Jun 6 2017
Wonder Workshop today announced the integration of its popular Dash robot into Swift Playgrounds, Apple's educational coding app for iPad, which boasts over one million users.
Dash can be programmed using real Swift code with Wonder Workshop’s new playground in the Swift Playgrounds app. You can use Swift code to make Dash react to sound, light up, and move -- a complete experience for students! (Credit: Wonder Workshop)
Beginning today, students will be able to control Dash, using the Swift programming language, learning the fundamentals of coding, creative problem solving, and computational thinking. Wonder Workshop's Swift Playground book and "sandbox" will provide students with a deep, hands-on coding and robotics experience.
"We are thrilled to support Apple in their efforts to expand access to formative experiences in computer science education for students worldwide," said Vikas Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Wonder Workshop. "We designed Dash & Dot to inspire students to explore coding and learn vital science and technology skills through engaging, hands-on activities. Starting today, students will be able to see their Swift code come to life through our robots."
Dash & Dot are programmable robots that bring coding to life for students and encourage student's exploration of computer science principles through activities and language they can understand. The award-winning robots have been adopted in more than 12,000 elementary schools worldwide and are the basis for the fast-growing Wonder League Robotics Competition. With a magic mix of robust hardware and sophisticated software, Dash & Dot encourage interest in computer science for students through their early teens.
"Through our Swift Playgrounds books, students can write the code on one half of the screen, illustrates the code on the other half, and now then can see their code run in real time, in the real world," said Mike Lorion, Vice President and General Manager for Education at Wonder Workshop. "Dash brings a unique experience to students learning to code through Swift Playgrounds thanks to the multiple built-in motors, sensors, LEDs, and audio capabilities. Dash can do anything from reacting to the sound of a clap to performing a victory dance to detecting and avoiding obstacles."
Swift Playgrounds 1.5, with support for Dash, will be available as a free download on the App Store beginning today.