Student Robotics Training Builds Manufacturing Skills

 FROM Tech & Learning

How to Use Robotics Training to Build Manufacturing Skills

(Intelitek)

Industry 4.0 is embracing robotics. However, manufacturers cannot find enough trained robotics technicians to hire to work in their plants. There are just not enough available graduates, which is why federal funding for career technical education (CTE) is part of the three COVID-relief stimulus bills. School leaders at Northeast Mississippi Community College are very aware of the manufacturer needs in their local area. "When we developed our program, we spoke with manufacturers in five surrounding counties to find out what they needed," says Kyle Carpenter, workforce trainer/workforce E-learning administrator.

Full Story: Tech & Learning

Sphero's Global Challenge! Offers Student Robotics Learning Opportunities

From my in box...I've long been a fan of sensible learning challenge-type events as learning contexts associated with Student Robotics.

Sphero             littleBits              Blog              Activities               Educators It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Season Two of the Sphero Global Challenge! That’s right; after a successful 2020/21 season of our robotics and STEAM competition, we couldn’t wait to announce Season Two and its theme: Heroes Among Us. This year’s competition will consist of five unique events designed to challenge students of all ages to go deeper with computational thinking, engineering, and programming skills—all while having fun!   Register Now

 

Make Virtual Robotics Part of Your Curriculum

 

From EdTech Digest https://www.edtechdigest.com/2021/07/06/6-reasons-to-make-virtual-robotics-program-a-core-part-of-your-curriculum/

 

trends

6 Reasons to Make Virtual Robotics Program a Core Part of Your Curriculum

July 06, 2021

Why all schools should integrate a virtual coding and robotics platform into their learning environments.

GUEST COLUMN | by Paul Keeney

Internationally, robotics and coding are becoming required curriculums for middle and high school students, yet the U.S. remains behind schedule in this area. Where many other countries are infusing coding, robotics, and computational thinking into their curriculums, a lot of schools here are stuck in somewhat of a technology inertia as they look for ways to catch up.

‘Middle school students like action, and they like things to have a purpose.’

Here are six key reasons why I see virtual coding and robotics programs becoming a mainstay in our nation’s schools:

1. Virtual robots are just as “real” as their physical counterparts. One day I opened up the cabinet full of robots and told my class, “There’s $8,000 worth of robots in here, but we can’t use them because the school district is not letting us share equipment this year.” I then asked my hybrid schedule students to look at the robot on their computer screens, and they noticed right away that it was the same robot design.

So, where our revamped robotics course may be fully online, it’s based on real-world applications that students can relate to and engage with in a blended learning model. Also, because I understand the LEGO EV3 programming (that’s what I normally teach in my class), the transition to using the CoderZ STEM curriculum was very easy.

2. Virtual robotics helps students develop new skills. Physical robots often lead kids to focus more on design and less of the coding, science, and math skills that drive the virtual robots.

3. They support equity in education. Virtual robotics promote equity because every student in a district can get access to the platform—not just those that attend a school with a robotics platform, or that can afford an after-school club or elective.

4. Kids can work at their own pace. Our Computer Science/STEM curriculum provides the perfect solution for a self-paced, flipped, or blended classroom where kids can use the same skills that they would even if they were using real robots. Only now there’s no hardware to worry about; it’s all online. Knowing this, I’ve also suggested our STEM platform to other teachers who teach technology education at other schools in our district.

‘This is helpful as I pivot between in-class, distance, and hybrid learning…’

5. Students love it. Our robotics platform is engaging for students and includes a lot of different gamification qualities. Middle school students like action, and they like things to have a purpose. Because the STEM platform is basically an obstacle course-based set of challenges, most of them jump onto that and want to do well and get it right.

And when they don’t get it right, those students are anxious to keep improving until they do, versus seeing the coding work as an assignment or a chore. The curriculum is instructional, but not so much so that students get bored with it.

6. Teachers can easily track student progress and understanding. I use the built-in scoring within the platform to track student progress, and track the red, yellow, and green lights for every activity. I assign points based on the completed activities and level of comprehension. This is helpful as I pivot between in-class, distance, and hybrid learning, as I end up spending entirely too much time writing new activities and adjusting my current lesson plans.

This, in turn, impacts how I manage my grading system. With our STEM program, I can quickly review all of the progress made on mini-lessons, and detect potential problems (i.e., not many “dots” filled in means not a lot of work was completed). 

It’s a No-Brainer

If your school is trying to come up with something that you can teach in any learning model – distance learning or in-person or a mix of both, this coding and robotics platform is a no-brainer because it’s structured well, engages students at a high level, and is teacher-friendly. In fact, even a teacher without a strong background in robotics or coding can pick the curriculum up and start using it on day one. In return, students learn the future-ready career skills that employers are looking for via a fun software package that’s easy to manage and teach.

—

Paul Keeney is technology education and engineering instructor at Oak View Middle School in Andover, Minn. Connect with him here: school website.

Robots @ Amazon's Fulfillment Centers

Manicure Robot - Does the Job Fast & Cheap

 (from https://ktla.com/morning-news/technology/clockwork-manicure-robot-san-francisco/ )

A robot is now doing manicures in San Francisco!

 

 

A company named Clockwork says it has the world’s first nail painting robot, which paints nails in just 10 minutes.

The price? Just $8.

Right now, the robot doesn’t cut or shape nails, but the website hints those features could be coming soon.

TikTok user Elissa Maercklein posted a video of the robot with the caption “living in the future.”

The company behind the bot says they design robots that “liberate people from everyday mundane tasks.”

Mechatronics Degree Program Growing

 

"Mechatronics Degree Program Growing at UT Chattanooga

Mechatronics, an interdisciplinary field combining robotics with electrical and mechanical engineering, is an in-demand field for engineers and a burgeoning program at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

by Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn. / April 1, 2021

 

(TNS) — Kalen Berry began his collegiate training at Tennessee Technology University studying to become an electrical engineer, but after an internship with Logan Aluminum, the Knoxville native also got interested in mechanical engineering and working with computers to make machines and robots do more tasks.

Berry's diverse engineering interests came together in the study of mechatronics at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which began offering as a bachelor's in applied science degree two years ago.

"When I heard about what was going on at UTC, I jumped at the chance to come here and it was a great opportunity to use all of the engineering skills and fields I was interested in and it was great to be able to do that in much more personalized program," said Berry, who graduated as one of the first UTC graduates of the mechatronics engineering program last December.

In July, the 25-year-old Chattanooga engineer will join Thermo Fisher Scientific where he hopes to advance into engineering and managements jobs in the growing field of robots, artificial intelligence and other machine-based disciplines.

"Mechatronics is really key to the new applied technologies we're seeing in manufacturing, medicine, the automotive industry and many other businesses and there are a lot of exciting opportunities," said Berry, who likens the field to a swiss army knife capable of many diverse uses. "I was able at UTC to work on two published academic articles and also start a student mechatronics club while at UTC. I think there is a huge potential for more growth here and to do it in an environment where you are regarded as much more than just another number or another student."

As demand for mechatronics talent continues to grow, UTC's engineering school became only the second four-year degree program in Tennessee to offer a mechatronic engineering specialty. Ahad Nasab, head of the Department of Engineering Management and Technology, brought the program to UTC after creating the state's first four-year program in mechatronics engineering at Middle Tennessee State University, starting in 2013..."

Read the full article at its source: https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/Mechatronics-Degree-Program-Growing-at-UT-Chattanooga.html?utm_term=READ%20MORE&utm_campaign=Mechatronics%20Degree%20Program%20Growing%20at%20UT%20Chattanooga&utm_content=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_medium=email