There are many ways we can create learning environments for our students that will help develop their thinking and problem-solving skills. While I spend a lot of time working with technology and Web 2.0, I am fortunate to hear from my colleague, Nicole, about another technology approach – that is beaut for young kids!!!
Welcome to the world of Freddie the Bee-Bot! It is worth reading and absorbing the developing story of Bee-Bots Downunder, as youngsters in our schools engage in collaborative thinking and co-operation about their learning while they program Bee-Bot action.
A Bee Bot is a visually attractive, audible easily handleable programmable floor robot which can be used to support the development of skills in a wide range of areas. It allows learners to give a range of instructions from simple to more complex. It can be used for the development of fine motor skills by using the directional buttons. It can support imaginative play through the use of commercial or school designed covers. It allows learners to demonstrate skills in ways that a traditional approach would not support.
Nicole created a blog to keep a record of the learning these kids are doing. Nicole explains:
The children work collaboratively, and through their own experiences develop and use positional language, problem posing and solving skills and the ability to work co-operatively to achieve a goal. It is important that the students use whatever strategies that are meaningful to them to solve the problem.
Keep an eye on the developing achievements of our Bee-Bot kids at Bee-Bots Downunder. Fantastic work Nicole and team!
judyoconnell.com 
Hi there,
I have been fortunate enough to observe the children interacting with the Bee Bots. I am thrilled that the learning environment created is so supportive for the amazing learning we could actually see happening right there and then! The challenge and the cooperative problem solving that resulted meant that language was learnt “on time on target”. This was so evident with the ESL children I observed!
It’s fantastic to be involved in this exciting project!
Karen
Hi there Lynne
Great to hear what you have been doing at Pencaitlind Primary. Have placed an entry on our Bee-Bots Downunder Blog and also placed a comment for the children on your Blog too. Hope to keep in touch and perhaps link you to some of our classes here in OZ.
Hi there
Thought you might like to see what the p2 class at our school in scotland created with a bee bot!
http://exc-el.org.uk/blogs/pencaitland/2007/03/01/primary-2-help-the-bee-bot-out-of-the-maze/
🙂
Nicole, that’s a fantastic response to your seminar! We will all look forward to reading a report on how this goes. Perhaps more schools will take up the Bee-Bot challenge for their young children.
Thank you Judy
I am excited about it too -the experiences documented in the BEE-BOTS DOWNUNDER Blog by our early childhood teachers communicate the very important message that young children in Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 are powerful and capable learners. The blog demonstrates that engaging in problem solving activities, such as those which are possible with the Bee-Bots, provides engaging opportunities for students to work mathematically and develop oral language skills while simultaneously developing higher order thinking skills and essential “habits of mind” eg risktaking and perseverance. Furthermore the ICT is naturally integrated as the chn use the simulation software to move from concrete to representational thinking.
This is surely quite different to those who think childrenn in Kinder or Yr 1 should be fed a steady diet of a sound or a number a week to make sure they learn “basic” literacy and numeracy first and ICT skills, HOT thinking and problem solving strategies later!!!!
We are holding an Early Childhood ICT seminar for classroom teachers on this coming Monday to share our Bee-Bot experiences and 100 teachers have registered to attend …pretty cool!
There was nothing like that when I was a child ;(