Lego WeDo 2.0 First Hands On

Today I got my hands on the Lego WeDo 2.0 kit for the first time. We have fifteen sets in school, so I'm getting to grips with them before we introduce them in lessons.

First Opening

When you first open the kit all of the blocks are collected in a few sealed plastic bags. The first task is to arrange them into the handy tray. There are stickers provided which you can affix to the compartments of the tray. The stickers show the blocks which belong in that compartment, helping you keep things organised. Unfortunately it doesn't show the quantity of each block. 

The next step is putting batteries in the Smart Block. Of course this depends on you having remembered to buy some batteries (or the rechargeable battery pack). So after a quick trip to the shops I set to work. This was the first point where the lack of any instructions with the kit became frustrating. After a quick google I got it sussed: hold the Smart Block with the curved edge towards you and push away on the top white part. It should slide back then pop off as shown in the pictures below.

I've since found a guide on the Lego Website to setting up Lego Wedo 2.0 kits for the first time.

Building a Project

Before you start you will need to download the software from the Lego Education Download page. Once again the lack of instructions proves frustrating, as does the poor interface. There is not a lot in the way of on-screen instructions or guidance which means users can easily get lost. There don't even seem to be tooltips which means hovering over icons still doesn't give you any idea what they do!
After digging through the Teacher Guide (from the software home screen, click the icon at the top-right with an i on it), I found a handy guide on page 185

1. Press Add New Project button to create a new project.
2. Press on an existing project to get back to a saved file.
3. Press the Startup video button to take a tour of the WeDo 2.0 Software.
4. Press the Information icon to access the teachers’ guide and other support material.

Starting a new project brings up the Getting Started and Guided Projects tab automatically. A couple of clicks gets you on your way to with one of the sample projects, including a cute introduction video. The actual building of the project is well guided, with brick-by-brick instructions.

 

Although I did later figure out that I had attached the wrong wheel size!

Coding the Project

1. Press the Home icon to get back to the Lobby.
2. Press the Project Library icon to get access to WeDo 2.0 projects.
3. Press the Design Library icon to get access to the building and programming inspiration.
4. Press the Capture tool icon to access the WeDo 2.0 Software’s built-in camera, video, and screen capture tool.
5. Press the Documentation tool icon to access your project document.
6. Press the Help icon to access additional information.
7. Press the Display icon to show or hide the display text or image feature.
8.  Press the Stop icon to stop all actions of the program.

The block coding interface is the weakest part of Lego WeDo. While you can hit the help button to get a list of the buttons and what they are, the lack of tooltips on the buttons or text is really disappointing and makes getting started tough. Even the guide only provides the name of the button, but no proper explanation of what it does - for example how exactly is the Start on Message button supposed to work? I also found the demonstration code shown in the project guide to be quite small, making it occasionally difficult to follow.

I did, however, manage to build the first two projects successfully - although the performance of the distance sensor project was a bit unpredicatable.

I had lots of issues with the bluetooth connection with the Smart Block; The connection fails after every execution of the program or about half a minute of inactivity, and has to be restarted every time. Apparently this is a known issue with Win 7, Win 10, and a lot of models of Android tablet. It has something to do with the Smart Block's use of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and differences in the way this is handled in different operating systems. Little progress seems to have been made to resolving this issue and the only solution seems to be to purchase and use a Bluetooth Low Energy BlueGiga dongle (around £15-£30).  

Lego WeDo 2.0 and Scratch

Frustrated by the official Lego coding interface, I went hunting for alternatives. To my delight it turns out that Lego WeDo 2.0 can be used with Scratch (At least under Win 10). In your Scratch project go to the More blocks tab, and click Add an Extension. Choose Lego WeDo 2.0, then OK. Your new blocks should appear. To connect to the Smart Block, you will need to install the Scratch Device Manager. If it doesn't appear automatically, click the red circle above the new blocks to bring up the Extensions popup. Follow the instructions on screen to install the software and connect to the Lego Smart Block.

I found the Scratch interface much more intuitive to use. I shall have to investigate whether this works under other versions of Windows too. I suspect it won't work on Android or Chromebook though.

CAS Barefoot have a lesson to introduce using WeDo 2.0 with Scratch that is worth checking out. Registration is required, but it's free and well worth it for the excellent resources.

Conclusion

Lego WeDo 2.0 is a fun kit that could be made even better with the addition of a couple of extra lego blocks (like an actual camera which would allow path following). I can see that there is a lot of potential here for use in the classroom to demonstrate some physics concepts and coding. However the kit is seriously let down by the poor software, with shamefully poor stability in Win 7 and Win 10 and a user interface that utterly fails at being intuitive.

Some time ago Chromebook support was announced. I'm looking forward to testing this. It will make things a lot easier if we can use our Chromebooks in class with the kits!

Chromebook Classroom Day 1

Last week we had the first trial of using Chromebooks in class. Since we were not sure if the WiFi network would handle fifteen devices connecting at once, we kept it simple.

The lesson started with an introduction to the Chromebooks. I explained what they were, expectations for how they are to be used, and explained briefly about the Google for Education accounts that pupils would be using. We had one device between two, and desks had been cleared off everything else. Bottles were moved to the sides of the class, and it was explained that children would not be able to drink from their bottles unless they asked permission to leave their seats. I also explained that some things, like Gmail, would not be available to them. We have a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with blogging, messaging, forums and more so there is no need for the Google services to duplicate that.

I had been thinking for some time about the best way to introduce pupils to the Chromebooks and their Google for Education accounts. In the end I decided to get them on to Google classroom quickly, because it made sharing links and files much easier, and show them some file sharing and simultaneous editing of a document as I figured they would get excited about this and find it engaging.

Logging in to the chromebooks and getting on to Google Docs was quick and easy. Each pair added a maths revision tip to their file then saved it. They then shared their file with another pair. This proved slightly trickier as it required them to be very accurate with email addresses, but they quickly got the hang of it. They did indeed find it quite exciting to be able to share work this easily.

Next I got the pupils signed up to Google Classroom. This was so intuitive that some had finished joining the classroom before I even said anything about it - just from the URL and class code I wrote on the board.

I then shared an assignment linked to a single document they could edit. The idea was that they would each add their own tips to the file so we could build a collaborative maths revision tips document. However it soon became clear that fifteen pairs of primary school pupils ask simultaneously editing the same document with no structure is a recipe for disaster. Lots of people are trying to write on the same line (with interesting results), people were deleting and overwriting each others work, and before long a seemingly random line of characters in different fonts, sizes, and colours filled the page.

Some things I need to investigate or deal with:
Adding multiple teachers to a class
Hiding teacher first names
Restricting Logon times
Emphasising the importance of using standard simple fonts for schoolwork
How to create and use templates
Create a written agreement of rules for use of the Chromebooks, for pupils to sign

Personal Learning Networks

As a teacher, a techie, or pretty much any job based around intellect, a Personal Learning Network (PLN) can be an invaluable resource. A PLN is any group of people who communicate and share ideas, tips, information, or solutions to problems, and thanks to social media it is easier than ever to find and join a variety of PLNs. They are a route to collaboration, support, and amazing opportunities.

I have relied on Personal Learning Networks heavily for my own professional development as well as my sanity. I regularly ask questions, get inspiration, and generally benefit in a multitude of ways from the different networks I engage with. The most difficult part is remembering to check each one regularly! Of course if you're less obsessive than myself, I would suggest you pick one or two to start with.

Some of my favourite PLNs include:

• Discovery Educator Network Community - The Discovery Educator Network has a massive quantity of professional quality resources, an amazing community, and runs some impressive events. 
• Common Sense Media Educators - With a focus on Digital Citizenship, the Common Sense Media Educator network and training helps educators drive online safety wherever they work.
• Google Educator Groups - With a focus on using Google products in the classroom, the GEGs are another fantastic resource and essential for anyone signed up to G-Suite (Google Apps) for Education.
• Computing at School - An active community of individuals enthusiastic about educating children in computing. Both online and offline, with regional hubs. Also responsible for Barefoot Computing a website dedicated to supporting anyone who teaches computing. 
• Code.org Professional Learning Community - With a focus on teaching Computer Science
• Facebook
• Year 3/4 Teachers - Group for year 3 and 4 teachers to share ideas, ask questions and sort stresses. Let's support each other.
• Year 5/6 Teachers UK -  This is a place for UK teachers in years 5 and 6 to share ideas, ask questions and support each other.
• Primary Computing - Facebook group for Primary Computing
• Primary Computing Coordinators - A place to discuss the Primary Computing Curriculum for coordinators. Discuss planning, Ofsted, schemes of work, policies, documents etc.
• Twinkl KS2 Teacher/Educator Group - A group for support, ideas and inspiration for educational practitioners working with 7-11yr old students. 
• Primary Teachers - Resources, Ideas, Stress relief! - "Basically, I was planning today and thought why not set up a group for all those primary teachers out there where we can share resources, good websites, ideas and general stories to relieve the almighty stress that is being a primary school teacher!!"
• Twitter - Twitter is filled with people talking about teaching and tech, and it's a great way to keep on top of the latest news and developments as well as get in touch with lead educators.To get started google 'twitter teacher' for websites packed with ideas of who to follow. Teach Thought also has a useful post on education hashtags. Edudemic also has an in-depth guide to twitter for teachers.
• Pinterest - filled with loads of inspirational ideas!
• Teaching Ideas
• Teaching Blog Addict

Do you know of any other especially good PLNs?