Tuesday 22 April 2014

Robot Duo 3e cycle

Last week was the 2nd edition of "Robot Duo - 3e cycle", here is an email I have received from a teacher who visited one of the events.

It is always refreshing to get a new perspective.  Thanks Rona for accepting to share with us.



Thanks to Sophie Lussier, Science and Technology Consultant for the Lester B. Pearson School Board for inviting me to attend the RoboDuo event today.  Sophie, along with her team of science and technology teachers organized several events where two elementary schools get together and collaborate to achieve Lego Robotics missions.

The gym and stage were set up with tables to house the computers, lego boxes and Instruction package.  The teams were 4 students, 2 from Maplegrove and 2 from Westpark, DDO.  The students were in grade 6. At one of the schools, the students were in their first year of robotics.

Three LEGO mats (generic mats about 4 by 8 feet depicting various scenarious that can be incorporated into a challenge and have placemarks for various lego structures such as a windmill, solar collector, lever station etc.

The students were collaborating among their team and the ambiance was of relaxed but enthusiastic engagement.  There were several different missions, which the students had never seen before.  Even among the students who had the same mission, the quality of the interaction was to learn and achieve rather than compete among teams.  There were no discipline issues, and each student signed a contract outlining the rules and expectations. 

Each student has one hour of science a week as well as one hour of robotics for an entire year.  During the year, they pursue robotics missions that will prepare them for the Roboduo event.  The booklet handed out at Roboduo had the mission outlined, a page to plan the programming and pictorial instructions to make the base of the robot.  Everything else that was required, such as use of sensors and building of levers to lift or push, was at the discretion and imagination of the student.

Rona Katz
Technology Consultant

Akiva School

Friday 11 April 2014

Robot Duo 2e cycle, la parole aux élèves

La deuxième édition de l'événement Robot Duo 2e cycle a, encore une fois, connu un grand succès.

J'ai décidé de laisser la parole aux élèves de Sherwood Forest.


Hunter Gr. 3
“Everybody in our group worked hard and as a team that’s why we were successful. I feel like everybody I was working with was doing their very best at trying to program the robot to do the course.”

Paul Gr.4
”I felt like an engineer after we got 1st place. It was a really good experience.”




Dylan G. Gr. 3
I thought the co-opetition was really fun. I liked programming the robot and watching it Go, Go Go!!!”

Adriana Gr. 3
“We built a robot that would push a button that would make a wind turbine spin. It was awesome. I learned to program a robot and how to use an NXT bot. It was a great experience for me. I had lots of fun.”


Jasmine Gr. 3

I had a really fun day. There were lots of students and best of all was that everyone was super nice. Everyone got along!”