Rosie the Root Robot

Last school year I had the opportunity to try out a Root robot from iRobot Education (on loan) as part of their ambassador program. You can see a full unboxing from the original Rosie at the top of this post (to the right if viewing on a computer), and a shorter roundup of the Root I purchased for myself (Rosie 2.0) at the very bottom of this post.

Rosie

As soon as my on-loan Root arrived, she was unboxed and named Rosie (yes, a Jetsons reference!). Even though I was able to have some fun with Rosie at home, the real magic started once she joined the classroom that winter. Our first exposure included unplugged paper-based challenges using the Root code blocks during Hour of Code activities to introduce the idea of programming with Root. By January we were able to get the kids online using the new web-based coding platform on Chrome as, get this, alpha testers!

Alpha, Bugs, Corona

Alpha testing with the students was a fantastic way to help them connect with programming and how much goes into something like the platform used for Root. Actual people were behind the scenes and students were able to submit bug reports to help share issues they encountered when testing out this new web-based option. We were able to easily program using the built-in simulator so everyone could test their code individually at their seat, then have students come to the whiteboard with their device (PCs or Chromebooks) and connect to Rosie (our single robot) via Bluetooth to watch her run their program. By late February and early March we were all set to dive into a Pac-Man challenge. This is not something we created, but we were inspired by all that the Root team has shared. Here’s an example from another school too.

The plan was for students to break into groups to work towards a common goal: design, build, and program a Pac-Man style maze for Rosie to navigate. Once completed the game would be taken (thanks to the portable magnetic whiteboard used) to other classrooms for younger students to test out.
Students were making amazing progress and building numerous problem solving skills - demonstrating independence and perseverance…and then school closed due to the pandemic. It was sad to leave school for what ended up being the rest of the year, but I am so glad we had some with Rosie for part of the year. Poor Rosie was left to ride out the rest of the school year quarantined by herself at school.

Enter 2.0

I loved Rosie so much, I bought myself a Root robot. My very own Rosie was dubbed Rosie 2.0 and her adventures are shared with the hashtag #rosietherootrobot via both Twitter and Instagram. You can keep up with the next phase of Root robotics with our 7th and 8th grade students during distance learning this year as we attempt to have them program robots from afar. While I submitted for grant materials to bring some ideas to life (the grant status is TBD this fall), we will plan to do something using the free web-based platform and the built-in simulator at the very least. I am thrilled to once again be part of the iRobot Education ambassador program, this year in the Advisor capacity, and look forward to a time when we can once again work with shared robots in a physical space together. I look forward to sharing all of our adventures here and on social media. If you have questions or want to connect, please reach out!

Check out Rosie 2.0’s sweet customization thanks to my Silhouette Cameo 3 and an awesome custom pouch from Maggie.