D&T issues
RoboFesta – UK Workshop
Author: David Barlex
Embedding Robotics in the Curriculum
This was a first class event. The proceedings opened with a presentation by David Barlex and Torben Steeg who set the scene by addressing the following issues
• Robots: What they might be in the curriculum
• Robots: Where they might be in the curriculum
• Robots: How they might be in the curriculum
• Robots: How they might get into the curriculum
• Robots: Why the time is right
• Robots: Future possibilities in the curriculum
You can view the PowerPoint here.
Clive Seager (Revolution Education) and Bryan Williams (AQA) described possibilities and resources with particular reference to the new Engineering Diploma.
Mark Harmsworth described perspectives from the TEP view point. Rob Widger entertained with an amusing presentation around the way the new NXT Lego robot system is being enjoyed by pupils and initially reluctant pupils. John Dobson of Matrix multimedia described the sophisticated e blocks system which could have interesting applications in GCSE and Diploma work.
Adrian Marshall gave a particularly interesting presentation on his approach to engaging pupils and teachers. He is a committed and enthusiastic roboteer, do visit his site and find out amongst other things how to design and make robotic fish starting with a Windolene bottle!
And if you are interested in food technology Adrian’s company makes some awesome food product handling machines.
The star of the show was Dave Catin of Valiant. His presentation about the way young pupils can use floor turtles to develop mathematical and other understanding was brilliant. His story of an alienated, disadvantaged, disengaged child who spent nearly an hour working intensely to get his turtle to turn through a full revolution and on the way discovering/learning than 360o make a revolution was a delight. He aims to develop his roamers for the secondary curriculum. Do visit his site.
The seminar as a whole clarified the role of robots in the curriculum. A child or young person can use a given robot to achieve learning in a variety of subjects through a range of educational tasks. A child or young person can build a robot that someone else has designed and programme it to perform useful functions. A child or young person can design and make a robot for their own purposes and programme it to meet these purposes. And of course pupils can carry out each of these three sorts of activity across all key stages.
Ashley Green of the Open University set up the event and all who attended owe him a big ‘thank you’. The workshop will give rise to a wiki. As soon as this is available I’ll add the address to this article.
©The Nuffield Foundation 2003