Photon Textbook - The beginner's guide

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The beginner’s guide

The Photon

Robot

Textbook

The Photon Robot

Textbook

The beginner’s guide

Photon Entertainment sp. z o.o.

5/1.2 Gen. Gustawa Orlicz-Dreszera,

15-797 Białystok, Poland

+48 667 254 321

Bialystok, Poland 2022

Copyright © Photon Entertainment sp. z o.o.

All rights reserved.

support@photon.education

Welcome to Photon World!

Let’s begin this amazing adventure together! Childhood is an exciting time of discovering

own talents, exploring new technologies, and gaining important competencies. We promise

you that the time spent with the Photon Robot is going to be valuable, result in gaining new

skills and create a fantastic learning atmosphere! Together we can move into the education

of the future!

Let us introduce ourselves.

Our mission is to support students and teachers in their development at every stage

of education. At Photon, we believe that implementing new technologies in education

guarantees rapid development and the opportunity to acquire competencies that will help

your students' further education and adult life.

The teaching aids we create allow educators to conduct interesting, interactive lessons

and engage students.

Table of contents:

Get to now your robot

I. Introduction- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11

II. Turning on, turning off, charging, reseting - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13

III. Name (robot's serial number) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15

IV. Design and sensors - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15

V. Updating - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18

VI. Cleaning - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20

The Photon EDU App

I. Controlling the robot - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22

II. Downloading apps - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23

III. Educator and Student Accounts - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24

IV. Overview of the application - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 26

V. Interdisciplinary use of the robot - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 33

VI. Learning how to program with the Photon Robot - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 42

VII. Improve your teaching workshop - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 44

Additional robot capabilities

I. Photon Magic Dongle – USB dongle - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 46

II. Accessories - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 48

III. Teaching Kits - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 50

Teaching resources

I. Beginner's Course - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 57

II. Photon Portal - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 58

III. Help Center - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 59

IV. Community - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 60

V. Training - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 61

VI. Sample lesson scenarios - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 61

Sample lesson scenarios

Kindergarten

Developing spatial orientation Developing cognitive competencies - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 63

Decode your emotions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 65

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... Which season doesn’t have...? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 72

Guess what I’m looking at Improving social and emotional competencies - - - - - - - - - - - - - 76

Primary School (early years)

Cardinal directions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 79

Addition to 10. Equations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 82

Photon Robot in a maze - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 87

Grades 4–8

Improving your attention span - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 91

Train their memory - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 93

Improving numeracy skills - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 96

Foreign language – Vocabulary consolidation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100

Rube Goldberg machine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 105

Programming – the basic level

Photon dances the waltz - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 108

Controlling the robot by willpower - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 113

Robot the Guardian - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 120

Programming – advanced level

To the rescue! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 127

Programming the Photon Robot in Python – Getting to know Photon and Python! - - - - - 132

Programming the Photon Robot in Python – Going from point to point - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 137

Early

Education

Programming

Artificial

Intelligence

Robotics

Physics

Ecology

Social-

-Emotional

Development

Special

Education

Language

& Literacy

Basics

of Math

Geography

& History

Arts

& Crafts

ST

M

PE

TE

CY

D

EV

EL

EN

CI

AL

D

EV

EL

IN

TE

DI

SC

IP

LI

RY

D

EV

EL

Our aim is to support students in three key development areas:

STEM competency development

STEM is an educational program that offers

a different approach to teaching science (S),

technology (T), engineering (E), and math (M).

Instead of teaching each subject separately,

we integrate all four into a comprehensive

learning model based on practical

experiments and applying the knowledge

gained in real-world scenarios.

Social development

We stress the importance

of developing appropriate social

behavior and attitudes, including

the ability to manage one’s

emotions. Our focus is on teaching

self-awareness, building relationship

skills and much more.

Interdisciplinary development

We encourage you to learn computer programming alongside other core curriculum subjects.

This way, we stimulate the synchronized development of the right and left brain hemispheres.

Not Supported

There are issues with

the user engagement

in this area.

Supported

The product takes into account this aspect of

user engagement. Some improvements could

be made in order to improve the support.

Well supported

There are several well executed

features which support this

aspect of user engagement.

2–3

4,33

We have been awarded a certification from Education Alliance Finland,

a global organization that certifies learning solutions. Our products

were rated very high – 92 points for our pedagogical approach

and on average 4.33 points out of 5 for educational engagement!

Contents of this textbook

We have divided this textbook into 5 chapters.

The first one focuses on the Photon Robot. It explains, among others, how to work

with the robot, how it is built, how to upgrade its firmware and take care of it.

Chapter two focuses on our dedicated app. Here we explain how to use it to control

the robot and conduct engaging and unique classes.

The third chapter describes other ways to use the Photon Robot in educational

institutions: getting additional accessories, buying our educational kits,

or a dedicated USB dongle that allows the robot to be operated from a computer

or connected to an interactive whiteboard.

Chapter four addresses an important topic of support provided as helpful resources

and collateral texts. Here you will find all the information you need on resources

we made available to help you develop your knowledge on our products, such

as a beginner’s course or help center.

In the final chapter of this textbook, you can find several ready-to-use lesson

scenarios that show how to use your robot to conduct highly engaging and exciting

activities that allow you and your students to tame new technologies.

Prestigious certification

Get to know

your robot

11

I. Introduction

Photon’s endless possibilities

We have created an interdisciplinary Photon Robot to facilitate the efforts of educators

working with both the youngest children and older students. This is a great tool at any

stage of education – from kindergarten to high school! With the help of our ready-to-use

lesson scenarios or your own and original lesson plans, you can use Photon to teach any

subject - from general education and science to basic and advanced programming. History,

art, linguistics, math, geography, and physics classes are just a few examples where you

and other teachers can make the most of the Photon possibilities.

Read more about

interdisciplinary learning

interfaces on pages 33-40.

It’s not just another gadget

Along with the Photon Robot you get

access to a whole range of lesson scenarios

and a dedicated Photon EDU app to control

the robot from either a mobile device

or a desktop computer. The app includes

several interfaces to facilitate working

with children of different ages and make it

more suitable for specific activities.

The basic interfaces allow you to control

the robot with a virtual joystick or by dragging

your finger on the screen. The more advanced

interfaces require you to plan the robot’s route

first and use instructions (commands) available

in the form of colored tiles.

When using the robot to teach programming,

you can use an interface where you program

the robot by placing tiles with commands

(in English) or use the Scratch app.

For more information

on programming interfaces

see pages 42-43.

12

Evokes emotions, improves attention span

Photon evokes positive emotions straight away. It’s love at first sight as the children

directly associate it with great fun. Despite its many features, it is surprisingly easy

to use and doesn’t distract students; in fact, it helps them focus and stay engaged

throughout any class!

Classes with the Photon Robot are even more interesting when you use additional

accessories. You can use the teaching aids you have in your classroom or use

the solutions we have developed. We offer dedicated colored educational mats

and flexible foam puzzles – use them together with our dedicated flashcards

to conduct any class. You might also want to try our personalization solutions –

robot face masks and themed stickers. If you plan to use an interactive whiteboard

for your Photon classes or want to teach your students advanced coding, please

read on the Photon Magic Dongle (pages 46-47).

For more information on Photon accessories see pages 48-49.

13

II. Switching on, switching off, charging, resetting

Switching on

To switch your Photon Robot on, press the power button on top

of its head and hold it for 1 second (until you hear a beep).

Switching off

To turn off the robot, hold down the power button for 2 seconds. This

feature prevents switching the robot off accidentally, for example

during classes. Photon will signal its shutdown with a sound.

Resetting

If the Photon Robot does not respond to charging or you cannot

switch it on/off, try resetting it. To do this, hold down the power

button on the robot’s head for more than 10-20 seconds. Make sure

to disconnect the robot from charging while resetting it.

On rare occasions, the robot needs more than 30 seconds to respond

to the reset procedure, so don't give up after the first failed attempt.

The robot signals a complete reset with a beep. Then it re-boots.

1 sec

2 sec

10 sec

3 h

MicroUSB

14

Charging in progress…

The robot’s ears flash red when

charging. Ending the charging

process early does not affect

the robot’s performance in any way.

Charging

Please charge the Photon Robot with the micro-USB

cable supplied in the box. The power charger is not

included in the box. You can use most mobile phone

chargers to charge your robot. We recommend

using a 2A charger. You can also charge the robot

directly from any USB port on your computer, but

charging takes longer.

The operation time on a fully charged battery:

approx. 8 hours.

Battery charging time:

up to 3 hours.

The robot has been

fully charged!

When the robot’s ears flash green,

the charging process is complete. You

can now disconnect it from the charger

and start using the robot.

002

15

III. Name (robot’s serial number)

What is the name of your Photon?

Find out your robot's name! Turn it upside down to find a silver sticker on the bottom

– this is where your robot's serial number is. Photon’s serial number consists of 14

characters, and the last three characters in the dark field mark its name. This

character sequence appears in the app when you try to connect to your robot.

IV. Design and cleaning of the robot

The special tasks robot

The Photon Robot’s housing is made of highly durable polycarbonate. Its body is fully

enclosed, making it a safe, educational aid for little children. The robot is equipped

with a wide range of sensors so that students and educators can interact with it

in many ways. Using the robot and its sensors makes classes extremely engaging,

and helps the children stay highly attentive throughout the whole class.

On the following pages, you will learn about the robot’s built-in sensors and features

and how to use them.

For more information

on connecting to the

robot see page 28.

16

The light sensor is located next to the power on/off button on the robot’s head. This sensor

helps the robot respond to different lighting conditions – it detects when it is bright or dark.

The touch sensor is located just above the Photon’s eyes. This is a proximity sensor

that reacts to touch. The Photon Robot detects gentle stroking, touching its forehead

with a finger, or placing a hand on it.

The distance sensor is located on the robot’s chest (behind the black triangle)

and allows the distance to an obstacle to be measured. The Photon can measure

a distance from 0 to 100 cm (0-40 inches), with an accuracy of 1 cm (approx. 0.5 inch).

The obstacle detection sensor is located on the robot’s chest behind the black front

triangle. Detects obstacles based on the following principle: an obstacle is / is not

at a distance of 0-30 cm (1 foot) in front of the robot.

The sound sensor is yet another built-in sensor. The robot reacts to loud sounds, i.e.,

detect clapping, stamping, or shouting.

The Photon Robot uses sounds to interact with others. It communicates with people

using a universal language of sounds of various emotions. It uses up to 75 pre-loaded

sounds, including a full range of emotions and animal sounds. In addition, users can

record up to five custom sounds themselves.

Sensors measuring distance traveled are built-in in the robot’s wheels. This way,

the Photon Robot is able to travel the programmed distance with an accuracy

of 1 cm (~0.5 inch).

What sensors and features does the robot have?

Light sensor

Magnetic

recess

Touch sensor

Distance sensor

Obstacle detection

sensor

17

Sensors that measure the rotation angle are built-in in the robot’s wheels too. Thanks

to them, the robot can rotate by a programmed angle with an accuracy of 1 degree.

Magnetic recess allow attaching external magnetic accessories. There are six

built-in magnets available. Three magnets are located in the robot’s head – one

on each side and one on the top of the head. Magnets allow you to attach all sorts

of external accessories to the robot’s head, such as masks, helmets, or hats. Three

more magnets are located on the robot’s body – on the sides and one on the back,

in special recesses. These allow you to attach additional accessories, such as a marker

holder, backpack, or trailer. We have several types of ready-made accessories on offer,

however, you can create accessories yourself – use cardboard, paper, fabric, or 3D

printed elements. Printer files for 3D printing are available on our Photon Portal.

For more information on the Photon Portal, see page 58.

Changing the colors of the robot's ears and eyes is a unique feature that allows

you to assign different meanings to the colors depending on your activity/lesson

topic. You can change the color of the ears and eyes independently to any color.

To keep basic interfaces simple and clear, you can choose one of 12 distinctive

colors. In more advanced interfaces, it is possible to set any color from the RGB

palette (256 × 256 × 256 colors in total).

The ground contrast sensors are located on the bottom of the robot. The robot reacts

to reflected light, and this works best with contrasting ground colors: white and black.

You can program the robot to perform specific actions depending on the ground's color

or to follow a thick black line on a white background (becomes a line follower).

Changing the colors

of the ears and eyes

Sound sensor

Sensors that measure

the angle of rotation

Sensors that measure

distance traveled

Sounds

Contrast sensor

The robot’s panel

18

V. Updates

Updating the robot

Every few months, along with an update to the robot controlling app, we release an update

to the robot’s firmware to improve its performance or add new features. Internet access

is not required to control the robot via the app, but it is a good idea to connect the device

to the Internet through Wi-Fi or a mobile data transfer to check for updates.

 Advice

Whenever a software update is available for your robot, you will receive a notification

message. We recommend that you always have the latest version of the Photon EDU

app installed on your device.

19

Information about updates to the robot is sent as in-app messages. Click Update!

to start the process. Once the update has started, the app may ask you to agree

to a Bluetooth reset on some devices -this feature ensures the update process

completes successfully. An update progress bar appears on your device’s screen.

At the same time, the robot's ears and eyes flash alternately. The update should take

no longer than 2 minutes. Please do not turn off your robot and/or do not charge

it at this time. At the end of the process, you will need to reset the Bluetooth again

– the app does it automatically, but for some devices, you have to allow it by giving

permission on pop-up screens.

Upon successful upgrade, the robot will restart. Completion confirmation will show

up in the app. Now you can connect to your Photon Robot and start learning together.

20

VI. Cleaning

Taking care of the Photon Robot

The robot’s housing is made of highly durable polycarbonate, which is extremely resistant

to damage and contamination. That does not change the fact, we recommend cleaning

your robot regularly. Use a cloth and a window cleaner or water with dish washing

detergent to clean the robot. Remember to give a thorough clean to the black triangle

on the robot’s chest so it can correctly detect obstacles in its path. To remove difficult

stains or marks (e.g., permanent marker or glue), use isopropyl alcohol (often called

‘rubbing alcohol’). Using it does not cause discoloration. You can clean the front wheel

by removing fluff from the bearings with tweezers when necessary.

 Important!

Aggressive cleaning agents, such as acetone, must NOT be used to clean the robot!

This strong solvent can damage the Photon’s body.

The

Photon EDU App

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