WeDo & WeDo Extension

On Monday, November 17, in our Lego STEM Club, the High Point University seniors went to Liberty Drive Elementary to work with the Thomasville City teachers on WeDo and WeDo Extension. As I have mentioned before, some of the teachers from Thomasville are in a STEM Club through HPU and they receive some training that the other teachers don't. On the previous Saturday, some of the teachers traveled to HPU where they learned about WeDo. As a result, we wanted to extend those teachers' knowledge so we brought WeDo Extension kits as well. The teachers were broken up into groups of K-2 and 3-5, but the K-2 teachers who had already learned WeDo were going to do WeDo Extension.

Gabi, Megan, and I worked with the WeDo Extension kit with three Thomasville teachers. They were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade teachers. This process went extremely well because the computers give the teacher step by step directions on how to build the Ferris Wheel. I think that the only problem with this method is that it is hard to distinguish between the different Lego's when you look at the computer screen. If we had brought the books with us, it would have worked better. However, our teacher team worked together really well. They were all actively engaged and collaborating to get the project done.


One of the best things about the WeDo kits is that the they are pretty straight forward and you can quickly teach yourself how to assemble the structures. This is because the computers and books give you excellent step by step directions so that you can be successful.

The fact that this program provides so much structure also creates the biggest challenge, which was the fact that there were too many HPU students there or not nearly enough teachers. We had three HPU students and three Thomasville teachers just at my table. However, the Thomasville teachers didn't need our help, besides an occasional clarification about which Lego piece they were supposed to be using.

I think the next time we should bring activities where the HPU students can take a more active role in teaching the teachers how to use the program. WeDo is the type where you have to figure it out on your own by doing it and you don't really need someone teaching you how to do it. This method of having many HPU students available to help the teachers worked really well with the Hopscotch Program and with Story Starters & Movie Maker. The teachers needed our support with learning how to use the program.

The other challenge is that our teachers didn't really see how they could use this program within their classrooms. They said loved learning how to use it and said it was a lot of fun, but that they don't have access to the Lego kits and that it might be better for a STEM club activity for students after school for those that were interested. This is because they said that it would be too much for their students to do, that some would get too frustrated, and that it was too much to manage the whole class at once.

However, I still think that the WeDo day at Liberty Drive went really well. The teachers were extremely engaged in what they were doing and loved seeing the other programs that the groups made. It is fun to see what you can do with Lego's and technology, and how much I can learn by teaching other adults.