Ozobots and Developing Problem Solving Skills

Ozobots are little rolling robots. Think of a ping-pong ball sized Roomba. Using color sensors on their bottoms these little robots do different things based on color combinations on a predrawn line. They follow the black line and will do a U-turn, take a right at the next intersection, or spin in dizzying circles depending on the color code drawn into the line. All you need do is draw a black line with the color codes placed in them at the correct point. With the kit we used there was a cheat sheet of all the different color commands you can use.

I was excited to see that the Jr. Sr. library had a set of Ozobots on loan for a few months. My physics class needed something engaging for the few days before break. We had just finished a grueling unit using kinematic equations and this seemed a perfect way to cool down a bit. I have also been thinking a great deal about ways to foster problem solving skills in all my students. The math was not as challenging as the "figuring out what to do" part of solving the kinematic equations. Perhaps the problem solving associated with these Ozobots might help.

My physics students were really engaged. I thought as juniors and seniors they might lose some interest after two days of playing with them. They were engaged the entire class period for two days. We had some beginner puzzles to solve and then worked out way up to more challenging ones.

There is a programming component to Ozobots wherein you can tell them how to interact with their environment. New Ozobots will also interact with each other. I have not played with any of these features but am intrigued to see what else these little guys can do. Programming is an essential part of physics at the post-secondary level. I'd like to get all my physics students more experience with computational thinking and programming before going off to college. Ozobots might be a better bet than repetitive tutorials on using Python or Java Script. Ozobots may also be a great addition to Odyssey of the Mind teams, computer science clubs, and maker spaces.

I would definitely suggest trying these out if you get a chance. Public libraries often have some for young and old alike to play with. You'll need at least a a half-hour to play around and complete some of the puzzles.