1. Using Blue-bots in the Primary school classroom
Thank you for coming along today to hear about how to use blue-bots in your classroom.
I became interested in Bluebots this year when one of our local schools approached QSITE to develop some professional development activities for the Bluebots.
We had been running some Beebot PD for local primary schools and one of the schools saw the advertisement about the Beebot materials and asked if we could do something for them about Bluebots.
My background is in high school teaching but I have developed a close relationship with the primary school my children attended and I was also involved with the C2C writing team last year so I thought I would immerse myself in Blue-bots to help out my fellow primary school teachers and this workshop is the result.
Kylie Docherty, QSITE
@kdoch8

2. Workshop overview Bluebot basics Bluebot app Blue toothing it
Curriculum links
This will be a hands on workshop.
Most of the time we will be working with the bluebots and the ipads.
At the end there will be an opportunity for discussing some cross-curriculum links.
Before we start can I have an indication of
Who has used beebots before?
Who has used bluebots before?
Primary vs Secondary vs Other?

3. Bluebot Basics: Beebots vs Bluebots
40 commands
Uses 3 x AA batteries
Controlled with push buttons
No network capability
No interaction with app
Moves forward, backward, left, right
240 commands
Rechargeable
Controlled with either push buttons or app
Bluetooth networking
App can be used to control the bot and adds 45 degree turn, repeats and algorithm edits
Floor robot designed to explore computational thinking

4. Bluebot Basics: Familiarisation
Turn right
Move forward
Pause Go
Check prior knowledge 7 buttons – explain what they do Bluebot remembers up to 240 instructions Important to clear instructions before starting a new program
Warm up activities: Make the Beebot move 2 steps forward Make the Beebot turn right Clear program Make the Beebot take two steps forward and one step back
Move backward
Turn left
Underneath the Blue-bot
Power – On/Off
Sound – On/Off
Clear

5. Bluebot Basics: Challenge Activities
Challenge 1: Getting in shape
Challenge 2: Feed the animals
Challenge 3: How far is it?
Challenge 4: Alphabet fun
Challenge 5: Fairytale friendship
Challenge 6: Dance moves
Australian Curriculum
Digital Technologies P-2
Follow, describe and
represent a sequence of
steps and decisions
(algorithms) needed to solve
simple problems
(ACTDIP004)
On each table you should have:
A large grid
A clear plastic overlay
A bluebot
Resource packs
A Bluebot challenge booklet
During the next minutes work as a group to complete the challenge activities in the booklet.

6. Bluebot app: Familiarisation
Settings
Access explore or challenge modes
Settings: Enable/Disable buttons, Record audio for buttons, Change colours and style, Bluetooth settings
4 explore options and 4 challenges – we will go through these in more detail on the next few slides
Save/Load – 9 slots
Choose map – take a photo or choose from photos stored on device
Toggle draw – tap to turn on, tap again to turn off. Draws a line as the bluebot moves
Save
Load
Choose map
Toggle draw

7. Bluebot app: Two modes Challenge modes Explore modes EXPLORE:
Step by Step: The bluebot reacts immediately each time a button on the app is pressed
Basic Programming: The buttons are stored and shown as an algorithm. They run when the go button is pressed. It also allows you to reorder or delete steps without having to start the program again.
Repeats: Allows you to select a group of steps to repeat. Select the first and the last and then use the + to show how many times to repeat.
45 Degree Turns: Like repeats but adds 45 degree turns to the command options
CHALLENGE:
Get from A to B: Shows a flag on the currently loaded map and you need to program the beebot to get to the flag.
Obstacles: Same as A to Be but there are some red crosses on the map you need to avoid
Fewer buttons: Some of the buttons are missing forcing you to use only the buttons provided
Random: Any of the above challenges selected at random by the app
Challenge
modes
Explore
modes

8. Bluebot app: Challenges
Challenge 7: Load the treasure map. Create a simple program to move the Bluebot from the volcano to the cave.
Challenge 8: Load a blank map. Use explore mode 4 to draw a hexagon using repeat and 45 degree turns.
Challenge 9: Complete 4 Random challenges in challenge mode.
Australian Curriculum
Digital Technologies 5-6
Design, modify and follow
simple algorithms represented
diagrammatically and in
English involving sequences of
steps, branching, and iteration
(repetition) (ACTDIP019)
Work together as a group to complete these challenges.
You have 15 minutes.

9. Blue toothing it: Digital systems
Australian Curriculum
Digital Technologies 3-4
Explore and use a range of
digital systems with peripheral
devices for different purposes,
and transmit different types of
data (ACTDIK007)
Bluetooth is a wireless network for peripheral devices.
A peripheral device is anything that the computer uses for input or out such as a keyboard, printer, monitor, mouse.
In the case of a Bluebot. The Bluetooth network allows us to use an ipad to transmit data to the Bluebot.
Some quick facts about Bluetooth:
Bluetooth signals use radio transmissions to send data
They have a small range – usually about 10 metres
A device can be a master or a slave. In our case the ipad is the master and the bluebot is the slave.
A master can control many slaves. (2-8)
A slave can belong to many masters.
Bluebots are used for keyboards, headsets. They are also used for devices such as Spheros. When you have lots of ipads and lots of bluebots in a classroom there can be some headaches with controlling the different devices.
Image from

10. Blue toothing it: Tips for the classroom
Give your bluebot a name or a number in the settings part of the app
Check you are connected to the correct bluebot (in settings)
If there are connection problems move away from other devices and bluebots (at least 1 metre) and re-establish the connection.
Blue tooth devices will automatically bond through a process called pairing whenever they are close enough to each other.
Blue tooth devices can be given names which are stored on the device memory. You can give your bluebots a name using the settings area of the bluebot app.
Once your bluebot has a name you can see which bluebot your ipad is controlling in the Bluetooth settings part of the app. If you are controlling the wrong bluebot move away and disconnect so you can pair with a different device. Even though Bluetooth generally allows a slave to be accessed by multiple masters, bluebots are designed to be controlled by only one device.
The pairing occurs dynamically so when the signals are not being transmitted the bluebot may automatically disconnect from the piconet and then reconnect to someone else’s ipad.
To reduce interference try to make sure the bluebots are about 1 metre apart when the initial pairings are set up. If there are problems move away, disconnect and allow the correct pairing to be established before moving together again.

11. Bluetoothing it: Challenges
Challenge 10: Use poster paper to draw a maze for the Bluebot to travel through. Use the step by step explore mode to control the Beebot and navigate the maze.
Challenge 11: Revisit Challenges Choose a challenge to repeat using Bluetooth.
Control the Bluebot using Bluetooth to complete these challenges.
You have 10 minutes.

12. Curriculum Links: Digital Technologies
Year Level
Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies
Years P-2
Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems
(ACTDIP004)
Years 3-4
Years 5-6
Design, modify and follow simple algorithms represented
diagrammatically and in English involving sequences of
steps, branching, and iteration (repetition) (ACTDIP019)
Throughout the slideshow I have shown some of the links to Digital Technologies.
Review P-2, 3-4 and 5-6 curriculum links.

13. Curriculum Links: Maths
Traversing the number line, use masking tape to make a number line on the floor.
Add an xy axis to the grid
Estimate distance e.g. sit in a circle and estimate how many Blue-bot steps to a friend on the other side of the circle.
Color/shape recognition

14. Curriculum Links: Science
Create a solar system map and visit the planets
Create a habitat map and create an animal costume for the Blue-bot
Incline plane – measure Blue-bot speed on different slopes
Add pics of food to the grid and have Blue-bot go to healthy foods or collect ingredients for a recipe

15. Curriculum Links: English
Act out a story
Letter hunt game – Draw a picture card from the stack and make the Blue-bot go to the first letter of the word.
Spell out words on an alphabet mat. Pause at each letter in a spelling word.
Sequence a story

16. Curriculum Links: Geography
Turn the grid into a map of the school, town or local community. Visit places on the map.
Use cardboard boxes to create a 3D village. Have Blue-bot deliver letters to the village.
Draw a map of Australia over the grid. Visit different places on the map.

17. Links to more resources
There are lots of Bee-bot resources online that work well with Blue-bots as well.
Making your classroom buzz with Bee-bots by Kristine Kopelke content/uploads/2010/06/doc_669_2468_beebotguideA4v2.pdf
Bee-bot activity guide by Modern Teaching Aids
Programming with Bee-bots by Barefoot Computing Computing2.pdf
Thank you for coming along today.
I hope you have enjoyed the activities today.
If you would like a copy of the resources I have used in the workshop I am happy to share these if you have a USB or just me via QSITE to request a copy.