Python Now Available for VEX GO!
Now that VEXcode GO supports both block-based and text-based coding with Python, this opens a wealth of new opportunities for extending learning with VEX GO!
Teaching with VEX GO offers the ability to introduce building concepts alongside coding skills. Now, students and educators who are ready to level up their coding skills can stay within the familiar VEX GO platform and start incorporating text-based coding into their STEM learning.
Supporting the Blocks-to-Text Transition with Switch
With the addition of Python, VEXcode GO now supports Switch blocks. Switch allows students to explore Python coding within the comfortable framework of block-based projects. This gives students greater agency over their own blocks-to-text transitions, so that they can utilize Switch blocks in the ways that work best for them. From converting blocks, editing Python commands within a Switch block, to viewing commands and typing them directly into Switch blocks independently, there is no ‘one size fits all’ method for using Switch blocks.
Same GO Resources, New Coding Language
All of the existing VEX GO curricular resources, like STEM Labs, Activity Series, and Activities, that are written for blocks can also be completed with Switch and Python. This opens up a wealth of differentiation opportunities for teachers and students who are curious about text-based coding, but unsure where to start. Teachers and students can begin to explore Python by recreating familiar activities, keeping the focus on the new coding language. Students who are ready for the additional challenge of text-based coding can work with Switch and Python, while others remain in blocks, raising the ceiling of what can be done with VEX GO, and supporting all students wherever they are in their coding learning. View this article to learn more about using Switch for differentiation.
Switch blocks can also be used to help teachers learn how Python commands align to block-based projects, so they can support students without having to be experts themselves. Building the projects shown in a STEM Lab, then converting them to Switch, shows what a completed Python project would look like - enabling teachers to explore Python alongside their students. Python example projects in VEXcode GO are also a great resource to be able to read, run, and iterate on complete Python projects. Additionally, Activities that specifically use Python will be coming soon, further expanding support for using Python with VEX GO.
Get Support from the VEX Library and API
The VEX Library includes support for Python to help you get started. Python in VEXcode GO has the same useful features as Python in other VEX platforms, like autocomplete and code colorization. If you are new to Python, VEX Library articles can help you with basics like opening a new text project and understanding how to use the autocomplete function.
- View the article that matches your device to see how to open a new text project.
- View this article to learn about using autocomplete in a VEXcode Python project.
- View this section to learn more about key Python features.
All commands in the VEXcode GO Python Toolbox also have built-in Help in VEXcode through the VEXcode API Reference. Each entry defines the command and explains its function, details the parameters that are part of the command, and shows the command syntax.
Copyable code snippets are also included, taking each explanation further, to show the command in the context of robot behaviors. Students can use the code from the API Reference in VEXcode GO, and run it on their robots, to build their understanding of how the Python commands connect to the robot’s behaviors.
Having access to text-based coding with VEX GO expands the possibilities of what students can do and learn with GO to new heights. While still being able to explore building, they can grow their coding skills in different ways, using Switch blocks to transition from blocks to text at their own pace, and in their own ways. For those looking to learn more about coding with Python, the CS Level 1 - Python course with VEXcode VR is a great place to start. Using VEXcode VR to learn about Python places the focus on the coding concepts and language learning, as the robot is virtual. Then, those skills and concepts can be transferred to VEXcode GO for use with a physical robot, offering another pathway for coding knowledge.
Curious about how you can incorporate Python with your students? Schedule a 1-on-1 Session to talk with a VEX expert about your unique setting and students. Have stories about students navigating the blocks-to-text transition with Switch? Share them in the PD+ Community!