What fun we had at the training workshop and Australian launch for the new Lego WeDo 2.0 Robotics at The Cube, QUT, Brisbane.

WeDo 2.0 is a cute Lego robotics kit, programmed via iPad or computer software with simple drag & drop, icon-based coding. It is a fun introduction to robotics, aimed at Primary School aged students, and is great preparation for Lego Mindstorms EV3, aimed at High Schools or students 10 years+. It also includes a motion sensor and tilt sensor.

The training was led by the dynamic Rob Widger and all attendees were abuzz with creativity, design and excitement. We began with making a fan then progressed to making a very cute pulling robot, experimenting with friction, pulling and balance. We were all learning while having a lot of fun and then had a robot tug-of-war to see whose team won!

The exciting part about WeDo 2.0 is it is specifically aimed at Primary school aged students but even better, the Curriculum Pack resources and Teacher Guides are mapped to the Australian National Curriculum in Science and Digital Technologies! This is designed to guide teachers through the activities, without the need for a lot of expert knowledge beforehand, and even includes question ideas for discussion and assessment rubrics. With projects such as ‘Pulling’, ‘Frog’s Metamorphosis’ and ‘Drop and Rescue’, there is a lot of variety and links to different sciences.

I can see students (and teachers) having lots of fun learning with STEM, designing, creating and experimenting with WeDo 2.0 in the classroom.