In case you missed it, the shift of the former STEAM supplier, littleBits, to Sphero has seemingly come full circle. Last week, social media posts on the old littleBits channels indicated that everything would be moving to Sphero’s channels and, earlier this week, that’s exactly what happened. Heading to the @littleBits handle on Twitter displays an “account doesn’t exist” message and typing littleBits.cc into your browser will redirect you right to Sphero’s website. While it seems like the end of one era, we’re excited to see how these two product lines continue to develop under the Sphero name and we’re excited to share some of their latest resources!
The STEAM solutions from Sphero and littleBits help create amazing interactive learning environments. Now fully under the Sphero name, they continue to provide incredible resources for students and teachers, including upcoming webinars, their Learn From Home YouTube series, and the Sphero Global Challenge. Whether you'll be teaching coding, engineering, electronics, or even art, there's something from Sphero for you. As you begin to prepare for the 2020-21 school year, we're here to provide quotes for class packs, single units, and anything else you need to hit the ground running.
For teachers of middle or high school computer science (or other STEAM subjects), the Sphero RVR is an awesome solution. Using this multi-purpose robot, students can code in a whole new way on its customized platform. Available as a single unit or in a 5-pack, the RVR also offers third-party hardware integration, so students can combine coding education with engineering by directly attaching them. The RVR is compatible with the Raspberry Pi, Arduino, databot, micro:bit, and littleBits, allowing students to stretch their invention capabilities and program in three modes: Draw, blocks, and text.
For students who are a bit younger (elementary and middle school), the Sphero BOLT is also a great coding tool. It can be used in almost any academic subject and features a built-in LED matrix students can also program using one of the same three options. Using the free Sphero Edu app, students can learn about how to write code that displays data in real time, using their creativity to control the messages displayed on the matrix. Like the RVR, the BOLT is available as a standalone robot or in a classroom pack of 15!
As for the littleBits kits, educators can still purchase them, but will not be able to do so from littleBits since they have now fully become Sphero. We’re still offering their kits, including our favorite, the littleBits Code Kit. With the Code Kit, students can construct circuits using the littleBits modules and program them online using the Code Kit desktop app. Plenty of project guides are available and come included in the kit, which can be purchased as a single unit or in a class pack of 10. Expansion packs for teaching with the Code Kit can also be found on our store!
In addition to the Code Kit, we also recommend the STEAM Student Set for students on the younger side or anyone who might want to experience more of the engineering potential of littleBits without the coding. This kit can be used starting in early elementary and also has options for adding in expansion packs. The Educator Starter Kit, on the other hand, is designed for teachers or district leaders to use in the classroom for evaluation purposes to gauge how students respond to the littleBits system and invention cycle. And, finally, the littleBits PD course is available on our store and can be used by educators to help expand their littleBits knowledge.
We’re excited for this transition and look forward to continuing to provide both Sphero robots and littleBits circuitry kits to educators under the Sphero name. In addition to providing amazing STEAM tools for teachers and students, we mentioned the Sphero Global Challenge as well. We’d definitely encourage any computer science or STEAM teachers to check that our and see how students can get involved. We’d also like to let you know that Sphero is hosting a webinar tomorrow on ‘Connecting to Your Environment During Remote Learning.’ If you could benefit from some expert tips, feel free to check it out at 3 PM ET/12 PM PT. Check out our webinar as well on the topic of using Sphero robots in remote or hybrid learning.
If you would like to place an order or inquire about submitting a quote request for the upcoming school year, feel free to get in touch with us! Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram as well to keep up with all of the news from the world of STEM education or join our mailing list to make sure you never miss any important updates!