Orange County Public Schools

"Shannonbot" Brings Classroom to Student

By Sandra Carr

As the sixth-period bell rings, Lake Nona High ninth-grade student Shannon Hayes rolls to the front of her Biology Honors class - or, more accurately, Shannonbot does. 

Shannon is not physically present in the class on certain days, but participates in her biology course from home with the assistance of the tall, white, motorized VGo robot she fondly calls the Shannonbot.

The robot is helping make learning and science come alive for 14-year-old Shannon, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy when she was an infant.

During a class in December, Biology Honors teacher Jiae Dy turned to Shannon via the VGo. “What is the domain of a cell that is multicellular and has a nucleus and cell wall made of chitin?”

Shannon could be heard through the VGo with the correct answer - “Eukarya.”

“The VGo robot provides me with hands-on learning experiences,” said Shannon, who logs into the robot from home. “I can participate in biology activities and talk with my teacher and students by using the robot, which has been a lot of fun and helps me feel included in class.”

Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic neuromuscular disorder that affects motor neurons in the spinal cord and causes breathing problems and joint pain due to progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.

When Shannon (in photo at left, front row, with friends at a homecoming dance) was in elementary school, her mom Lymari Bergollo researched online and found a way for her daughter to have an in-person, class experience virtually with a VGo, a mobile robot that is manufactured by Vecna Technologies. 

Bergollo collaborated with her daughter’s school, and the robot made its debut when Shannon was in the fifth grade at Hidden Oaks K-8 School in Lake Worth, which is in Palm Beach County. 

After moving to Lake Nona last year, Shannon’s mom registered her with Florida Virtual and Orange County Virtual School as well as at Lake Nona High, so she could be part of an inclusive learning environment as close to a typical high school experience as possible. 

Shannon wanted to continue having an interactive, virtual experience with a VGo in high school, so her mom coordinated with Lake Nona High’s Staffing Specialist Stephanie Braun and Exceptional Student Education Clerk Isabel Rodriguez on having it in Shannon’s Biology Honors class during the 2022-23 school year. 

The School District of Palm Beach County gifted the robot to Shannon while she is enrolled at OCPS. Lake Nona High then secured Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding through OCPS to upgrade the robot, so it could work properly in the classroom. Afterward, Braun and Rodriguez coordinated with OCPS’ Assistive Technology team to make the robot a reality on campus. 

“Shannon is a brilliant student,” said Braun, the LNHS staffing specialist. “The robot allows her to access her community and peers. Due to medical needs, there may be times when she can’t attend class with her nurse on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so the robot allows her to still participate without being absent.”

Shannon moves the VGo, which is housed in the classroom, with a remote mouse app on her iPad. The robot’s display screen allows her to be seen and heard in the class when she is interacting with Dy and fellow students.

Whenever the robot is not functioning properly, Shannon will contact Dy via Google Voice, texting, email or on the classroom phone.

“I call on Shannon like I would any of my other students in the class when teaching,” Dy said. “She is excellent at communicating with me via the VGo robot and is responsible for all of her studies.”

“Robotic learning is important because it allows the student to be immersed in the school culture while still supporting their individual needs,” said Lake Nona High Principal Nikki Campbell. “I believe robotic learning is leading Shannon to success because she now has the ability to be part of our school community in which we not only focus on academics, but OCPS’ core values.”

Tech for All: District Offers Robots, Digital Tools Districtwide

By Sandra Carr

Computerized technology in many forms is managed through OCPS’ Curriculum and Digital Learning department. Digital learning brings instruction and technology together to strengthen a student’s learning experience and provide teachers with electronic instructional resources.

During the 2022-23 school year, OCPS distributed 29,000 iPads to kindergarten through first-grade students. For second through twelfth grade, 174,000 Dell and Lenovo laptops running the Microsoft Windows operating system were provided to students.
 
OCPS also has 13,000 mobile hotspots available to students with unstable or no internet service at home.

The district and digital-learning team provides students and teachers with various educational tools, including LaunchPad, a customized-learning dashboard that grants access to educational tools; and Canvas, a platform for teachers to post digital lessons for their students. Parents can also view lessons and grades through the parent portal.

Another tool is Nearpod, a K-12 e-learning program that engages students in interactive-learning experiences, including lessons that contain virtual reality, 3D objects and simulations.

Canvas and Nearpod applications allow OCPS students to learn beyond the physical classroom.

“Digital learning extends the classroom beyond its four walls to provide students with the opportunity to learn in interactive and individualized ways,” said Senior Director of Digital Learning Maurice Draggon. “Digital learning also makes learning accessible to all students, especially those who may have difficulty accessing the traditional curriculum.”

Another way that digital learning is making an impact on OCPS students is through robotics. Apopka ES, Apopka HS, Glenridge MS, Liberty MS and Blankner School have robotic clubs on campus. 

Apopka elementary and high students are using VEX robots. The schools purchase construction kits and teach STEM to students by building and programming robots. Schools that use VEX robots can also compete in the company’s robotic competitions, including OCPS’ Super STEM contest.

Technology is also an integral part of magnet programs that are focused on aviation and aerospace engineering, STEM and STEAM. 

Lockheed Martin provided OCPS with a $2 million grant to fund Project Lead the Way, a nonprofit organization that develops STEM-related courses. The funds cover teacher training and technology tools like apps, computer upgrades and robotic kits. This STEM initiative will address the nation’s critical need for future engineers, computer scientists and math- and science-trained professionals, and will equip all students with the necessary skills for tomorrow.

Students who participate in the STEAM Career Academy at Bay Meadows ES use Sphero robots and a 3D printer in the STEAM lab and Bee-Bots for coding and Osmo learning kits in the classroom.

At Lockhart Middle’s Center for the Advancement of Science and Engineering, middle schoolers are using Tinkercad, AutoCAD 2020 and Fusion 360, and will be coding in the Alice programming environment later this year. Seventh- and eighth-grade students will explore how design has evolved over the years during a virtual field trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. in March.

The aviation and aerospace engineering magnet at Oak Ridge High is providing students with exciting opportunities to use their imagination and technical skills to shape the future of flight. From aviation and desktop simulators, sUAS drones, radio-controlled model airplanes and model rockets, the program is focused on introducing students to a new world of possibilities.

And at the Aviation and Aerospace Magnet at Sally Ride Elementary, students have access to eight different 3D printers. They have printed propellers, stabilizers for rockets that have been used at competitions, nose cones, and other components in the field of aviation design. Students have also created gliders and a model of the Mars Rover. The school is planning to purchase flight simulators through a grant from JetBlue.