Tuff-Bots and the STEAM Bus
District Superintendent and CEO, Turina Parker, of WSWHE BOCES, asked the perfect “what if” question, which resulted in a mobile innovation experience for our 31 school districts. Based on her idea, students in our Career and Technology Education programs constructed a new Mobile STEAM Classroom. This renovated school bus brings immersive and emerging technology opportunities to students in third through eighth grade across the region.
The bus is equipped with high-tech and low-tech options for students to engage in experiential and exploratory activities. Through themes such as Cybersecurity, Coding, and Digital Citizenship, students learn about careers and opportunities available to them in the world of STEAM.
One of the students’ favorites is the Tuff-Bots. We added these to our bus program because of their durability for use outside without a screen. These bots have allowed students to use their critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The Tuff-bot has been used for many different activities, including animal classification, basic coding, sequencing, and geometry.
Students love creating paths with chalk and seeing if they can code the robot to follow their lines. They also love to use Keva Planks and our Jenga set to build ramps and tunnels. Through careful calculations and many iterations, students learn to break down complex problems.
Whether it is an obstacle course, an environment exploration, or even simple obstacle avoidance activities, the Tuff-Bots foster programming skills in an inventive and exciting way. They provide a dynamic, hands-on way to address New York’s computer science and digital fluency standards.
Tuff-Bots have helped our students practice algorithmic thinking, sequencing, debugging, and computational thinking. Students show a lot of grit and perseverance when using the these robots. They collaborate, they communicate, and they apply logical thinking skills, encouraging social and personal growth.
Contact Information
| Name | Laurie Guyon |
| Position | Lead Coordinator for Instructional Technology Programs at WSWHE BOCES (Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Learning Services), Capital Region Director for NYSCATE (New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education) |
| School | WSWHE BOCES |
| Location | Gansevoort, NY |
| lguyon@wswheboces.org, @SMILELearning | |
| Website | https://smilelearningedu.com |
| Author | SMILE Learning: Leveraging the Power of Educational Technology, ArchiTech: Laying the Foundation for EdTech Coaching |
| Podcast | SMILE Factor |
| Tags | Tuff-Bot, STEM/STEAM, Bus, Computer Science, Technology Integration, Robotics, New York, Early Learning, Elementary, Computational Thinking |
| Age | Grades 1–8 |