Photon is a Polish project of technology in education. It supports many educators in changing the way they work with their pupils. It all started with the passion of four students and one professor at the Bialystok University of Technology, who created an unique robot. Today they call him a teacher’s assistant.
What’s new with Photon?
Late last year, Photon’s range of educational robots expanded. The bigger the bunch, the merrier. Project which supports educators in changing the way they work with students, has been widened with sets and modules that are truly unique.
It all started with the passion of four students and one lecturer from the Białystok University of Technology, who created Photon. And today Photon is already called a teacher’s assistant.
The new Photon is related to a concept known as inclusive education (inclusion, pol. edukacja włączająca). What is it?
The website of the College of Humanities in Szczecin gives a description of the postgraduate course Inclusive Education as the acquisition of qualifications to:
(…) support the development of any student with special educational needs, and in particular to diagnose the psychophysical capabilities of the student, determine his/her individual educational needs, design and implement individual programs aimed at providing psychological and pedagogical assistance to the student, as well as to provide support to his/her parents/guardians.
In a less than thirty minute video shared on Facebook, Photon’s new modules in the context of SPE (Specjalne Potrzeby Edukacyjne, an acronym for en. SEN; Special Educational Needs) are mentioned by Photon’s Head of Education Oktawia Gorzeńska. The material (English audio, Polish subtitles) is a presentation related to the Games of Impact 2020 festival.
Let’s take a look at the modules! What’s in the box?
Photon modules – SEN, Physics, Ecology
Let’s say it up front – you don’t need any programming experience to use the SEN Module.
Photon Special Educational Needs Kit offers 50 exercises designed for educational therapy and for children on the autism spectrum. The broad education of children with emotional and social disorders has preoccupied experts for years, and such efforts are undoubtedly gratifying. The materials allow you to conduct group and individual classes, and all the elements are contained in one box. SEN Photon module also allows to prepare exercises in the areas of communication, cognitive and social as a support for special educators.
There are also two modules with names that reflect the educational content within them.
Each of them consists of two Photon robots and everything necessary to conduct the lessons.
Photon Ecology Module was developed with the participation of experts and methodologists within the #SuperKoderzy (Super Coders) program. Lesson scenarios are prepared for children in grades 4 to 6 (9-12 yrs), but the set of accessories allows for conducting classes with higher grades and kindergarten students. Examples of topics covered in the scenarios are:
- waste sorting and disposal,
- saving energy,
- green transportation,
- green cities,
- recycling.
Photon Physics Module also includes two Photon robots, a special application, scenarios and accessories. The Photon Physics set is designed for elementary school teachers and children who are a bit older, because they study in grades 7 and 8. Students during the lesson have the opportunity to combine theory and practice. Lesson scenarios combining theory and practice include:
- understanding of physical occurrences,
- basic concepts in physics,
- improving math skills,
- developing logical thinking.
Visit the product pages for full specifications and contents of the Photon kits at Botland store.
