Integrating art and Beebots

Art teacher Paige Hall regularly uses innovative materials to encourage students to create art. She believes in fostering a creative and supportive environment where students feel empowered to experiment and express themselves. Her goal is to inspire them to think outside the box and develop a lifelong appreciation for the arts. 

Recently, Hall led an exciting and dynamic exploration activity where students created abstract art using mechanical means. The goal was to demonstrate that machines, like humans, can also create art. 

The students loved the activity, finding it both creative and engaging as they programmed Beebots — a robot designed specifically for use by young children as an educational tool — to create different shapes and lines. By programming Beebots to move in specific patterns, her students created unique and colorful artworks. This activity not only enhanced their understanding of coding and sequencing but also allowed them to explore artistic expression in a new and engaging way. 

“I was thrilled to see the students collaborating and experimenting with the Beebots. The students moved around the table to create various patterns and successfully troubleshooted the Beebots through programming,” said Hall. “This integration of art and technology really encouraged the kids to work collaboratively and to think critically.” 

Hall conducted this activity with K-5 students and plans to display their artwork in the school foyer.

The inspiration for this activity came from a staff professional learning session where I demonstrated how to use Bee-Bots as the school's ET. This demonstration prompted Hall to try them in her art class, leading to this innovative project. Before starting the project, I walked the students through how to code the Bee-Bots with the help of the school librarian.

To further explore the intersection of art and technology, Hall also introduced a simple pendulum machine to create abstract art. The students used different angles to produce beautiful paintings, further exploring the intersection of art and technology. 

This activity aligns with the National Core Arts Standards for Visual Arts, specifically VA:Cr2.1.2a,

 which encourages students to experiment with various materials and tools to explore personal interests in art-making. Additionally, it supports the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students, particularly Standard 1.1: Empowered Learner, where students leverage technology to take an active role in achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals. 

Through this innovative project, Hall not only taught her students about art and technology but also inspired them to see the endless possibilities of creativity. Through this innovative project, Hall not only taught her students about art and technology but also inspired them to see the endless possibilities of creativity. 

Inspired by Hall's project? Try using Beebots or other simple machines to create abstract art in your classrooms!