Ozobot Bit is here!

Kids will learn so much more than their parents will ever know. In fact I’m experiencing it right now with my kids who are just 7 and 2. I thought they would only be smarter than me in terms of end-user technology, but not just that anymore, as they now have the potential to become young developers. That’s because of today’s emphasis on S.T.E.M. education and computer science in school curricula, that there are even educational “toys” that teach robotics and computer programming concepts to children as young as preschoolers! 

I’m talking about Ozobot Bit, a miniature robot that aims to teach such formal concepts through educational play. So yes, it is a legit robot engineered at a tiny scale. It’s shaped like an igloo, and is as little as 1 inch in height and in diameter, making itself an educational toy suitable for kids. We got the Pack in crystal white and titanium black colour, including a rubberized protective skin, protective carrying case, USB charger, calibration card, operating instructions, and a playground of sample track cards. 

So how does it work? The Ozobot Bit works in many ways, and here are some of them and their learning benefits: 

1. By following coloured lines on a flat surface (on paper and on tablets), and producing LED-light flash responses, enabling kids to creatively and logically design their own games (race, maze, dance movement routine, etc.) 
   This is the most basic way of learning and controlling robotic behaviour. The Ozobot Bit’s optical sensors under its wheeled base enable it to move along defined lines and execute different movements (speed, directions, cool moves, timers, etc.) based on numerous colour pattern combinations of black, red, blue and green.
   The OzoCodes reference chart provides these colour codes and corresponding movements. Kids can draw their own maze, race track, and even their own line game using coloured markers, and the Ozobot Bit moves on the colour-coded track accordingly. There are also downloadable and printable tracks, brain teasers, and freestyle drawing boards for added problem solving challenge. 
   
2. By roaming and moving around static and dynamic lines, and moving freely (using Ozobot apps), serving as an avatar for single, social and competitive gaming to enhance problem solving and logic skills.
   There are several Ozobot apps, each having lots of programmable gaming options. There’s OzoDraw for exploration challenges with the use of fingers, OzoPath for strategizing with directional tiles, OzoRace for two Ozobots racing against each other, OzoLuck which feature multiple social games of chance, and OzoGroove where you can program up to 500 dance moves to the tune of various music and dance genres.
   
3. By executing movements from programmed visual codes (with OzoBlockly) where moves can be done on any surface (analog, digital, or multidimensional), giving kids endless opportunities to create, improve deductive reasoning, enhance computational thinking, and enjoy playing while learning. 
   OzoBlockly is a simplified visual programming language, in the form of a web-based editor powered by Google’s Blockly. It uses block-based programming, meaning it’s like a virtual version of building blocks that represent different bits of commands (ex. turn back, forward, left, zigzag, disco lights, wait, 2 seconds, etc.). The lowest level is Novice, where the blocks are icon-based so it’s suitable for preschoolers who are yet to learn reading. The next mode is Beginner, which already includes text titles and icons. The Intermediate mode adds some logic (if, the, if true, if false, etc.), and the Advanced mode makes use of advanced logic and mathematical functions.
   Kids can program the Ozobot Bit by “assembling” or dragging and droping blocks for movement, light effects, timing, loops, and other capabilities on the OzoBlockly editor, and then the program can be loaded using light communication from the computer screen to the base of the Ozobot! No Bluetooth or any connective cable device needed. Once the program is loaded, the Ozobot Bit can execute it, enabling it to perform a certain routine for participating in a physical game, dancing, light choreography, touching into something, or whatever purpose! That is how Ozobot Bit describes its “where coding comes to life” tagline. 

Here’s a very short but awesome video for a mind-blowing visual representation of how the award-winning Ozobot Bit works, everything shown in one minute.

I and my kids are yet to explore the Ozobot Bit deeper as we become more amazed and curious day by day, but right now we’re having a blast with just the analog paper-and-marker way of coding our robot. My daughter thinks it’s so cool because it allows her to make scenarios or stories out of it, not just create and play games. She did not get intimidated, unlike me, when we first opened the box. And then I realized how kid-friendly this thing was (the 21st century kid kind), and that all I needed all along was childlike imagination. 

Trust me moms, we’re not yet too old to learn new tricks! This Ozobot Bit will ease kids and even beginner adults into the complexity of robotics and programming in a brilliantly fun way.