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The learning environment at the Clubhouse is not structured. Children are not following lectures with a pre-designed curriculum. Adult mentors play a very important role at the Clubhouse, but they do not plan activities in a centralized way. Children start a new project by looking at samples of previous projects listed in a Projects Database, which helps them learn from their own or other people’s previous experiences to think about variations or extensions that they can work on. Students record every project by listing its details in the database. They create a design using a CAD program, generate building instructions, follow the instructions to build their robot, generate investigation details consisting of problems they encounter as they test their robot, and store this entire information in the database.
In an attempt to categorize the learning experience that children touch on as they create their robotics creations, a curricular list of the most common learning topics is provided below. This prearranged list of curricular topics does not suggest in any way a structured delivery of material. It merely suggests that the children, while engaged on their robotic creations, will eventually touch, investigate, and go in-depth into all or some of these mentioned concepts. It also does not suggest that some concepts are less important than others, but rather that the emphasis is on developing new ways of thinking about processes of thinking, designing, and learning, which will facilitate acquiring any of the listed below concepts if their project requires it.
Section A: Introduction to Robotics
- Robots around us
- Project Management Software
- What is a database, how to use it
- Record your first project in the database
- How to use the "Investigate" tool in your database
- My first investigation - How gears work?
- What is torque?
- Gear Types
- Meshing Gears
- Geartrains
- What is programming?
- A MicroWorlds sample programming
- Introduce icon based Robolab ©
- Introduce NQC ©
Section B: Building My First Robot
- The RCX Brick
- What is Firmware
- Load batteries and how to recharge
- How to load the firmware
- Input ports
- Output ports
- RCX Controls
- Build your first robot using a ready-made model
- Building Strategies
- Properties of the Lego system
- Cross bracing and locking layers
- Review gearing
- Maximizing modularity
- Loading the structure
- Connecting the engine and the sensors to the RCX
- Attaching motors
- Attaching sensors
- Learning to read sensors
- The raw value
- The Boolean value
- The processed value
- Sensor modes
- Sensor types
Section C: Movement Analysis
- Basic Robot Movement
- Use pre-built programming to test the robot
- Program the basic robot movements: Forward, Back, Right, Left, Stop
- Using Robolab © to program the basic movements
- Using NQC © to program the basic movements
- Movement using light and touch sensitivity
- Light Sensors
- Light sensor readings
- Shielding light sensors
- Normalizing light readings to motor commands
- Light seeking
- Light avoidance
- Following a line
- Programming movement using light sensors
- Touch Sensors
- Touch sensor readings
- Obstacle avoidance
- Emergence
- Meta-sensing
- Programming movement using touch sensors
- Report your investigation in the Investigate section of your database
- Define details of problems you encountered while programming your robot
- List all problems in the Details section of your database
- Link relevant research to your details using your Resources section of the database
- Add clarification designs, drawings, or papers if needed and link them to your Detail
- Define embedded concepts encountered while describing the details
- Define embedded concepts and link them to their Detail description
- Link relevant research to your embedded concepts using your Resources section in your database
Section D: Customize My Robot
- Analyze goals achieved by your robot
- Research achievement vs. expectations
- Use the internet to conduct research
- Record your research in the Rsources section of your database
- Define desirable achievement goals
- Conduct research how to accomplish desired goals
- Define variables of change, like: Motor Placement, Gear Ratio, Wheels, Trailing wheel, Sensors
- Change your robot to reflect the new specifications
- Re-build your robot to fit new specifications
- Analyze movement using new set of built-in sensors
- Change programming to fit new changes
- Choose Robolab © or NQC © as programming application
- Report your investigation in the Investigate section of your database
- Define details of problems you encountered while programming your robot
- List all problems in the Details section of your database
- Link relevant research to your details using your Resources section of the database
- Add clarification designs, drawings, or papers if needed and link them to your Detail
- Define embedded concepts encountered while describing the details
- Define embedded concepts and link them to their Detail description
- Link relevant research to your embedded concepts using your Resources section in your database
Section E: Saving My Customized Robot Design
- Use CAD to create a virtual design of the robot
- Learn to use MLCAD to create a virtual design of the robot
- Learning the principles of modeling
- Understanding View Angles
- Understanding the XYZ Coordinate System
- Understanding MLCAD's modeling tools
- Understanding Rotations
- Working with sub-models
- Using sub-models as parts
- Multipart project files
- Generate construction steps using LPub Lego Publisher to generate a rendered design of the robot and detailed construction steps based on the CAD design.
To see a list of Standards that apply to the curriculum listed above, please press on this sentence.
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