that formed the four day course ‘Leading and supporting the development of digital technologies in mathematics’. This course, delivered in two sets of two-day sessions, was funded by the NCETM and written and tutored by members of the Association of Mathematics Education Teachers (AMET) and National Association of Mathematics Advisors (NAMA). Over 50 people followed the course with representatives from the ITE sector, Local Authorities and teachers from schools (primary, secondary and further education). Using Beebots and Roamers