Artbotics: Combining Art and Robotics to Broaden Participation

Abstract The Artbotics program is a collaboration between artists and computer scientists which uses robotics technologies to teach computer science to undergraduates and high school students. Project-based courses culminate in public exhibitions at a local museum. This paper describes the curriculum developed for the course, the technology used and lessons learned

Educational robotics: using the Lego Mindstorms NXT platform for increasing high school STEM education

The field of educational robotics (ER) seeks to use the building and programming of robots to engage and educate the next generation of college freshman entering science and engineering majors. To increase the rate of application to science and engineering degree programs as well as the rate of retention, students must be engaged in high school. They must acquire the knowledge and interest to pursue these career choices. This research explores the use of robotics to interest high school students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and to improve their knowledge of these subjects. The case study developed instructional strategies to guide the learning process, increase students\u27 understanding of concepts and their practical application, and consequently increase their interest in STEM college majors and career paths. The instructional strategies explored in this research required students to study a given set of concepts, restate the newly acquired knowledge, apply it in a practical hands-on activity, and review the significant points made by the instructor. This research used the Lego Mindstorms NXT robotic platform to permit practical application of the training process to the Botball robotics competition. Students involved in this case study demonstrated improvement in application of science and mathematics principles to robotics and won the regional Botball competition after completing the training --Abstract, page iii

Constructing a microworld to build relationships with ideas in balance control

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-124).The major promise of computational technology for learning is in making discovery and acquisition of knowledge accessible to a wider range of people. The protean expressive and constructive nature of computational technology facilitates more powerful and effective learning methodologies. Enabling multiple forms of representation through computational approaches to thinking about various phenomena not only potentially opens new domains of knowledge, but also permits a re-structuration of domains by rethinking content and activity. This thesis provides an exemplar of this potential through children learning about Balance Control in Dynamic Systems (BCDS), which adds a particular value given that BCDS is considered too complex for young learners. A Balance Control Microworld was created to help learners think about how to program physical robots to perform balancing acts, such as balancing an inverted pendulum, based on the observations of their own body motions. A Spatial Computing Paradigm (SCP) was developed to allow learners to carry out various control operations using familiar 2D properties of on-screen objects. The physical robots have a dual-mode ability that allowed learners to record and observe motions while controlling the robots manually by hand as well as under program control. The study involved two groups of learners, ages 13 to 15, over twelve months. BCDS concepts that emerged include the role of speed, creating predictions, managing system states, and analyzing system's stability. Moreover, powerful ideas in computational and mathematical thinking helped enable thinking and understanding in BCDS as well as reflection over the whole process. The evolution of the Microworld was guided by a practice of applied epistemological anthropology.(cont.) An iterative process was used to identify important themes as they emerged during the course of the fieldwork. The resulting themes, as reflected in the case studies, come in three flavors: One focuses on ideas in BCDS that were learned by youth and could lead to deeper understanding in that rich field; the second shows how the tools and approach evolved to better support the learner along with the role of the researcher in the learning process; the third discusses the learning implications of a technology-enhanced Microworld by demonstrating common learning assumptions that need careful reconsideration.by Arnan Sipitakiat.Ph.D