Educator of the Month: Jahcier, Aiden, and Jalen

Meet our creators of the month, Jahcier, Aiden and Jalen
Coding is creative. People use code to make things, tell stories, and shape the future. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg used code to connect people around the world. Teens Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser used it to make an app that smashes gender stereotypes. Enter the Ozobot community. You guys use our two ways to code—online with OzoBlockly and screen-free Color Codes—to make our bots do the most amazing things. We’ve seen Evo and Bit programmed to walk a fashion runway, play soccer, tell a Hindu saint’s story, and so much more. That’s why we’ve started Creator of the Month, an ongoing series that celebrates the awesome stuff people make with Evo and Bit. We hope these Creators will inspire you as much as they inspire us.

The Christmas Monster, an original story starring Evo and Bit

‘Twas February first and all through Ozobot. Tiny creatures were stirring (and whining…a lot) Christmas was over. Hanukkah long done. New Years Eve. Old news. No more confetti or fun. “What next? Now what? It’s not yet time for Spring!” “Oh please,” the bots begged, “one last winter-time thing…”   Jahcier, Aiden, and Jalen to the rescue! The three classmates from South Avenue Elementary School in Beacon, New York,—together with some help from their teacher, Mr. Burke—made the epic video below. It stars Evo, Bit, and a Christmas monster—a baddie who would make even the likes of the Grinch and Scrooge shake in their snow boots. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6td9lnwEbkQ[/embed] Well, that answers the eternal question: what do you get when you mix a mysteriously abandoned Ozobot Factory and the un-merriest monster of all? No presents, no candy, and a best robot buddy (which is all the present we need). Created with Color Codes, this spooky story is sure to make you stop feeling the post-holiday blues. Mr. Burke sat down with Jahcier, Aiden, Jalen to answer some of our questions about their creation. Most holiday-themed stories are so sweet—all sugar plums and candy canes. What inspired you to make The Christmas Monster—with screams and scares instead? How the Grinch Stole Christmas was an inspiration. They have seen the cartoon version and the live action version. What was the hardest part about making it? How did you overcome the challenge? Coding the Christmas Monster to come from behind the bushes was a challenge and the set took a long time. Coding the Ozobots in the house was also a challenge. The script changed at times when the coding was impractical. What’s your favorite Ozobot Color Code? Did you use it in The Christmas Monster? Nitro boost was the favorite. They used it to make the Ozobots run away from the monster. Have you named your Evo? In  the library we have about 10 Ozobots and different ones were used at different times, so they don't have names yet, but maybe that is in the future! Have you told any other stories with your bots? Any other videos we should check out? This team has not done any other videos with the Ozobots but some other teams from South Avenue have. Those can be found here. Want to be our next Creator of the Month? All you need to do is share your Ozobot creations on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter and use #ozobot so we can find your work. And remember…

Coding is Creative!

Tech skills alone don’t spur big ideas—creative visions do. That’s why education at home and in the classroom should span science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (think STEAM, not STEM). Whether you see yourself as a future artist, astronaut, or entrepreneur, our goal at Ozobot is to kick start your creativity and coding skills with playtime that strengthens your whole mind. Creator of the Month – Official Rules To learn more, explore Ozobot’s two ways to code: OzoBlockly > Color Codes > For Educators and Students: OzoBlockly Basic Training > Color Codes Basic Training > 100+ STEAM Lessons >

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