Laughter is Sometime's the Best Medicine- Ozobots Mad Dash.... for Toilet Paper?

I would like to start this post saying, I completely respect the gravity of our current tumultuous situation in the world but for many, laughter is the best medicine and it had lifted me through these dreary times.

As a result, I present to you, Ozobot's Mad Dash.... for toilet paper. Out of necessity for sanity and debilitating boredom, I sat down and developed an Ozobot lesson to hopefully bring some smiles to faces.

I take my toilet paper very seriously, I get a case very year for Christmas so this activity was right up my alley! Everyone who knows me, including my students, know that I get this and treasure it every year. I do not believe I have ever been so grateful as right now.

This activity uses Ozoblockly, angle measurement, distance/measurement, set parameters, limitations, etc. It covers a lot of concepts and can easily be adapted to any subject. material, story, concept, etc. Sky's the Limit! 

This is adapted from another, shorter (perhaps easier) activity I have created called, Hermione's Hairjinks. You may get it here for FREE!

In both activities, I have included both a WS and Teacher File to project.

Get Ozobot's Mad Dash on the Ozobot Classroom site for FREE here!

I have not referenced a particular virus in the activity, it can easily be adapted to germs or fires, or anything you want. I do not in any way want you to feel that I am being insensitive or am trying to minimize the impact, sometimes, we just need a laugh or smile or bit of levity right now, more than ever.

Enjoy!
Lisa

Hermione's Hairjinks!

Before we left for Spring Break which turned into a pandemic, I was working on an Ozobot lesson for our Geometry Unit. 

I also wanted to integrate some Ozoblockly work so came up with a new Harry Potter themed activity... Hermione's Hairjinks! 

-Hermione has just gotten an interview at the Ministry of Magic! She’s super excited and incredibly nervous. As we all know, Hermione has spent years battling her bushy brown hair and wants it to be nice and sleek for her interview (first impressions are important). She has cleverly written a spell to charm her hair, called Kinkajuice, for the interview but needs all of you to help her get the items while she studies diligently for the interview.

-Kinkajuice ingredients are:

1 bristle from a Bristly Bobbing Brush

3 spores from a Detangler Tree

4 sprays from a can of Super Slick Slippery Serum

-Your mission is to leave the Gryffindor Dorm and get all the items then meet Hermione in the Potions Dungeon!

-You can find the items in any order but don’t cross Hermione in the Dungeon because you know she will freak out if you do and do not have them all. She is so anxious about her interview every second is carefully planned!

-Code Ozobot with color code or Ozoblockly depending on your teacher’s directions. 

Students will have to measure angles, distance, convert measurement, code with set parameters, etc. 

Lot's of individualized learning! I will update with student photos and experiences later!

Get the lesson including a sample from Ozobot Classroom for FREE here!

Enjoy!

Lisa

Making Math OZO-some!

Last year I participated in a WeTeach_CS grant in Texas.  It was to help prepare for taking the Teacher Certification test for teaching computer science.  I love learning new things and being a teacher, I'm a life long learner.  Through this grant, which is currently being offered throughout the state of Texas (Google to see if there is one near you!)  It is completely free and not only helps prepare you, it also provides resources for you to take back to your classroom regardless of what you teach!

We built a laptop to use for coding!

We learned to code on our new TINspires!

It was such an incredible and rewarding experience!  But how did this make math OZO-some you ask?  Through this grant, I discovered a little robot called an Ozobot.  A what o-bot?  Check out the Youtube intro video here:

And where do I see the value of coding in the math classroom?  Well, the minute I started to code all those basic order of operations principles came into play.  What else?  You had to be precise and accurate and follow directions!  Say what?  Follow directions and order of operations?  Well.... while your students might be well heeled in these practices, I find it a much needed constant 'refresher' for my students.

I loved that the kids made the connection on the first day of using the Ozobots.  When we discussed the significance of the robots in the classroom, the one student who loudly exclaimed '.... oh, oh, ohhh.... order of operations!' made it all worth it. I was ecstatic.  This is exactly how I worked coding into my math classroom.  This was just a beginning but I was able to do something that my students will always be able to connect to the most fundamental life skill for success in anything... order of operations and following directions.

The Ozobot website has premade lessons and activities for your students as well.  I used this one to start with the students.  I showed the video above then followed up with the following 2.

So how do you get an Ozobot?  I did a DonorsChoose.org classroom project.  I promoted the heck out of it because I wanted this for my students.  The first week they will even match your donations.  Here is my project so you can see the specifics.  Click on the picture to follow the link.

Those of you unfamiliar with DonorsChoose.org should definitely look into it.  It is completely FREE for teachers and I found it to be a very easy grant writing process.  I feel passionately about my students and with DonorsChoose I can express that passion effectively.  I was lucky to have this project funded and blessed beyond belief for the value it gave my students in not only math processes but a whole new world of coding for some of them!

I plan to do more with them and below are pictures of our first days.  These graduate from simple coding into loops and what if and logic statements for my hardcore coders.  They are wonderful for learning to code.  

 I love when kids get so into it they put it on social media 💓💓

They decided to build a great course.

I highly recommend you look into the WeTeach_CS grants if you can.  It was so rewarding for both for me and my students.  If you are in the Houston area and would like to check out my classroom set of Ozobots let me know.  I'd love to help you see the coding in math!