Whether teaching with the SPRK+, Mini, BOLT, or RVR, Sphero's robotics and coding tools open up a lot of possibilities for computer science education. You can even take your CS teaching and learning further by pairing the robots with the corresponding curricula, Sphero's CS Foundations Courses, which are each now available on our store! You can also get the Sphero Fundamentals Course for online educator training and the new BOLT Power Packs for charging and transporting 15 BOLT Robots—some new ways to add simplicity and convenience when teaching with these bots. Read on for more about how each new add-on helps make teaching with Sphero robots easier on educators.
With specific benefits that make the different aspects of STEAM education easier, these secondary Sphero tools provide lots of value. The CS Foundations courses, for example, help break coding down for students as they progress at their own pace. The BOLT Power Packs help ensure that charging does not become an issue during coding or robotics lessons since teachers can charge up all the bots they need overnight, over the weekend, or earlier in the school day. Finally, the Sphero Fundamentals PD Course is one of the most valuable Sphero accessories since it helps teachers and librarians better get to know the key ins and outs of the Sphero Edu app for a smoother transition in the classroom.
The CS Foundations courses include three 24-lesson courses in a three-course bundle and individually if that works better for you. All course content is standards aligned and curricula are designed specifically to be used alongside Sphero robots. As they move through lessons, kids will learn important STEM principles that are relevant in coding and all educational areas. Among the lessons, there are opportunities for cross-curricular integration and each helps students bolster skills and concepts they've learned previously.
Course 1 provides kids with a chance to get more familiar with the Sphero Edu app and the Draw canvas. From there, it introduces different types of Blockly coding they can try with Sphero robots and apps, loops, and conditionals. Specifically, students could create programs involving shapes, numbers, art, and nature. Course 1, just like the other two courses, comes with the 1-year license to Sphero’s digital, student-facing materials and content.
From there, Course 2 has lessons on using Blockly coding to manipulate sensors, variables, loops, and functions, giving students the chance to demonstrate mastery of these important CS concepts. Through these lessons, students will also start to understand the important concept of block-to-text transitions in their code, priming them to take the next step with text programming within Course 3. Another great thing about Course 2 is that educators can use it to introduce students to more advanced programming blocks. They're right in the Sphero Edu app and include some they might not have used in Course 1.
Finally, in Course 3, students can learn about rewriting Blockly programs using the text-based JavaScript language. Through guided instruction, students can more complex create programs using the same canvas as in the first two courses. Among the challenges students are programming their Sphero robots to explore navigation, missions, and riddles—all with more advanced blocks. Courses 1-3 are all available individually or as part of the CS Foundations Courses bundle.
We also recently added the BOLT Power Packs to our store, giving educators different options for adding mobile charging, convenient storage, and easy transporting of their BOLT robots. Modeled after the SPRK charging cases, the BOLT Power Packs can hold, charge, and store up to 15 BOLTs. These, however, were only designed to charge BOLT robots, but still help increase convenience and efficiency for K-12 teachers. Once fully charged, the BOLTs will last for more than two continuous hours of teaching and learning!
There are two different Power Pack options on our store—one that comes with the BOLT robots and one without. The more basic option (no bots included) comes with just the Power Pack case and power cable, making it perfect for educators who already have BOLT robots in their classroom. The other option comes filled with 15 BOLT robots, 15 charging cradles, 15 protractors, 15 turbo covers, 15 rolls of maze tape, 124 stickers, and a Quick Start Guide. Perfect for any school robotics club or makerspace, you can find both of these power pack options on our store.
Finally, the Sphero Fundamentals Course is another great add-on tool for teachers who love Sphero. This professional learning course is designed for teachers to become more familiar with Sphero robots and the Sphero Edu app. It’s completely asynchronous and provides a solid overview of the draw, block, and text programming features in the Sphero app. Teachers can also get access to exclusive Sphero content and the license stays active for 90 days after purchase.
Of course, you can get all of your Sphero robots on our store as well. Whether you're teaching coding with the Sphero Mini or BOLT or add engineering with the RVR, we have you covered. If you have questions on the Sphero robots or professional learning materials, please feel free to contact us. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram as well and like us on Facebook.