Emmaus College year 7 maths students are turning to tech to learn about the Cartesian plane this term.
The students have been using Sphero, a programmable sphere, to explain the positive and negative number plane in a three-dimensional way.
During classes the students must use speed, time and distance measurements to program their Sphero iPad app to talk to their Sphero sphere.
With these measurements, Sphero will then roll across the Cartesian plane sheet which is set up outdoors.
Sphero can even change colours and make sounds.
Maths teacher Matt Bergmann said Sphero makes the students more engaged with the mathematical concepts.
“In the first few weeks we have focused on a few fun challenges, that they don’t really realise are maths skills,” he said.
“We made Sphero into a taxi and he had to go and pick up five passengers at points on the plane along the lines as roads, then we used Sphero as an aeroplane to fly from point to point in a straight line.
- Read more: See the Emmaus College formal photos
- Read more: Emmaus equestrian win
- Read more: Open day fun at Emmaus
“We then used Sphero to create football fields in a town plane, extending their rectangular creation knowledge further.
“Not only are they learning maths skills they are also learning programming skills.
“By the end of term they will be able to Sphero through a maze on the plane.”
Student Matt Robinson said he liked using Sphero as he could learn basic coding too.
“We are looking at how we have to plot on the grid and then we put those calculations into the app,” he said.
“I think it makes more sense this way because you can see where Sphero will go.”
Mr Bergmann said Emmaus students learning information and communication technology, science and art were all utilising the Sphero system.