Rock CS 2023 | Rocky Mountain Computer Science Conference for P-12 Educators

One of the well documented issues with computer science is getting students excited and engaged with the idea of coding. Physical robotics allows students to see their coding come to life. Various platforms have been used to introduce students to CS at a young age, but few have the vertical integration as seen with VEX Robotics. From Pre-K to the collegiate level, students can code physical robots, making 'Drive forward' the new "Hello, World!"

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, physical robots in a face-to-face classroom became an impossibility. A virtual robot program was quickly developed to function with a familiar coding platform to provide students and teachers with an alternative robotic solution that could be used from anywhere. This has become a staple of classrooms across the world with over 3.6 million unique users to date.

In this session, attendees will learn about the robotics platforms used by students of various ages in the VEX Robotics continuum. In particular, attendees will be coding their own physical and virtual robots using the Castle Crasher challenge for VEX 123 and VEXcode VR. They will learn how activities like Castle Crasher can engage students of all ages with CS.