Jaime Smith has been a teacher for six years and is the gifted specialist for Fayette County Schools in Alabama. She serves students in third through eighth grade from Fayette, Berry and Hubbertville schools, as they explore and learn about topics outside the traditional classroom.
After attending a Firia Labs workshop at a gifted conference, she used grant money to purchase Jumpstart and CodeBot Python kits. “I try a LOT, and use different programs. The CodeSpace software is so user-friendly for my students. I only see them one day every other week, so they can jump right in where they left off. I wasn’t sure the micro:bits would excite my students, but their faces light up!”
The Python with Robots curriculum is a great next step for students ready for a greater challenge. “Some of my students are moving into the bots pretty rapidly. It’s easy for them to follow the instructions.” The self-paced nature is a good fit for gifted teachers with students of all levels and interests. “The ease of the software, walking [students] through it. They’ve gone straight from block coding to this. They’re working on their own.”
Firia Labs prides itself on quality products with teacher support. “The hardware is very durable. Other robots are not as durable, and there is no support. I bought 30 bots from another company and they quit working within a couple days. I called and the warranty is 5 days from purchase. I’m frustrated and sick. The CodeBot is very durable. The kids treat it respectfully because it looks real, not like a toy.”
Gifted specialists juggling a caseload of hundreds of students, sometimes from different campuses, all with different interests, appreciate the ease of implementation with CodeSpace!