On Thursday morning, March 10, Joanne Gauley, Technology Integrator for the Gorham elementary schools, invited children and staff members of Village School to come to meet the new Sphero Indi Robots. All of the students were very excited to drive these little cars along colored tiles in the hallway outside the Village School Library.
These robotic components are part of a statewide initiative to expand access to computer science in Maine classrooms, announced by Governor Janet Mills and Education Commissioner Pender Makin on Thursday Oct. 13 at the 35th annual Fall ACTEM (Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine) Conference.
Photo credit: Christine Karcanes, SAIL Educational AssistantVillage Staff looks on as students explore state supplied technology equipment with Mrs. Gauley
The #MaineTeachesCS initiative centers around the provision and use of mobile computer science labs along with ongoing professional learning opportunities for each school as well as a computer science integration cohort for a full calendar year (Dec. 2022 – Dec. 2023). Schools were provided with a mobile lab that focuses on one of three computer science topic areas: Robotics and Programing, Coding and Circuitry, and Augmented and Virtual Reality. Each mobile lab will have equipment and supplies that teachers can use to integrate the topic area into their classrooms.
Through this initiative, each of the Gorham elementary schools received six Sphero Indi kits. Mrs. Gauley said, “Additionally, after introducing each elementary staff to these robots, I will unveil our second robot, the Sphero Bolt. Those are round robots that are controlled by writing some computer code on the Chromebooks.”