Free app for IOS and Android: SPRK Lightening Lab-Programming for Sphero Robots

Written by Nathan Smith on February 16, 2017. Posted in Android Apps, iOS Apps, Mobile Apps.

SPRK Lightning Lab is an app that lets kids program their Sphero robots from a tablet or phone. Beginning coders use block-based programming to direct and control their robot. A text-based code viewer is also available so kids can see how their block code translates into actual code. This gives experienced programmers more flexibility and is a scaffold to help students scale up their coding skills.

Price: Free, Paid

Grades: 3-8

IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sprk-lightning-lab-programming/id1017847674?mt=8

ANDROID: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sphero.sprk&hl=en

Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith is Director of Technology for the College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University. In that role, he also directs The Adele & Dale Young Education Technology Center (The YETC) located in room 170 of the Education Building on Utah State University's Logan campus. The YETC is a combination student openaccess computer facility, a K12 curriculum materials library, a NASA Educator Resource Center for Utah, and a technology training center. Nathan served eight years (20042012) on the Board of Directors for the Utah Coalition for Education Technology (UCET) He was reelected in 2014 to serve another two year term on the board. A former elementary school teacher, Nathan has taught students every age from young children to senior citizens. He has had the opportunity beginning in 2011 to train international high school teachers from all over the world about technology in education, through the U.S. State