Author: jtanders

by

Boogie Bot – Grooving Fun

Meet Boogie Bot. Boogie Bot = Fun.

Boogie Bot is an interactive learning App that enables children to program a robot to dance. Programming the robot introduces children to the basics of coding as they interact, and develop skills using ‘Blocky’, a visual programming language. As children learn to code with coding blocks they turn ‘Boogie Bot’ into a grooving, dancing master.  

This App has 5 different categories, with varying levels of difficulty. Each category introduces a different programming concept to enrich learning.

 

 

Year Level: Year 2

In the classroom: 

Boogie Bot allows each child to build a robot using a blue print design, and then program it to dance along with hip music in an illuminated ‘dance zone’. Once a dance sequence has been programmed, the children transform the dance room into a grooving zone with opportunities to share their dance and earn rewards. Dance action blocks are used to create dance moves with a variety of options for children to include special effects. Rewards are earned as the children progress through different levels. This app could be integrated into Health & Physical Education by fostering ‘Boogie Bot Brain-Breaks’ during lesson transition times. The children can have ownership and design their own ‘brain-breaks’ to create those essential moments throughout the day to activate bodies and brains!

Subject: Digital Technologies

Strands:

1. Knowledge & Understanding – Digital systems

  • The components of digital systems: hardware, software and networks and their use.

2.  Processes & Production Skills

  • Defining problems and designing digital solutions (Year 2)
  • This App supports development of Computational Thinking and enriched learning as children learn the basics of computer Science. These include; Algorithmic thinking, sequential processing, pattern recognition and looping.

General Capabilities:

Literacy, Numeracy, Information & Communication Technology, Critical & Creative Thinking

Integrated Learning Opportunities:

English, Health & Physical Education, Mathematics.

Content Descriptors:

Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems (ACTDIP004 )

Recognise and explore patterns in data and represent data as pictures, symbols and diagrams(ACTDIK002)

Recognise and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose(ACTDIK001)

Getting Started:

 

iPad Screen Shots:

  

 

Link to this resource: 
www.nybleapps.com/privacy

Additional Information: 

This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad
  • Free
  • Category: Education
  • Updated: Mar 20, 2017
  • Version: 1.02
  • Size: 178 MB
  • Language: English
  • Seller: NybleApps LLC
  • © 2016 NybleApps LL
  • Made for Ages 6–8
 Compatibility: Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
by

Codeable Crafts – First Impressions Count

 

Introduce your class to coding with this App that will inject a love for coding and becoming a ‘Story Creator.’ Codeable Crafts is an introduction for children to the world of coding that will leave a lasting impression. It is fun, engaging, and enhances creativity as children develop their own imaginative stories. They use a combination of simple drawing tools to develop their own characters, and coding applications to ‘bring their characters life’. 

In the classroom:

Codeable Crafts is an educational tool that allows children to learn the basic concept of Computational Thinking. It has a variety of character templates that are visually stimulating for each child to animate using a basic set of coding blocks.

There are no limits to the possibilities of stories the class can create as they become the master creators of the characters they draw, design, and animate.  Codeable Crafts is an app that could be easily integrated into other areas to enrich learning whilst exposing and teaching about coding. An example is; during a unit of work introducing a writing genre,  ‘narratives,’  the class would be able design their characters, write their story, and then use this app to ‘animate’ their written story.  This is elementary coding that the children will love.

 

Link for this resource:

Visit Website: https://www.codeablecrafts.com/

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/codeable-crafts/id1050901522?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.benesse.ccs&hl=en

 

Year level: Foundation – Year 1.

Subject: Digital Technologies

Strands: 

Processes & Productions Skills

  • Computational thinking
  • Defining problems and defining digital solutions (F-2)
  • Communicating ideas and information

Knowledge & Understanding

  • Digital systems
    • The components of digital systems: hardware, software and networks and their use.

Content Descriptors:

Recognise and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose (ACTDIK001)

Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems (ACTDIP004 )

Integrated Learning Opportunities:

English, The Arts, Mathematics

General Capabilities:

Numeracy, Critical & Creative Thinking, Information & Communication Technology, Literacy.

Getting Started:

View the brief tutorial overview showing how to decorate and animate character templates.

Simple Steps to follow:

Step One: Decorate and animate animal templates.

Step Two: Choose from My Sketchbook or My Storybook to start creating.

Step Three: Colour and add stickers to the templates in the sketchbook, and then select finished creatures to star in animated stories in the storybook.

Step Four: Start using a small set of basic coding blocks to create sound, movement, and text.

Step Five: Put the blocks together like puzzle pieces and watch the finished story.

iPad Screenshots:

   

Additional Information:

  • Free App.
  • Compatibility: Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPad.
  • Category: Education
  • Updated: 05 June 2017
  • Version: 1.3.0
  • Size: 100 MB
  • Languages: English, Japanese
  • Seller: Benesse Corporation
  • © Benesse Corporation
  • Made For Ages 6–8

Reviews of this app as an education tool available at:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/codeable-crafts