4 votes

DJI’s newest drone is a $499 tank meant to teach kids how to code

7 comments

  1. ali
    Link
    What do you guys think of this? I myself always am excited when new programmable robots/drones get released. I am currently developing a course teaching kids or people in general how to program...

    What do you guys think of this? I myself always am excited when new programmable robots/drones get released. I am currently developing a course teaching kids or people in general how to program and I think using robots/drones is a great way to let them feel and see what they do. During my studies, I also enjoyed the days that we used Lego robots the most. Even though 500 bucks is not that cheap compared to a Lego EV3. I'm curious how this will actually be.

    1 vote
  2. [6]
    hamstergeddon
    (edited )
    Link
    Like most "meant to teach kids how to code" products, there are countless better (and free!) ways to go about it. That being said, this is pretty cool, but the price kills it for me a bit.

    Like most "meant to teach kids how to code" products, there are countless better (and free!) ways to go about it. That being said, this is pretty cool, but the price kills it for me a bit.

    1 vote
    1. ali
      Link Parent
      I agree that there's a lot of free ways to teach. But I do think that, especially with kids, using these robots, it's a great way to see your progress and get them excited for computer science. If...

      I agree that there's a lot of free ways to teach. But I do think that, especially with kids, using these robots, it's a great way to see your progress and get them excited for computer science.
      If I make a kid solve a riddle where they solve a riddle like :

      Move A to the end of the platform, and the platform looks like this:

      A _ _
      _ _ _
      _ _ *

      And all they do is step through an ASCII platform, the excitement is much lower than if you tell them:
      'hey move this robot to the end of the table'

      But yes the price is definitely a huge barrier of entry, and without having good resources, purchasing this for your kid might be a bad idea.

      2 votes
    2. [4]
      Akir
      Link Parent
      Exactly. I had a programmable robot when I was a kid and I can definitely tell you it did not teach me a single thing about coding. These kind of things have the tendency to avoid covering some...

      Exactly. I had a programmable robot when I was a kid and I can definitely tell you it did not teach me a single thing about coding. These kind of things have the tendency to avoid covering some very basic topics such as data types, scopes, methods, and they don't tend to teach the idea of variables very well either.

      2 votes
      1. asoftbird
        Link Parent
        It's about algorithmic thinking mostly, not about whether to use a byte or an int (which doesn't really matter on programmable chips like Arduino until you start making really large programs).

        It's about algorithmic thinking mostly, not about whether to use a byte or an int (which doesn't really matter on programmable chips like Arduino until you start making really large programs).

        1 vote
      2. [2]
        ali
        Link Parent
        Can I ask which robot you had? I think the current devices are more capable as education tools than the ones years ago. I saw some programmable microprocessors, which come with cool explanations...

        Can I ask which robot you had? I think the current devices are more capable as education tools than the ones years ago. I saw some programmable microprocessors, which come with cool explanations for example.

        1 vote
        1. Akir
          Link Parent
          I don't really remember what model it was, but it was a really simple one that was programmed by pushing buttons on it. It had two wire extrusions to handle running into walls or over ledges and...

          I don't really remember what model it was, but it was a really simple one that was programmed by pushing buttons on it. It had two wire extrusions to handle running into walls or over ledges and had a pen holder so you could make it draw.

          The one I had when I was a kid was a kit that was marketed as teaching robotics, though, with programmability being more of a value add, so its probably not quite on the same level as the ones coming out today.

          1 vote