ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

Damien Kee from Domabotics.com has written a new booklet on datalogging with the NXT. I recently got a chance to read through it, and my first impression is that it was well-named. Titled " Datalogging Activities for the Busy Teacher ", it is structured as a series of almost stand-alone short projects or lessons, ideal for teachers with little time and little or no background with the NXT. The book starts with a few pages talking about what datalogging is & how it works, and then just a very brief review of the built-in datalogging environment of Educational version of NXT-G 2.0. At the end of the book are a series of handouts and worksheets for the students, saving the teacher the time of developing these themselves. But the bulk of the book is a series of chapters organized by sensor: datalogging with the touch sensor, datalogging with the light sensor, etc, including the new temperature sensor. Each chapter starts with a description of the sensor, and what sort of rea...

I have put together a series of Units of Work, Lesson Sequences and accompanying Lesson plans for use by Teachers (and Students). There are Junior, Middle and Senior School units, all lasting approximately 6-8 weeks. Some lessons overlap across the 3 levels of schooling – but there are a number of new lessons at each level. The lessons are all based on NXT-G and are designed to follow on from specific activities in Robot Educator. Of particular note is: - “Four Poles Challenge” - one of the most successful resources I have used for introducing Robotics to students and teachers alike. - A learning based approach to Line Following using one and two light sensors (as opposed to the more prescriptive approach in Robot Educator). -A very simple, yet effective “Remote Control” for the EduBot that you can use in the classroom. -Reference to other robotics resources such as PowerPoint ideas, Robot films, excursions and NXT Books. - Whilst the program objectives, understanding goals, essential ...

We have just released our first dedicated resource book for teachers "Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher : NXT" This book outlines a 10 week set of lesson plans for teacher wishing to implement robotics in their classroom. A set of robotics challenges are presented, centered around the LEGO NXT MINDSTORMS system. The workbook includes 10 robotic based challenges as well as 3 additional modules with assessment activities covering Robots in Society, Flowcharting and Multimedia Presentations. It is aimed towards Middle Years schooling (ages 9 - 15) although the challenges can be adapeted to suit older age groups. Each module includes: A real world scenario Basic theory of the concepts presented Teachers notes outlining the most common issues and how to solve them Example Programs in the NXT-G development environment Extension activities Student worksheets Sample pages can be downloaded from here and the full book can be ordered from the cafepress site http://www.cafepre...

I've received quite a few emails from various coaches and teams requesting the FLL Worksheet I referenced in my presentation at Bot'oberfest back in October. This worksheet is free - use it, modify it, make as many copies as you like. The idea behind the worksheet is to get teams thinking about each FLL mission before they ever start building and programming. If you examine the mission objectives, potential pitfalls, and physical characteristics first as well as identify the components possibly required (motors, sensors, grippers, etc.), it'll make it easier when you reach the building and programming stages. You can download the zip file containing the worksheet and instruction sheet here .