#Sphero bolt coding how to#
#Sphero bolt coding code#

#Sphero bolt coding how to#

There are a total of 11 block categories they can use, including movements, lights, sounds, sensors, events, variables, and more! Throughout this process, students can quickly learn the benefits of block coding, refactoring, and how to use different coding elements.įinally, once students learn foundational programming skills with BOLT, they can move on to programming it using JavaScript text. By following sample activities within the Sphero Edu app, students can practice refactoring code, use and define loops, and apply that knowledge in building block programs. Also, they'll really start getting to know how to optimize their programs in the same way that developers do. Students can build upon some of the computer science skills they learned when drawing their programs. Specifically, they'll get to explore loops and operators, rather than simply tracing a path for their robot to navigate. Within this environment, they can start to learn about more advanced computer science concepts. By selecting the ‘Blocks’ option within the Sphero Edu app rather than the Draw function, they can access the block programming field. In terms of block coding with the BOLT, students can use blocks that are similar to Scratch. The Sphero Edu app also displays relevant STEM data, like the total distance the BOLT traveled!

#Sphero bolt coding code#

It's as easy as drawing shapes that represent code and using the canvas to execute it. Students can learn key programming basics, including sequencing and logic, through this process. The swipes of their fingers also represent JavaScript code. When the BOLT travels the exact distance and direction students have told it to, they learn more than just the fact that they can control a robot’s movements with their finger. This will become the course their BOLT will follow. A grid of squares should appear on the screen of their connected device and students can use their finger to create the outline of any shape or path they would like. Essentially, students can launch the Draw feature within the Sphero Edu app and start by giving their program a name. It can even be used with some of Sphero’s other robots as well. This programming method isn’t exclusive to the BOLT. Each of the three coding methods are accessible through the Sphero Edu app. With the versatile Sphero Edu app, students can program their BOLT in three different ways: Drawing, block coding with Scratch blocks, or text coding with JavaScript. Students can program the BOLT using the Sphero Edu app, which is compatible with numerous desktop and mobile devices.

Finally, its IR sensors allow for robot-to-robot communication (among different BOLT robots) as well as new coding tactics and games for students. It is certainly a unique piece of hardware that students can program and use as a springboard to display data in real time. Then, there’s the programmable LED matrix, which instantly became a point of fascination when the BOLT was first introduced. The BOLT is equipped with some of the most advanced sensors you’ll find in educational robotics and they allow students to do things like constantly monitor the speed their robot is traveling and the direction it’s moving. There are three main ways in which students can program the BOLT and, before we go more into each of them, we thought it would be helpful to cover what makes this possible.

Now, we're going a little deeper into the types of programming students with intermediate to advanced coding experience can do using the BOLT. You may have even caught our other blogs about it in the past or tried your own Sphero lesson ideas. You may have heard about its built-in and programmable LED matrix that displays animations and messages based on the types of programs students create. There is a lot more, however, to teaching computer science with BOLT than high speeds and flashy looks. Coding with the Sphero BOLT robot is just as exciting and fast-paced as a name with a lightning-quick sound might suggest.