Starting new teams…is Robo Mesh as good as RobotC or Modkit?
I might be biased, but I think so. We are nicer, for sure.
Both RobotC and Robot Mesh have their strengths and weaknesses. I started using it several years ago, shortly after Robot Mesh came out and it works well with elementary students, especially with the Blockly approach. It works great if you’re at a school or tournament that has wifi available, however, if you need to tweek your program, Robot Mesh won’t work (unless you purchase the software for download) without the wifi.
When I taught middle school, I used RobotC a great deal more, and it’s better for the older students. I had the students start with it when they first experienced VEX IQ, and when we transitioned to using the VEX EDR’s they were already strong programmers.
First – James Pearman is a very nice fellow, as are the rest of the gang at Robomatter.
Second – Robot Mesh Studio (includes Blockly and Python) works fine on a Chromebook, as well as on Macs with Chrome and iPads. Our downloadable software is now free, please contact [email protected] for ordering instructions.
We suggest that our Python programming environment, which is included with RM Studio, is a natural next step after students have mastered Blockly. If you are in the Blockly development environment, you can even see the Python code for the Blockly you just wrote by clicking on the “Generated Code” tab.
http://www.robotmesh.com/studio/
I’ve tried them all but mainly use/teach with RobotC for all grade levels (Elementary IQ through beginner VEXU.) The transition from block based code to natural language to “normal” code seems pretty easy for students to grasp.
When I made my decision to go that route ModKit and RobotMesh were only free online which is a huge hindrance at tournaments in my region (where WiFi is not usually available.) However…
Rick is there a link to a downloadable version? I’d be interested in taking another look before I gear up for next season. PM or post if it exists, thanks!