Introduction
In the 1980’s there was a computer game called Logo where the objective was to make a turtle draw shapes on screen.
In recent years a robot has been developed to use the same basic instructions to draw on paper. The interface is easy to learn and similar to ‘scratch’ for students that have been involved in CoderDojo.
This activity consists of learning and practicing the drawing commands using an online version of the Turtle Graphics game. At each level students face more difficult pictures to draw. It can be done in pairs, working together to figure out how to solve the problem, figuring out the geometry needed. Students will then have an opportunity to draw with the robot(s) if available, drawing their initials on the take home-sheet.
Through this students are introduced to the basics of programming – simple instructions and basic loops. They learn that combining these can lead to increasingly sophisticated drawings or programs. The game also shows students the formal code that they have ‘written’ using the instructions in the interface.
See how this relates to the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert curriculum
switchonstem.com 