I’d have to give it a 4 out of 5 for that as well. The buttons, the wheels and the casing seems pretty solid and kid friendly. I haven’t been game to let my only Codey be pushed off a table to test it, but I’d imagine it would be pretty robust. I don’t think, save covering it with foam or bubble wrap, you’d have a design that was more ‘kid proof’. So how durable is Codey? Well, just look at the images of the build quality, especially the hardened plastic shell and the bullet proof tractor tread. The mBlock5 program is currently available on a Mac, Windows 10 and the Google Chrome Web Store so it will work with any laptop or Chrome Book.Īt the moment I’d give reliability a 4 but pretty close to a 5 if I solve this MacBook connection issue. Connecting to my Surface Pro was as simple as could be, and the buttons and charging cable seem to work flawlessly. I did have issues getting it connected to my MacBook Pro, but that could be something to do with the dreaded USB C adapter issue that any MacBook user knows about. To be honest, I’ve found the Codey to be extremely close to faultless so far. We need classroom tools that work pretty much 100% of the time, taking out human error. If you have experienced what it’s like to have a class learning ‘flow’ interrupted by the fact that a tool just won’t work… then you know what I mean. The next criteria, reliability, is such an important aspect for most teachers. So, for scalability, I’d give it a 4 out 5. How cool is that! This is aside from the ability to have students code using the JavaScript mode inside MBlock. It could be designed, for example to measure the moisture of some soil, and send you a text message when the levels get too low. This is especially so once you connect it to WIFI and the, ‘If this, then that’, recipes you can adapt make the Codey Rocky into an ‘Internet of things’ tool. The main console of the Cody Rocky can be attached to the invention tools from Makeblock called Neuron, which allows it to become part of some pretty sophisticated inventions. How about older students? Well, on the face of it, Codey Rocky looks like a younger student’s tool but, looks can be deceiving. They can adapt pre-made coding programs very easily and transition into making their own coding algorithms pretty quickly. So how about scaling up the ability? The main interface for the code, a program you can download, is called mBlock and is super easy for young children to just ‘drag and drop’. Kids love this panda-looking coding robot and from my experience, it just hooks people right in! I’ve also seen research (don’t ask me where) that suggests that girls are more likely to be drawn into a coding tool if it has some kind of personality attached to it. It’s got the cute factor, that’s for sure. ![]() The first thing you notice about Codey is that it just looks so totally cute! You only have to see students’ reactions to it to know that people just bond with it super quickly. Especially as schools often have limited budgets and will want their dollars to stretch as far as they can. Is it able to challenge young students, right up to older ones? Can it be challenging for students will low levels of skills right up to students with high levels of skills? In my opinion, the best tools can be adapted through multiple levels. So, our first one, scalability, is all about the age and ability range that the tool can be used with. I’ll be weighing the Codey Rocky up against five criteria that I always recommend teachers think about when they are looking at digital tools. This review is about Makeblock’s new addition to their coding robot lineup, the ‘Codey Rocky’, which the team at Makeblock have been kind enough to give me an advance trial of. If you’re a teacher in a classroom these days, it’s pretty hard to not know about the need to get students engaged with coding robots, and the new buzz words floating around at the moment, ‘Invention Literacy.’īut the biggest question we always get asked, through the work we do as digital learning specialists in schools, is ‘ What robotics tool should we buy for our class?’ And the second most asked question would be, ‘What would be a good coding robot for my junior class?’ Well – here’s a great option that would cover both of those questions. ![]() Mark is also a Google Certified Educator, and experienced with developing education initiatives and strategies for the new digital curriculum for schools. Based in New Zealand with over 10 years experience as digital learning leader in schools, Mark understands what it takes to structure digital learning programs that ‘flow’ and is known for demonstrating ‘creative learning’ approaches, such as coding robots. for maximum learning outcomes. This is a guest post by Mark Herring, the Lead STEAM Trainer and an Apple Learning Specialist at Using Technology Better.
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