Robotics And Coding Inspiring Future Learning

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ContentsEditorialReflectionsTeaching & learningResearchCurriculum supportShare thisResource reviewsKylie Burrett is the teacher librarian at Whitebridge High School,located in the Hunter region of NSW. In her article she shareshow a lunchtime robotics and coding club has helped students todevelop essential 21st century skills and engage authentically withtechnology.ROBOTICSAND CODINGINSPIRING otics involves a seamless mix of theoretical andpractical experiences to enable learning by doing.Teaching coding and robotics in schools is developingmomentum and is now seen by many educatorsand industry leaders as a powerful way to developcritical thinking and information and communicationtechnology (ICT) skills. The Imagineering faculty,which is part of of Technology and Applied Studiesat Whitebridge HS, is working collaboratively withlibrary staff to promote student interest in science,technology, engineering and maths (STEM) educationand the integration of 21st century learning bydeveloping a robotics and coding club. The club aimsto help students develop their robotics and coding2015 Volume 34, Issue 433

ContentsEditorialReflectionsTeaching & learningResearchCurriculum supportskills, connect with peers and mentorsand explore pathways to higherlearning and career opportunities.Resource reviewsintroduction to robotics and codingthrough Technology (Mandatory) atschool. Looking for ideas, to increasestudent exposure to the disciplinesof technology and computer science,the idea of an online coding androbotics club was attractive. However,some expertise was needed. TheImagineering faculty was approachedand asked if they would collaboratewith library staff to develop a roboticsand coding Club (RoboHive). Whenthey agreed, it was very exciting. Aswell as benefits for students, it was awonderful professional developmentopportunity to develop a learning spacewithin The Hive that was accessible toeveryone, regardless of their formalsubject selection.BackgroundWhitebridge High School is a coeducational, comprehensive highschool located within the city ofgreater Newcastle in NSW. Of the 1056students in Years 7–12, four percentidentify as Aboriginal and five percentare from language backgrounds otherthan English. The school strives forcontinual improvement and providesa broad, balanced and relevantcurriculum.In 2013 the Imagineering faculty, rana series of student led engineeringChallenge Days, focusing on creativethinking and ICT skills. The programtargeted all students in years 7–10, aswell as selected gifted and talentedstudents (GATS) from partner primaryschools. Approximately 20 teachersand 10 local businesses collaboratedto generate the challenges andsupport this STEM initiative. Thechallenges were designed to motivateand encourage students to developan interest and love of design andinnovation. The program was highlysuccessful and has since become aregular event in the school calendar.Share thisThe inspiration for Whitebridge’s RoboHive: Year 5 students from primary schools aroundWhitebridge HS attending a coding and robotics enrichment program in The Hive.This year, as part of the initiative,a robotics and coding enrichmentprogram for Yr 5 students fromsurrounding primary schools was heldin our school library (The Hive). Duringthe session students actively engagedin constructing LEGO robots andcoding them to perform several tasks.What stood out most was the levelof engagement. These students wereno longer passive targets of learning.Instead, they were active innovativelearners, helping each other with eachnew discovery.Reflecting on this amazing workshop,it was very clear that students atWhitebridge could also benefitfrom access to robotics and codingexperiences in The Hive. Before theprogram began, students in Years7 and 8 were only given a briefAs well as benefits for students,it was a wonderful professionaldevelopment opportunity to developa learning space within The Hivethat was accessible to everyone,regardless of their formal subjectselection.2015 Volume 34, Issue 434

ContentsEditorialWhy create a robotics andcoding learning space?STEM is everywhere. Our nourishment,our safety, our homes andneighbourhoods, our relationshipswith family and friends, our health,our jobs, our leisure are all profoundlyshaped by technological innovationand the discoveries of science.Australia’s Chief Scientist 2013Staff at Whitebridge HS are striving tocreate a 21st century learning culture.What was once a traditional libraryis now a central, vibrant and diverselearning commons, called The Hive. Thischange reflected a global shift towards21st century learning outcomes. Aspart of these changes more communityconnected learning spaces areemerging. In schools and librariesthese spaces are often referred to asmakerspaces or hack labs. Globally,these informal, inquiry based platforms,workshops and clubs are encouragingstudents to collaborate, developcomputational thinking, test theoriesand play to learn.Research indicates that inquirybased learning enhances a way oflearning new skills and knowledgefor understanding and creating in themidst of rapid technological changeReflectionsTeaching & learningResearchCurriculum supportShare thisResource reviews(Kuhlthau, 2010). It is essential thatlearning opportunities are identifiedthat reflect students interests andneeds and provide them to thrivein the digital age. It was easy to seefrom the enrichment session thatrobotics provided a unique opportunityto expose students to tools andexperiences that facilitate inquirylearning and computational thinking.Today, capturing the imaginationof students is challenging, but notimpossible. Hands on experiences thatinspire confidence in students andhelp them develop real world skillsare essential. Teacher librarians are inan exciting position to help connectlearners with technology acrossdisciplines by providing a varietyof resources and communicationplatforms.Links to the curriculumThe Australian Curriculum’s focus oninquiry skills reinforces the importanceof creating inquiry opportunities forstudent driven learning. Lupton, (2012)emphasises a teacher librarian’s bird’seye view of the Australian Curriculum,which helps makes them vital partnersin implementing and supportingemerging technology trends andinquiry based pedagogy.RoboHive mindmap: Integrating fun, engagement, technology, learning and curriculumThe inclusion of Information andcommunication technology capabilityand Critical and creative thinkingas general capabilities withinthe Australian Curriculum (2014)demonstrates the significance ofdeveloping these skill sets for 21stcentury learners. Australian Curriculum,Assessment and Reporting Authority(ACARA) advocates that educatorsneed to identify and provide studentswith additional opportunities tolearn and participate in evolvingtechnologies. Highlighted within the2015 Volume 34, Issue 435

ContentsEditorialReflectionsNSW syllabuses for the Australian curriculum in theiradvice on programming is the importance of includinga range of ICT tools and resources to supportlearning. These include: m ultimedia creation tools g ame based learning opportunitiesTeaching & learningResearchCurriculum supportStudents participating in the club are provided withmultiple opportunities to extend their inquiry, ICT andcritical and creative thinking skills. The club’s focus ondigital technologies and computational thinking linksdirectly to the Australian Curriculum’s key ideas forTechnologies subjects. o nline collaboration tools w eb 2.0 and 3.0 toolsGetting started c ontexualised learning experiences includingrobotics, virtual learning environments and webquests.To assess student interest before starting the club,two robotics battle sessions were held, showcasingthe LEGO EV3 systems.Share thisResource reviewsthat there was a lot of interest.To get started, LEGO was chosen as it forms part ofpopular culture. In fact, Cendrowicz (2008) estimatesLEGO is so popular that there are 62 bricks forevery person on earth. Garcia (2014) suggests that byintegrating digital interests with peer culture learningexperiences can be forged that help youth developthe ability to adapt and thrive in a 21st centurycontext. For the club to work effectively, a funelement was needed, and LEGO provided that hook.The LEGO EV3 robots are programmed usinga visual language where blocks are draggedand dropped into place. A beginner student isprogramming and downloading within 10 minutesof instruction. It really is that easy to get studentsstarted. Additionally, LEGO ’s simple visual dropand drag interface is suitable for a range of learners,including GATS and students with learning disabilities.LEGO Mindstorms EV3Key ideas and relationships in Australian CurriculumTechnologiesThese sessions were held at lunch in The Hive andwere open to all students. News of the impendingbattle spread amongst the students. The atmosphereduring the robotics battles was electric. The robotswhizzed and spun, searching for their opponent. Oncethey located the rival robot they charged towardseach other, trying to knock their opponent out of thering. The cheering was deafening and it was very clearExample of a LEGO Mindstorms project interface2015 Volume 34, Issue 436

ContentsEditorialThe students attending the club havebeen able to assemble, experiment,hack and modify robots to completemissions. A mission starts with simplechallenges such as navigating a courseor retrieving an object. Students havebeen showing a drastic reductionin learning time and have quicklyprogressed to more open endedchallenges. These missions requirestudents to use computational thinkingand complex problem solving skills.The missions and challenges alsoprovide the students with shared goals,opportunities to collaborate or workindependently, and contribute ideasand expertise.Importantly, the club aims to immersestudents in a peer supportedenvironment. Ito et al (2013, p.62)suggests that academic opportunitiesin a peer supported framework willhelp students flourish and movetowards their potential. Similar to theengineering Challenge Days, studentsare encouraged to lead discussionsand participate in peer mentoring.Intuitively the students seem to knowhow to help each other and respond toother members of the club in a timelymanner. The Imagineering teacher orthe teacher librarian supervise, offerguidance and are responsible formanaging the required equipment.ReflectionsTeaching & learningResearchCurriculum supportStudents working together with Arduino boardsIntegrating learning toolsMore recently, a Google Classroomhas been created to provide an onlineenvironment where students can chat,develop resources, share designsand work on coding/programmingsolutions. Hopefully, this virtual optionwill give the less confident students theopportunity to interact and investigateremotely, making it easier to lurk in thebackground and develop confidence.One measure of success, is the increasein the number of students, selectingtechnology electives. David Kelly, headteacher of the Imagineering faculty said,The interest from year 7 selecting year8 subjects has been overwhelming.Share thisResource reviewsA electronic control boardOur numbers are growing and we areintroducing extra elective classes tocater.It will also be interesting to see howstudents generalize their learningacross the curriculum.What next?Arduino is an open-source electronicsprototyping platform based onflexible, easy-to-use hardware andsoftware. It’s intended for artists,designers, hobbyists, and anyoneinterested in creating interactiveobjects or environments.www.arduino.ccBeyond LEGO , learners will be ableto explore diverse challenges andreal world implementation of Arduinorobotics. To realise this next step apermanent hack-lab for the club isbeing created, where students canextend their learning by creating robotparts on a 3D printer and control themusing an electronic Arduino board.Students will learn to write code in asimple version of C called ArduinoIDE. These coding skills will enablestudents to program the electroniccontrol systems used in the real world.One application being discussed withteachers is to collaborate with theschools electric bike program; whichuses an Arduino based control system.2015 Volume 34, Issue 437

ContentsEditorialReflectionsTeaching & learningResearchCurriculum supportReferences and furtherreadingAustralian Curriculum andAssessment Reporting Authority(ACARA), 2014, AustralianCurriculum, accessed 4 November2015.ACARA 2014, ‘Information andcommunication technology (ICT)capability’, Australian Curriculum,accessed 4 November 2015.Australian Government Office ofthe Chief Scientist 2013, STEM inthe National interest: A strategicapproach, www.chiefscientist.gov.au, accessed 4 November 2015.Bonanno K 2015, ‘F-10 inquiry skillsscope and sequence and F-10 Coreskills and tools’, Eduwebinar.com.au,accessed 4 November 2015.The Whitebridge HS electric bike teamUntil now the code has been written bya parent. Next year, students from theclub aim to write the code. These bikesare designed and built by students andare raced annually as part of the HunterValley Electric Bike Festival.Critically, retaining of girls in the clubis an ongoing issue. By creating aconceptual design for a user friendlyconnected learning platform, it ishoped that the club can developan online platform that will appealto a wider audience, and promotebroader opportunities like Robogals, aninternational non-profit organisationthat promotes female participation inengineering.Share thisResource reviewsIto M, Gutiérrez K, Livingstone S,Penuel B, Rhodes J, Salen K, Schor,J, Sefton-Green J and Watkins SC 2013, Connected learning: anagenda for research and design,Digital Media and Learning ResearchHub, Irvine, CA, USA.Kuhlthau C C 2010. ‘Guided inquiry:School libraries in the 21st century’,School libraries worldwide, 16(1), pp.1-12, accessed 4 November 2015.Lupton, M 2012, ‘Inquiry skills in theAustralian curriculum’ Access, Vol.26, No. 2, June pp. 12-18.New Media Consortium 2015, TheNMC horizon report: 2015 libraryedition, accessed 4 November 2015.BOSTES 2015, Integrating ICTcapability, accessed 4 November2015.Cendrowicz, L., 2008, ‘LEGO celebrates fifty years of building’,Time accessed 4 November 2015.Garcia A (Ed.) 2013 Teaching inthe connected learning Ccassroom,Irvine, CA: Digital Media andLearning Research Hub.2015 Volume 34, Issue 438

two robotics battle sessions were held, showcasing the LEGO EV3 systems. LEGO Mindstorms EV3 These sessions were held at lunch in The Hive and were open to all students. News of the impending battle spread amongst the students. The atmosphere during the robotics battles was electric. The robots whizzed and spun, searching for their opponent. Once

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