New Pathways into Robotics
This paper suggests new strategies for introducing students to robotics technologies and concepts, and argues for the importance of providing multiple entry points into robotics. In particular, the paper describes four strategies that have been successful in engaging a broad range of learners: 1) focusing on themes, not just challenges; 2) combining art and engineering; 3) encouraging storytelling; 4) organizing exhibitions, rather than competitions. The paper describes a new technology, called the PicoCricket, that supports these strategies by enabling young people to design and program artistic creations that integrate light, sound, music, and motion. The paper concludes with an analysis of robotics activities in three educational environments, examining how these new strategies and technologies can engage young people with diverse interests and learning styles.
Picture these scenes from two different classrooms. In one classroom, students are building cars using LEGO gears, wheels, and motors. One group is trying to make its car go as fast as possible, while another group writes a computer program to control how the car reacts when it bumps into a wall. Meanwhile, in another classroom down the hall, students are creating an interactive garden. They use a wide variety of materials (including felt, construction paper, pipe cleaners, and LEGO bricks) to create flowers, insects, and hanging lanterns. One group writes a computer program to make the wings of a bee flap up and down, while another group programs the lanterns to glow different colors when someone comes near. In many ways, the experiences in the two classrooms are similar. In both classrooms, students are using the same robotics technology. They are learning similar math and science concepts, and developing similar technical and programming skills. But the differences between the two experiences are also important. Different students are attracted to different types of robotics activities (Bers, in press; Resnick, 1991). Students interested in cars are likely to be motivated to create motorized vehicles, while students with interests in art or music are likely to be more motivated to create interactive sculptures. This paper examines strategies for introducing students to robotics technologies and concepts, and argues for the importance of providing multiple pathways into robotics, to ensure that there are entry points to engage young people with diverse interests and learning styles. When people think of robotics, they often think of popular images of robots in movies, such as R2D2 in StarWars. Increasingly, robots are becoming available as consumer products, such as the Roomba vacuum-cleaner robot and the Aibo walking robotic dog. But these stereotypical images can be misleading. Walking and rolling robots represent just one type of robotics. Robotics includes all types of programmable machines that perform actions based on inputs from sensors—everything from a home security system that sounds an alarm when it detects motion to a greenhouse that regulates its temperature and humidity
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