Brenda

=Brenda Jasper=

I am a library media specialist and site technology specialist at Harry Street Elementary in Wichita, Kansas. I work with Pre K- 5th grade students. I started using the Roamer last year with some of our students. I also have a Lego Robotics club for 4th and 5th grade students one night after school. I am very excited to start using the Bee-Bot with the younger students.

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August 22, 2007
I saw students for the first time this week. I introduced the Bee-Bot to the second graders. I introduced the Bee-bot as my new pet. I told the students that I went to a class and got a new pet. We talked about how to take care of pets and how important it was to treat the carefully. I then told them that my pet was not a living pet so that it would not need water, but for food it required batteries and if we didn’t take care of its food needs then it wouldn’t work. We then talk about turning off the batteries when we weren’t working with it. I let them explore with it. It was amazing how fast they figured out that they would need to push the clear button before putting in a new command. When we were finished they were very excited to tell their teacher. One student told me I think we could work on our math fact with this. I am excited to try it with the Kindergartener’s.

Last night while I was shopping at Target I found some plastic maps of a city in the $1 bins at the front of the store.

August 27-30
Introduced the Bee-Bots to the Kindergarten and 1st graders. Boy was there excitement in the room. The 1st graders had worked with the Roamer a couple of time last year, so as soon as they saw them they were so excited. I had them in 5 groups and each group was doing a different center and exploring with them. The next day they asked their teacher if they could come to the library instead of their other special. For the Kindergarten class I used one in a large group. We sat in a circle and I had the students call out the name of another student and then I told them the number of time to push the forward button and we would all count the number out loud as the student pushed the button. I just didn’t trust them on their own. One of the students said we could put a truck on the back of the bee-bot and make a train. I ask what made him think that and he said that whole in the back is there so you can tow something. A retired principal was in the room and she couldn’t believe how excited the students were. She asked how to get one for a niece and nephew. All the kids want to know where they can buy them.

I took one to my friend’s house the other night when I went to visit. She has a 6 year old very active little boy. I took it out of the box and showed him how to turn it on, he played for hours going in his room to get things to attach to it, and running it on his car tracks. He was so excited when his dad got home and they played on the floor for hours. I really don't know who had the most fun as we heard a lot more out of him, like "Dad it's my turn".

September Kindergarteners have worked with a number line and trying to use their counting skills to get their bee-bot on the correct number. I see the kids every other week so they have practiced it twice and the second time was much better. I will get some pictures posted as they dearly love them.

October 1st 1st grade we read the story of the Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly last week, so we are going to work on the sequencing the story with our bee-bots this week. I have made more clear mats out of vinyl that I bought in the fabric department so we have one for each group

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