LEGO® Education SPIKE Prime Set

Product Information

Simpler screen– The simple 5×5 grid screen doesn’t allow advanced on-device experiences, but this is a blessing for younger users. Drawing content on the grid is easy, and switching between up to 20 installed apps is simple. I have been working on this review for more than a year, most of that time learning about the Powered Up components included in the set. I also struggled to decide what I was reviewing in the first place — the specific selection of parts in the set, the app that brings it to life, or the broader Powered Up ecosystem? The LEGO ® Education SPIKE ™ Prime Set contains 528 LEGO Elements. It is the go-to STEAM learning tool for grade 6-8 students. Combining colorful LEGO building elements, easy-to-use hardware, and an intuitive drag-and-drop coding language based on Scratch, SPIKE Prime continuously engages students through playful learning activities to think critically and solve complex problems, regardless of their learning level. From easy-entry projects to limitless creative design possibilities, including the option to explore text-based coding with Python, SPIKE Prime helps students learn the essential STEAM and 21st century skills needed to become the innovative minds of tomorrow... while having fun! At the time of this article, the Spike Prime app forces an update to the hub firmware to version 4.0.0.5 and the Mindstorms app forces an update to version 3.1.4.3 – These numbers do not appear to be sequential, but likely represent two different forks of the firmware with slightly different capabilities. (For example, the Mindstorms firmware includes some on-device sounds which you can use in your apps.) When connecting to a Hub that hasn't been renamed, the LEGO ® Education SPIKE ™ App will automatically ask you to rename it. Giving each Hub a unique name will help you differentiate between multiple Hubs in close proximity (e.g., when using Bluetooth).

BricQ Motion Prime gives students a strong foundational understanding of physical science concepts (i.e., forces, motion, and interactions) while setting the stage for computational thinking (e.g., cause and effect, data analysis and synthesis). I will admit that these are very specific complaints, and they re anchored in my perspective as a proficient user of productivity tools (like PowerPoint), and professional graphics apps (like the Adobe suite). Nonetheless, fixing these issues would make it easier to treat these apps as serious tools instead of toys – it will also make it less frustrating for experienced adults (and really knowledgeable kids) to build more complicated programs.) Much less RAM– The CPU that they chose includes a paltry 320KB of RAM right on the chip, but that’s probably enough for most simple apps. Because it is on the CPU die, it is (most likely) a lot faster than memory stored on an external chip, which can result in better performance for certain computational tasks. (Even for memory-intensive tasks, it may be possible to fetch data from long-term storage before it is actually needed, reducing the negative impact of having so little memory.) SPIKE Prime is designed for Middle School students aged 10+. The target age group may vary between countries because country-specific curriculum needs determine where each lesson is mapped.As with all of the LEGO Learning System solutions, we recommend one set for every two students in a classroom setting. Competition Ready unit plan with over 10 hours of STEAM learning linked to curriculum standards. Includes comprehensive online lesson plans and teacher support.

When a user connects a Hub to their device, the app verifies compatibility with the installed version of the OS. If it’s not compatible, the app notifies the user that the OS must be updated before continuing. Tie – The Spike app has lots of learning modules, but the Mindstorm app is more feature-rich for building custom programs.SPIKE Prime is a better choice in the classroom since the part colors will match the curriculum materials. While not meant to be an exhaustive comparison, I’ve provided a screenshot of each app and highlighted a couple of key differences. ‘LEGO Education Spike’ app Many of the robots I built were designed to help entertain my 3-year old son. That’s why I decided to re-create the default logic of the DUPLO Train using the optical sensor, motors, and programmaing capabilities of this set. The EV3’s ARM926EJ-S CPU is rated at 1.1 DMIPS/MHz (per this forum post at community.arm.com), and an estimated 611 coremark (per zephray.me/coremark. SPIKE – A panel in the programming environment to monitor the current value of each variable is useful in debugging your app.

LEGO Education describes the focus of their effort around “Learning Through Play” which is in subtle contrast to the “playful learning” language used on consumer-facing sets (like the new #51515 Mindstorms Robot Inventor.) Without a deep dive into the grammatical differences in those two phrases, the key difference is that the education products put learning first, whereas the consumer products put play first. Since I spent so much time with this set, I have prepared a different conclusion for different audiences. I’ve also offered an overall assessment of the Powered Up system as a whole, since this set (and the recent #45345 SPIKE Essential Set) complete The LEGO Group’s transition to Powered Up. You can turn off the hub by pressing the button and holding it down for 10 seconds till the light turns off. It took some time before LEGO Education saw the potential for LEGO in a STEAM setting. First came MINDSTORMS in 1998 – but not as you may recognise MINDSTORMS as it is today. In 2013, the successful MINDSTORMS EV3 was released, and from there LEGO Education has gone from strength to strength, providing educationalists with exciting and effective resources for coding lessons. LEGO Education considers classroom settings and what is needed whereas LEGO aims to please on an individual ‘at home’ basis. Enter the exciting world of robotics competitions with the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Expansion Set (45680). With 603 elements, including large wheels, banana gears, a color sensor and a large motor, this add-on to the SPIKE Prime Set (45678) features over 10 hours of targeted STEAM learning that will inspire 6th to 8th grade students and teachers to build more advanced models and prepare them for the fun and challenging world of robotics competitions.LEGO ® Education SPIKE ™ Prime is part of the LEGO ® Learning System. It’s an exciting hands-on solution that uses playful learning experiences to engage primary school students in STEAM learning, putting them on the path to becoming resilient, independent thinkers. LEGO® Technic™ and System elements in a fresh color palette, including 2 large wheels, banana gears, large motor and a color sensor. Like all of the LEGO Learning System products, the SPIKE Prime curriculum is available in 21 languages: English (US), English (UK), English (AU), Chinese (simplified), Japanese, Russian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, French, Italian, Korean, Portuguese (BR), Spanish, Spanish (MX), Polish, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Arabic. Classroom example: Test the efficiency of two different grabber designs and determine the best one based on specific test criteria.