Project: Spheros on a Mission
The Sphero is a robotic ball that is able to be programmed by students of many ages. The program used to make the ball move is called Lightning Lab.
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The app is fairly easy to figure out. Students can drive the Sphero, set the speed and degree the ball will roll, change the color, and even make noises at specific points.
What is a Sphero?
The Process
We built a maze and programmed the Sphero to move through the maze while utilizing the ability to change colors and make noises.
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The issue for much of the programming was determining how fast and how much time the ball needed to be programmed to run through the maze successfully. This took some trial and error. I started with one speed and made a guess for how many seconds it would take to make it across the distance.
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With that trial, I would adjust my measurements from there. If I needed the ball to move cover more distance, I could change the speed and keep the same amount of time to make the ball move farther in the same amount of time. I could also add more time to to affect the distance. I would keep tweaking it until it moved the perfect distance.
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For the other turns and the rest of the maze, I utilized the first measurements as a base. If I knew the distance for one stretch was less than that first trial, I could adjust the time or speed accordingly.
The Maze
The Programming!!
Math Standards:
1.MD.2 Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps
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1.G.1 Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus nondefining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.
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3.MD.1 Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing
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4.MD.5 Recognize angles as geometric shapes that are formed wherever two rays share a common endpoint, and understand concepts of angle measurement
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4.MD.6 Measure angles in wholenumber degrees using a protractor. Sketch angles of specified measure.
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4.G.1 Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
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​5.MD.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
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