Crossing the Halfway Point

With just over half the Fall Program lessons done, Bits & Bots is already looking ahead to the new year when our Spring 2018 Program will begin. As we continue to expand our group and welcome new members, the Curriculum Team has been working hard to come up with new and exciting activities for the students. Before we reach the end of the semester with our final session taking place on Wednesday, November 8 at the Grove Hall Site of the Boston Public Library, we wanted to share what went on during Sessions Three, Four, and Five:

Session Three - Loops 
Some say repetition can be boring, but they haven't experienced it B&B style! The October 11 session was dedicated to teaching students about loops. Our volunteers walked students through building a program that used the loop block to make the robots repeat a certain action.  Using the sound and loop blocks, the robots were programmed to repeat a chosen tone. Later, students added wait and move steering blocks to have their bots repeat sounds at specific time intervals while the bot moves around. 

Session Four - Push to Move
Lesson Four was all about buttons. Students learned how to make their robots move differently depending on which buttons are pressed. By programming the Brick Buttons to match specific movements, students were able to use move steering blocks to to pick which directions their bots should move. This session ended with a mock race that asked students to successfully use their programmed buttons to complete a race course and cross the finish line.

Session Five - Color Sensors
Green, yellow, red, blue...pick your favorite color! On October 25 B&B used Lesson Five to teach students about color sensors. Building off past lessons with loops, students designed programs that matched different numbers to different colors. As the robots were pointed at objects in the room, a number would display that corresponds to a specific color. Later, students were asked to program their bots to print and read out loud the color they are sensing. Students also learning about Ambient Light Intensity in which the robots can detect how bright a room is. The final bit of the lesson focused on programming a "Nocturnal Robot" so that the bot sleeps when the lights are out and turns on when it senses the lights turning on.

Hope everyone enjoys the Halloween festivities! Keep an eye out for new session recaps and updates on general B&B happenings as we close out the Fall Program.

​- B&B