| The Cue Robot provides students with opportunities to explore increasingly complex programming while focusing on more advanced block coding and text coding in JavaScript.
1. It's designed for students with previous coding experience and ideal for those aged 11 and up. |
The Cue Robot from Wonder Workshop is the perfect STEAM solution for students who already have some coding experience. It helps them start learning about text coding and even features AI elements for them to explore. To begin, students can customize their Cue Robot's personality by choosing an avatar for it to embody and communicate with via chat. The robot itself has multiple sensors and features for students to interact with as well, such as obstacle detection, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, interactive LEDs, and motors. With the Cue, students can begin their transition from block coding to text-based programming in a way that's easy to understand.
Get to know the Cue coding robot.
It's similar to Wonder Workshop's Dash Robot in its shape and functionality, but there certainly are some differences between the Dash and Cue. First, the Cue Robot is best for teaching teenaged students since it's a bit more complex. It also has more memory, a better processor, and more advanced sensors. Students can program the Cue in one of three environments: Blockly, Wonder, and JavaScript. The Blockly and Wonder options are both visual environments with block-based, drag-and-drop icons for students to start with. From there, they can progress to JavaScript once they're ready.
In the box, you’ll find the Cue Robot, a charging cable, stickers, a warranty guide, and building brick connector blocks. Students will just need to download the Cue by Wonder Workshop app on a compatible device before beginning. The app is very user-friendly and it's actually built on the MakeCode coding platform from Microsoft. Whether students are using the Cue with a tablet or a computer, there are plenty of options. The Cue by Wonder Workshop app is available on iOS, Android, Amazon, and Windows 10 devices as well as Chromebooks. Students can access an always-growing library of challenges and activities within the app. These help support self-guided exploration and experimentation while encouraging students to apply what they know in solving real-world problems.
Getting Started with the Cue Robot.
With each device, the Cue Robot has a battery life that supports as much as 90 minutes of continuous use. And, its real-time Bluetooth technology allows for fast and easy connections to student devices. Educators have access to plenty of helpful resources and videos from the Wonder Workshop team as well. To charge, students can simply connect the included charging cord to the robot and a power source. The Cue’s power button will glow when its battery is at 10 percent and a message within the app also notifies students. You’ll know the battery is charging when the power button lights up while the charging cord is plugged in. The button should glow on and off while charging and, once the battery charges fully, the button will glow steadily.
Among the powerful technology packed into the Cue Robot are microphones, speakers, sensors, LEDs and more. The LEDs and buttons on the robot are programmable, allowing students to customize its looks. With the Cue's built-in microphone and speakers, they can also take advantage of real-time voice triangulation to personalize recording and playback. The Cue can also interact with other robots it detects and it's capable of very quick and accurate movements. Finally, it has three proximity sensors, so it can detect objects to its left, its right, and anything in back of it.
More Helpful Features for the classroom.
There is also a Curriculum Guide available for teaching with the Cue. It features three units and teachers can purchase them individually or together. Unit 1 covers Creative Writing and provides students with a choice of design thinking activities and project ideas. Then, Unit 2 focuses on game design, which is a huge part of computer science, and introduces them to concepts like functions, variables, and conditionals. Finally, Unit 3 is dedicated entirely to innovation and teaching students more about text-based programming, arrays, and data storage. Once they finish, they can also complete an innovation project to apply their new coding knowledge.
Customizing the Cue in STEAM lessons.
What you may not know is that students can also make some custom changes to completely personalize their Cue Robot.
- First, they can change their Cue’s name to make it easier to distinguish between robots. To do this, go into the Cue Robot app, connect via Bluetooth by clicking the ‘+’ icon, and then tap ‘Edit’ to change the name.
- Students can also adjust the Cue’s volume within the app. Once connected, click the image of the robot in the top right corner and tap ‘Edit’ to adjust the settings.
- If they want to turn their Cue to Quiet Mode while it's starting up, they can go to Settings and then ‘Advanced.’ There, they can choose ‘Silent’ to turn on Quiet Mode. This is helpful to prevent multiple robots from making noises when students power them on.
Overcoming Cue Robot challenges and troubleshooting tips.
If you run into any troubleshooting issues, we have a few tips from our partners at Wonder Workshop.
- If your Cue Robot is acting up, updating the firmware may solve the issue. First, plug the robot in. Hold down the three buttons on its head as well as the power button until the lights turn red. Release the buttons and the lights should blink red. Open the app and connect to the Cue listed as ‘DFU CUE.’ Follow the instructions that come up to update the firmware.
- If the lights on your Cue’s ears and top center are red, it may mean it needs an update. If the Cue gets stuck like this, it could be due to a glitch or to it disconnecting during the update. Plug the robot in and connect to ‘DFU CUE.’ Follow the instructions that come up to update the firmware. If you are still having issues, use a different network, such as data or Wi-Fi, or a different device.
- For more guidance, watch this Cue Robot tutorial before getting started.
We hope this helps expand your knowledge of teaching middle school coding with the Cue Robot. Also, if you're interested in expanding its capabilities in the classroom, check out the Wonder Workshop Sketch Accessories on our store to add a new dimension of art and design to coding lessons. The Cue comes in various classroom packs as well with all sorts of accessories, including packs of three, six, or 12 with curriculum. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook to find more EdTech Tips & Tricks.
| Click below to contact the Eduporium team to learn more about the Cue Robot or create a quote. |
All of our iPads have keyboards attached and vertical only for some screens is a pain for the whole class.
I have the same problem. I'm using the Cue app on an iPad and on the 'control' section is rotated horizontally. The other sections like code and wonder seem to only work vertically. This is a problem because the iPads have keyboards attached so coding in python is very difficult.
I've checked the screen rotation lock and it is not set - all other apps rotate to the correct orientation.
Is the app designed to rotate with the iPad?
The Cue iOS app was designed for phones and tablets on the vertical portrait layout. We don't support rotation (we don't support rotation on Blockly/Wonder either, but they default to landscape).
Unfortunately, the web version was designed more for education, and that was designed for a more traditional Chromebook landscape layout. Unfortunately, it won't work on iPads, but if they have Chromebooks, that might be a possibility for them.