Build To Learn -- Robotics Club Forming and Needing A Few Parts

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

As an eighth-grade science teacher in an inner-city school, I have observed first-hand how hard it is for my students to develop skills in technology and expand their abilities in this challenging area. Yet, we live in a society where the need for technological skills and knowledge of this type is growing exponentially. I felt that it was my duty to ensure that my students enter high school with not only some technology background, but also with a desire to compete and succeed in our ever-advancing society. To help my students enter the world of computers, technology and adventerous scientific thinking, I decided to start a Lego-robotics club at our school. Our Lego-robotics club has gotten off to a great start. This is our first year. We have interested students -- an equal number of male and female -- who have signed up for the program. Our goal is to have 20 students total participating this year, and hope the club will grow in subsequent years. Through a grant, we have already acquired 15 laptop computers that will be used exclusively for this program. We are at the point where all we still need are the construction materials to launch this program. The construction materials include the Lego kits, software and site licenses, and something called programmable BRICKS. These materials allow students to take programs that they create on their laptops and upload them onto the robots so that the robots can perform various functions. Ultimately, the robots will be able to do numerous things from simulating an animal's activities to navigating through an obstacle course. All in all, we have so much invested in this project, and are so close to seeing it come to life. The program not only familiarizes students with using computers, it also builds mechanical engineering skills in the construction of the robots, skills that can be applied to future endeavors in the lives of our young students. These youg learners are eager to begin constructing and programming robots using the ideas that are forming in their heads and the skills they look forward to learning. Thank you for your consideration.