"Do
something, Sense something, Do something else!"
Ian Chow-Miller of Frontier Middle School in Washington state. The students are 7th graders in his required Introduction to Robotics class.
I gave a very short introduction in
how to use sensors with the ultrasonic and color sensor. I did not go very
in-depth, just covered the basics and let them explore and figure out the rest
on their own. I did have them memorize my mantra of "Do something, sense
something, do something else." This helps them remember that you have to
make a robot stop after the sensor sees a wall or a line. Too often they think
seeing the wall is enough. They forget to remember the robot is human and can
only follow exact orders.
When we begin I have the tables set
up. They are whiteboards so that taking notes on the table is easy.
I use colored electrical tape, a few
megablocks and that's it. Students have to start on one end and their grade is
determined by how far they get and how many sensors they use.
I have a "wall" for the
ultrasonic sensor, red and yellow tape for the color sensor, a drop-off where
they can use the color sensor in reflective light mode, several turns where
they can use the gyro, and at the end they have to stop on the third of three
green lines. This adds an extra challenge if they've already figured out
stopping on a color. Finally if they finish, they had to use the medium motor
to make an attachment that could knock the final block off.
Though I gave many hints, I didn't
initially tell the students which sensors to use where, I had them figure it
out as they went along. In three class periods, most students got up to or
completed the third green line.
As a bonus I had students document
their work with the iPads and then edit together a movie about the process from
beginning to end."
Ian
@coachchowmiller on twitter and
Instagram
Here's a link to the
playlist (Ian’s Robotics Class Videos):
