Hi Everyone,
My name is Bonnie and I teach middle school grades 6-8 using Vex Clawbots. Since the start of the pandemic I now use VEXcode VR and this year starting with VEXcode IQ. These are both new to me, but have taught pre-pandemic using ROBOTC for 5 years. With the change, and the changes/restrictions in student collaborative learning & they all have Chromebooks, so no more real computers due to Covid, I’m wondering how others are managing and what type of virtual/Physical challenges are you doing? Last year I pretty much completed the Computer Science Level 1 VR curriculum, so now I’m looking for ideas to do virtually while half the class is using physical robots?
Also, if you are using VEX IQ, and students have Chromebooks, how are you saving your programs so they don’t have to setup the sensors/motors each class period?
Any methods you have done to maintain the Physical robot usage too as far as when things aren’t working or need updated? Does anyone have a chromebook link so student can do their own updates on VEXos? Or is there a newer version?
Any and all ideas are helpful! Thanks in advance 
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Hi @Bonnie_Sikorski, first of all - Welcome to the VEX community! So glad you’re here These are all great questions. Here are a couple of resources that I thought might be helpful:
1:1 Pacing Guide for VEX IQ and VR shows how VR Activities can connect to IQ STEM Labs, so if you’re doing a STEM Lab with your class that’s using physical robots, you can do VR Activities around the same concepts with your virtual students.
Teaching 1:1 with VEX IQ Knowledge Base article may also give you some helpful information.
I know that @LORI_COLANGELO did some great activities with her students last year to bring VR activities to life - in short, setting up the VR Playgrounds on the floor with tape, and using the IQ robots to navigate the VR activities. @LORI_COLANGELO I’m sure you’ve got great advice on these topics!
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Hi Bonnie. We are going to publish some new, one page activities for the new VEX IQ 2nd generation kits, but many of them can be used and adapted with your kits. We can discuss here how to adapt them. The activities are going to be published on Friday - I’ll post something as a reminder.
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Thanks! I will look into these and Lori for some ideas.
Hi Bonnie! Welcome to the Community! I love sharing ideas with teachers just like you. I teach K-5 Computational Thinking and Computer Science. I similarly to you was virtual in 2020 with VEXcode VR. Then the following year (2021), I was able to use both VEXcode VR and robots (VEX GO).
ChoiceBoards: I’m a huge fan of playlists. A playlist is like a set of directions for kids to have more agency over their learning. Teaching different grade levels like yourself I find that playlists give my students the ability to have agency over their own learning. Here’s an example of a few of my playlists I have made:
VEXcode VR Hour of Code Coral Reef Clean Up: I love love love Coral Reef. Who doesn’t love a certificate? My 5th graders really get into a competition with this challenge. I usually give my kids 2-3 classes to really get the course down and challenge themselves on Level 1-3. I find that this challenge specifically entices kids first because it’s a real world challenge. I usually like to link this activity with a journal entry on why recycling is important. I find that journaling also helps my kids think about what challenged them throughout the activity and what they liked or disliked so I can make notes for future lessons. My district uses Canvas - but you could make the journal into a physical journal too. Here’s a picture of me presenting at a local Pittsburgh teacher’s conference - everyone loved Coral Reef Clean Up.
Challenges Two Ways: I loved that you mentioned that you also use robots and VEXcode VR at the same time in the classroom. I tried this out last year and really felt that it gave kids the ability to think of challenges in two different ways: physical and virtual. With my playlists, I like to give kids instructions so they can be as independent as possible. This gives me the ability to work one on one with the kids that are building with the robots. Now I have also given students a choice board (like a checkerboard) that allows students to choose a VEXcode VR challenge or a physical robot challenge. I find that the more student input - the more success I’ve had in my CS class especially in grades 4 and 5.
What challenges in VEXcode VR do you kids love the most? My kids LOVE Castle Crashers? If you make a Playlist - please share 
Great meeting you @Bonnie_Sikorski
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