Buzzing BeeBots

I first came across the adorable Beebot at ISTE 2013.  Right away I was drawn to this little programmable bee.  I tried my hand at programming Beebot there in the booth, and very quickly showed the errors in my early computational thinking skills.  :)  

Terrapin Logo

The BeeBot was developed by the people who brought you Terrapin Logo.  Terrapin logo is a programming software that allows students to bring together their mathematical, computation thinking while incorporating the arts.  Although there are students as young as Kindergarten using it, many would say, Terrapin is designed with older students in mind.

BeeBot's command buttons

Enter Beebot-the programmable robot bees that were designed for young students.  This robot moves according to the simple commands you give it.  If you want the beebot to move forward, you press the "forward" button once and then "go."  To make him move forward 3 times, simply press the forward button 3 times, then press "go." Easy as that.  The Beebot is ready to use as soon as you take it out of the box.  The instruction manual itself is only a few pages long.  The buttons are large and easy to understand.




When we purchased these for our school, we also decided to order the lesson guide, directional cards and the durable plastic mat.  The cards have proved to be very helpful in helping the kids think through their program before testing it.  BeeBot works on any surface, so the mat itself is nice, but not 100% necessary.  The lesson pack was a good place for teachers to get a few ideas, but if you have to skip something, I'd say this would be it.  I'd be happy to connect with other schools currently using BeeBots or thinking about it.  Buzz!! Buzz!!!