EPHRAIM—Elementary computer specialist teachers in the South Sanpete School District are getting students excited about playing with and programming robots to learn critical thinking and problem solving.
Last Thursday, a filming crew came from the Utah Educator’s Network to film Bratton teaching the children.
“Our kids really have a lot of fun with these robots, and we believe this kind of interaction will help them in our modern world,” says Julie Bratton, Manti Elementary teacher and team leader of the district’s computer specialist teachers. Emily Jensen at Gunnison Elementary School and Lauren Gillett at Ephraim Elementary School are also computer specialist teachers.
Topics taught include robotics and coding, which means programming computers and robots. “We want to help integrate computer learning with core standards of math, English and science,” Bratton says.
The teachers use Ozobot spheres, GoMouse, and Blu-bot robots.
In addition to teaching students, other teachers come in and observe how Bratton and the other computer specialists use the robots as well.
Bratton is a newcomer to Sanpete, coming from Orange County, California, six months ago. She married Marcus Bratton, a Sanpete resident who lives in Ephraim. She has been teaching four years now and teaches kindergarten through fifth grade in Manti.
