WowWee MiP Robot Review
Mr. Sonny Dave, president of ExtremeKids LLC, provided Explore 2000 Middle School with the WowWee MiP Robot to enhance the learning experience of the students and introduce them to computer programming. The students were very excited to unbox their new learning tool which was presented in a very appealing package with informative highlights of the MiPs ease of use. Students quickly found the apps which are available for Android and iOS, and linked their “Explore Bot” to their iPad using Bluetooth. Taking control of the bot with the control pad was the natural inclination of the children, however the facilitator chose to present the students with the Coder MiP app which allowed the students to use block-based programming to code the movement, sounds and LED lights of the MiP Robot. The application has templates for students to see examples of how the code controls all the functions of the bot, additionally, there are pre-programmed modes that range from drive, cans, dance, battle, box, path, and stack. The students found the graphical user interface of the coding app easy to use, as they created obstacle courses to test the variables within their code. Mr. Kiran Aziz, educational technologist and facilitator at Explore 2000 Middle School finds the WowWee MiP Robot to be an essential S.T.E.M. resource to get students interested in computer coding. Mr. Aziz states, “21st Century learners demonstrate proficiency using computers and common applications, the MiP provides a way to create engaging learning experiences and allow students to develop crucial S.T.E.M, problem solving, and coding skills... the package presentation of the MiP and the ease of use USB charging, included accessories, and the availability of accompanying applications for coding the robot and navigating makes this the perfect item to introduce students to robotics, and lay the foundation for coding in higher level languages.” Hudson County Schools of Technology and Explore 2000 Middle School would like to thank Mr. Dave and ExtremeKids.com for providing this amazing resource for the students to enhance their learning. The following is written by the respective students after they used the MiP in class.
Kimonye, 6th Grade:
I have a MiP Robot at home, so I have experience with the app and using the different modes, my favorite is the dancing mode. I think it's cool that you could put on your own music for MiP to dance to. It's fun to see how other students used the MiP, I plan on bringing mine in so we can use the battle mode to compete.
Tatiana, 6th Grade:
The MiP was very fun, I was amazed at how easy it was to use the coding app. All I did was drag and drop the commands and the robot did exactly what I expected it to do. The pre-programmed modes leave you with so many crazy possibilities! I loved using the drive mode because it let me navigate the robot freely around the room without having it bump into anything. Learning about how the MiP works was almost like controlling a car! The MiP leaves me feeling excited and I am thinking about getting one of my very own. The MiP in my experience was just an amazing roller coaster and not in a bad way!
Malena, 5th Grade
I used the MiP before when I was younger with my friend and it was really fun and entertaining to play with. My current experience with the MiP was pretty interesting. I think it’s great that we can use it as a group. I really enjoyed the MiP robot because I get to do fun stuff with it. There were different modes I used and they were really funny. My favorite mode was dancing because my partner Kimonye did the moonwalk as our Explore Bot followed along. I also like the MiP robot because it feels like a regular person being with you and you get to have fun with it. I also got to draw a path for the MiP to walk on, but I had some difficulties because there were obstacles in the way so I had to change some of the commands in my code.
