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<\/a><\/p>\nA Sphero is both a ball and a robot with a tough outer shell. It\u2019s clear so that people can see the components in side but also can be programmed to cast different colors. The Sphero Code Club members control the movements and behaviors of the robots through small handheld tablets or cell phones. The simple little robot is the size of a tennis ball but has become a large tool at Green Run.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve been finding with our library programs is that we are trying to open it up to more creation rather than consumption,\u201d said Michelle Jacobs, the school library media specialist. \u201cSo that the students are not only consuming our materials, which is great, but they are looking for ways that they can create things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sphero Code Club is the result of a $5,000 Best Buy Community Foundation Grant which provided funds for the tablets. The Friends of the Virginia Beach Library provided funding for the robots.<\/p>\n \u201cWe picked Green Run because we worked closely with the school the year before,\u201d Giangregorio explained. \u201cWe came out a couple of times to help with some programming. We wanted a school where we could reach out to teens who could use that extra access to technology.\u201d<\/p>\n For ninth-grade student Sebastian, the club is a kick-start to future ambitions.<\/p>\n \u201cThis works for me because I actually want to become a game maker when I get older and this group is definitely helping me with that. I just really like the group and I think it is a lot of fun because of all of the activities that we do.<\/p>\n The club meets every Thursday for two hours. The VBPL staff has developed a curriculum that provides a different activity for each meeting. Allison, a senior at Green Run, shared this day\u2019s task.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to design and lay out an obstacle course. We will tape off lanes and use traffic signs and other obstacles to make it more challenging to navigate the robots through the course.\u201d<\/p>\n To club member Alley, running an obstacle course was a long way from where the club began.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time I actually got the robot to do what I wanted it to do, I shouted yes, finally. It\u2019s about time. I kept running into a chair at first.\u201d<\/p>\n Giangregorio says it\u2019s important that the students don\u2019t give up.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n