Thinking Outside the Box with Birdbrains

Looking more like sleek, low-to-the-ground techno birds than robots, the mechanical devices were nonetheless a hit with students who maneuvered them around via coding on laptops.

The Finch Robots are on loan to Hamden Hall through Birdbrain Technology, which originated at the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute. To date, Mrs. McNeiece has used them in Robotics 101 (Grades 3-5) and in K through 7 classrooms.

“The Finch robots inspire students to learn computer science in a fun and interactive way. Instead of having a character come to life on a computer screen, students actually have a physical representation of their coding efforts,” explained Mrs. McNeiece.

From basic movement to changing the color on the robot’s beak, students engaged with the white robotic birds and worked in pairs to take turns with coding. Kindergartners had fun changing the color on the bird’s LED-lit beak while third-graders tried their hand at more advanced directives, such as making the robot dance. Teachers sat on the floor with the students and had fun in their own right with the mechanical birds.

Librarian Pamela Wilonski worked with the kindergarten class to get them set up and running, so to speak, plugging in cords and establishing the children in various parts of the room.

According to Mrs. McNeiece, the Finch Robots are more than just a fun mechanical toy.

“While learning the basics of coding is a great skill, the point is not to have students proficient in code but to teach them to think outside the box and problem solve,” maintained Mrs. McNeiece.