Programming robots proved an engaging task for these elementary school students. These two examples show how technology can be used in a creative way. Students must figure out how to program the machines, using assessment practices to determine where they’ve gone wrong when the robot doesn’t work as intended. In the presence of a teacher who guides their learning, they gain a deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts that drive their robot’s every move.
Building a Giraffe (in the students’ own words):
Here, we are designing, building and testing our giraffe robot. We wanted the head to be able to move up and down. It was a real challenge to get the head working properly. We tried to use gears, but we couldn’t get them to work. So we used a pulley system.
The first time we tested our design, there was too much power going into the motor that controlled the neck. When it ran the neck and head fell off the giraffe.
We have a great idea. “Let’s just attach it like that…”
“Ahhh… Oh it is so annoying!”
“Why isn’t it running?” “Why doesn’t the head move like we want it to?”
Eureka! “Oh yaaaaa!”
Here is the program we wrote so the giraffe could work properly:
