New Coding & Coloring Book

I often occupy my time during the cold winter months designing a new STEM activity. This year I wrote a storybook about a group of robots who compete in the Office Olympics during Send Your Robot toWork Day. 

The book is based around Botley, a coding robot from LearningResources. In the story, Botley is owned by Mr V, a wacky inventor who spends his days designing goofy gadgets for science teachers. As Botley and his friends compete in the Olympic events, they discover that someone is trying to sabotage the competition – magnets slow down motors, coding cards get switched, lights are turned off during line following. These are just a few of the many obstacles Botley and his friends must overcome.

There are 13 coding exercises sprinkled throughout the book. As kids follow along with the story, they are encouraged to pause and replicate Botley’s moves using the coding instructions found in the Try It Yourself sections. They can learn to make Botley talk, navigate a maze, follow lines, spin around, dance, and avoid obstacles (with Botley’s included activity set, it’s easy to create unique playing fields). Botley uses a Remote Programmer for coding rather than a computer or tablet making it the perfect beginning robot for those young students who haven’t yet learned to read but can manipulate a button-press. I tried it out on my 4-year old nephew, and he caught on immediately.

With the advent of the pandemic, publication of my book was put on hold. So I spent my time during lockdown illustrating the story with scenes of the robots and their various mishaps. Now the book is available in 2 formats on Amazon: a paperback coding and coloring book for the more creative types who like to incorporate a little artistic flair in their STEM activities; or an eBook – the cheaper alternative for those strictly interested in coding.

Incidentally, I have no affiliation with Learning Resources. I just think Botley is cute and clever. I recently discovered that Learning Resources came out with a Botley 2.0 – a second generation robot that still uses a Remote Programmer for coding. He’s got a few more button-presses and his eyes light up, but basically he operates in much the same way. If you have a young child quarantined at home during this pandemic, Botley is a great way to keep the hands-on principles of STEM alive.

Mechanical vs Motorized Attachments

As an FLL referee, one of the biggest mistakes I see teams make is with their attachments. Many teams use motors on their attachments, but if a motor can't complete its rotation the robot just stops. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen a team forget to lift the beam attached to the motor and when the robot goes to pick something up, the beam hits the ground and just stays there.

There's a motto we aspire to in engineering design - the most elegant design is the simplest. With a little ingenuity, most missions can be accomplished with a mechanical, non-motorized attachment. For example, in the Hydrodynamics Fountain mission you can build an attachment with the 5x7 beam frame - it's the perfect size to hold the Big Water. If you attach it to your robot with non-friction connector pegs, it will swivel back and forth like a teeter totter. Putting a couple 2x4 beams on the back of the frame will add enough weight to tip the Big Water back against the robot and keep it from falling out prematurely. As the robot approaches the fountain, the 2 axles in the front of the attachment will hit the edge of the fountain causing the Big Water to tip forward. Voila! An easy 20 points without motors.

Another example is the Flow mission. The rules were very strict this year in saying that the Big Water could only be released by turning the valves, but you don't need a motor to make this turn. You can use a couple 4x6 angular beams, one facing up and one facing down, to turn one of the valves in a counterclockwise direction. Actually one beam will work if you hit the edge of the valve in just the right spot, but the second beam gives you a little cushion on placement.

Reliability is another issue with attachments. Every year, at least one of the FLL missions requires a robot to pick up an object attached to a ring. This year it was the broken pipe. I've seen any number of different designs for this mission, some motorized, some not. Most of the time, when teams use a motor, it's to raise the attachment up so the ring doesn't fall off. Instead, you can build a simple locking latch that will open in one direction when you are retrieving the ring, but will lock into place when you are pulling it out of its holder allowing you to safely transport the object back to base without losing it.

Attachments can also be huge time wasters. Most teams use little black connector pegs to hook their attachments to their robots, but when you get stressed, those connector pegs often refuse to go into beam holes. A much better method of connecting attachments is to simply slide the beam holes on your attachment over a couple axles and 3x2 cross blocks. No matter how nervous you are, your attachments will slide on and off smoothly.

FLL Recap

I just finished ref’ing the qualifiers for our FIRST LEGO League robotics season – 6 events in 3 weeks. I must say when this year’s theme was first introduced (Hydrodynamics), I was very excited about the project aspect, but no so much the game. As an engineer, I thought the water theme lent itself particularly well to some interesting research ideas. But as a referee, I was a little fearful that the robot missions were a somewhat complicated for most kids, especially those on rookie teams (and in my neck of the woods, we had a lot of rookie teams).

In the past, there has always been one mission that basically involved sending the robot straight out of base to push some type of lever or handle. As referees, we hate to see teams walk away from the competition with no points, especially after 3 heats. These missions were always a way to allow teams to at least get on the board. However, this year, the two missions that came closest to meeting this simple criterion (the Filter and the Flow) were both tweaked in ways that made them difficult to complete successfully.

The Filter mission required the robot to push a handle until the lock latch dropped into place, but there were two factors complicating this mission. First, the handle on the mission model was positioned perpendicular to base so that the robot needed to make a 90° turn in its approach. Second, there was an obstruction next to the handle that prevented the handle from going all the way in (literally most times the handle was only a millimeter away from letting the lock latch drop). I’m sure that’s why this was one of the higher-point missions, but it still might have been nice to remove the obstruction and lower the points. (I know, “nice” is not usually a term equated with “competition,” but as an engineer I like to see young kids walk away feeling a sense of accomplishment with at least one mission.)

The Flow mission was the challenge that straddled the two competition tables. In the past, this mission has always been in the center of the playing field making it almost impossible for all but the tallest referees to reset. Thank goodness the designers moved this to the northwest corner of the table right across from base. However, rather than simply push the handle, the robot was required to turn one of two levers to release the water cylinder to the other player’s field – not an easy maneuver to make, especially for a rookie team.

The other missions attempted most often were the Pump Addition, the Fountain, the Pipe Removal, and the Tripod – all relatively close to base and involving fairly simple maneuvers. Several teams scored points on the Rain mission, but truthfully, the rain cylinders dropped more times by the robot accidentally bumping into the model rather than actually sliding its handle. So this year’s game turned out to be easier than I’d originally thought... or maybe kids are just getting cleverer in their robot designs.

2017-18 FIRST LEGO League Theme

When I went to referee training this week for the upcoming FIRST LEGO League season, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this years theme is HydroDynamics - Aqua Adventure. What an exciting topic for kids. It's been years since I studied civil engineering, but as I was reading through the Challenge Guide, I remembered all the fascinating topics we used to study relating to water quality - turbidity, salination, osmosis, etc.

Normally I prefer mentoring teams on the robot game portion of the contest, but this year's theme lends itself to so many interesting science investigations for the project portion of the contest that I thought I'd try out some of my new GoDirect sensors from Vernier Software & Technology. These handheld Bluetooth sensors are rugged, reliable, and safe (great for middle school classrooms). You can collect and analyze data with Vernier's Graphical Analysis app on any Android, iOS, or Chromebook mobile device. Vernier also publishes a book on Water Quality containing 18 different experiments, covering topics such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and stream flow. Some experiments, such as bacteria and water hardness, can be conducted without needing any sensors at all. You can find a description of these experiments and how to download the free app on the Vernier website if you don't already have an idea for your FLL project.

SmartGurlz Siggy Robot

I stumbled on a new robot geared toward girls. It's a programmable self-balancing scooter named, Siggy, that transports an 11-inch fashion doll. You can control Siggy via a Bluetooth LI connection on your smartphone or tablet using the SugarCoded app. Siggy comes with individually-controllable, dual-color LED headlights and 4 built-in sensors (ultrasonic distance, gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer). It's compatible with ioS 8 or Android 4.4, and is powered with a 9-volt battery.

Being someone who is always looking for ways to inspire girls to pursue engineering, I was really excited about this product. And after watching a YouTube review by DadDoes and receiving a discount code from SmartGurlz, I decided to buy one for myself. Unfortunately when it arrived, my first impressions were mixed.

Siggy is well-made and balances beautifully, but its power management is abysmal. I knew before purchasing that it tended to eat batteries (the published documentation estimates 3 hours of playing time - that's not even half a school day), so I also bought the rechargeable battery. I had a devil of a time getting it installed. The wire on the battery attachment is only an inch long and the tab at the top of the case prevents you from turning the battery sideways to connect it. Plus I had to hunt up a miniature Phillips screwdriver to take off the old battery cover and attach the new one.

Siggy comes with its own doll (there are 4 models to choose from). You must have a doll or some other 6 oz object resting on the base or Siggy won't balance. I chose Jen, mostly because I liked her "Smart Gurlz" shirt. Each doll comes with her own ebook (Jen is a blogger who is studying mechanical engineering).

With the SugarCoded app, you can drive Siggy in remote-control mode or program its movements with Blockley-based code. I've tried a few of the programming tutorials, but the app seems a bit buggy. And if I drive Siggy around at high-speed and it tips over (it can go pretty fast), I lose the Bluetooth connection (it takes a bit of fiddling to get it back). The app seems to have a lot of possibilities, but it's going to take some trial and error, since I couldn't find any tutorials on the SmartGurlz website.

OzoBlockly

I decided to try out OzoBlockly - a drag-and-drop block-based language much like Scratch or AppInventor. The commands (especially movements) are tailored to the Ozobot (obviously). Since it's a web-based application, you can use it on any platform with a web browser, including mobile devices. Nothing unexpected so far, but my big question was how to get the program into the Ozobot. And that is what I found incredibly fascinating. You simply place the Ozobot against your device screen and the code is read in by the sensors on the bottom...genius.

One of the things I truly admire about this product is the elegance in its simplicity.

If you want to try out OzoBlockly, there are several beginner examples listed in the side bar of the program. There is also a reference section that gives detailed information about each programming block. Many of the challenges come with maps you can print out for the Ozobot to follow (I just use regular settings on my inkjet printer with white copy paper). I don't have a user account yet, since I don't have an Evo, but if you are programming on a laptop, you can save your programs to the computer (they are saved in the Download folder). One final feature, especially for older students, is the ability to see the JavaScript syntax for your program.

Ozobot Footnote

I discovered the trouble with using the Ozobot with today's pre-schoolers is that they are encouraged to "color outside the lines." Unfortunately, the Ozobot is more old-school. 

I tested out the Ozobot with my 4-year old niece. She loves to draw and is learning to write her name, but that meant she was always trying to draw lines with the pointed end of the marker. I'm kind of surprised that the Ozobot markers even have a pointed end, given that the robot needs a fairly wide line to follow. The Ozobot markers have a nice chisel tip, but when I tried it myself, I realized that you have to hold the markers at a fairly large slant in order to draw a thick line (more of a slant than you would naturally hold a pencil). I think using a regular blunt tip marker (possibly Expo?) would work better for a younger child.

The second issue was coloring in her own codes. The activity sheets have the squares outlined in a light gray. They're even labeled with the colors you should be using. However, the Ozobot takes readings so frequently that gaps between blocks or coloring beyond the length of the block tends to confuse the robot. Of course, to a 4-year old, erratic behavior in anything is hysterical, but that wasn't really the point of the lesson. The next time, I think we'll try using the sticker sheets for inserting color codes.

Ozobot

A few months ago, I did some research on robotics kits for pre-schoolers. Since that time, I've been to the NSTA convention and actually had a chance to play with several of them. I already own LEGO's WeDo set (which I love), but I think it's a little advanced for 4-year olds (my target audience). The 4M Tin Can Robot from Walmart turned out to be a nightmare to put together - too many tiny little screws and flimsy plastic parts (though it seemed fairly durable once we finally got it together). Some robotic kits are a bit pricey (like Dash & Dot); some are a little complicated for a 4-year old's fine motor skills (like Meccano). I was leaning toward Ozobot, but the reviews were somewhat mixed, especially in the area of customer service. I finally decided to take a chance on the Ozobot, but buy it from Amazon since they have an excellent return policy if anything went wrong. And I am so pleased with my purchase.

I opted for the Ozobot 2.0 Bit Starter Pack. It was only $5 more than the Ozobot alone, and came with a set of markers (saving me a trip to the store). What I didn't realize was that it also came with an assortment of activity sheets, color codes, puzzles, stickers, and skins. Some of the activity sheets are pre-printed routes with color codes interspersed along the black lines. Some have blank sections requiring students to use markers or stickers to designate the color-coded action. Still others are like puzzles, requiring students to enter a specific set of color codes to accomplish a goal. Overall, I think this is an excellent way to introduce programming to 4-year olds who have not developed an extensive reading vocabulary. And once they get a little older, they can write more traditional programs with OzoBlockly and download them to their robots.

Because the Ozobot is so small (notice the penny in the photo), it can also follow lines on an iOS or Android tablet. It even worked on my old Kindle Fire, following lines I drew with the SketchBook app. The team at ozobot.com is hard at work developing interesting apps to trigger the imagination of your students, such as OzoGroove - an app designed to have your Ozobot execute dance moves. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Pre-K Robot Kits

My niece is turning 4 next month which prompted me to go hunting for a Pre-K robotics set. OMG are there a multitude of possibilities to choose from, especially if you are independently wealthy (which I’m not). With all the STEM initiatives, I guess everyone is jumping on the robotics bandwagon, including manufacturers. Since I am the nerdy-engineer aunt, I am looking at this birthday present as an educational investment – meaning I’d like to find a product that she can build as well as program and that gives her the flexibility to create her own designs. From a practical standpoint, I’d like the product to be fun right out of the box with enough possibilities to hold her interest long-term. This list is not by all means complete, since there are new products popping up every day. I purposefully left off remote-control type robots like Sphero or robots that would be too sophisticated and frustrating for younger kids. But I’m passing along the products I discovered in case you need to go shopping for your own niece or nephew.

LEGO WeDo. Since I’m already a big fan of LEGO (and so is my niece), this system is an obvious choice. It’s buildable, programmable, and compatible with just about every platform (Mac/Windows, Chromebook, iOS, Android). Some people complain that the base kit contains only 1 motor, but LEGO’s online tutorial gives several different gearing designs for utilizing the output from just 1 motor (including 2-wheeled vehicles). I find that incredibly intriguing, not to mention a great think-out-of-the-box learning tool. But I just saw an announcement for LEGO’s new Boost robotics system that’s giving me pause. While I’ve seen some reviews that describe it as more “exciting” than WeDo, I’m not convinced (yet) it will be that much different from the current WeDo system beyond giving you 2 motors and some new sensors. Plus I’m not seeing any Chromebook-compatibility. Unfortunately, I can’t check it out for myself, because Boost isn’t shipping until August 2017.

Dash & Dot. This robot is a bit pricey, but definitely programmable with iOS, Android, or surprisingly Kindle Fire. But these robots come pre-built. There are some interesting accessories you can get to go with them, like a xylophone, ball launcher, and bulldozer bar, but that incurs an additional expense. What baffled me, though, were the building block connectors that will allow you to “snap on LEGO blocks to transform Dash into anything.” Why wouldn’t I just save myself some money and buy a LEGO robotics set to start with???

Ozobot. This tiny, little robot is certainly fascinating. He’s cheap, miniature in size, and programmable with colored markers. Unfortunately, he’s not buildable and I don’t see any long-term creative possibilities. (But that doesn’t mean I’m not intrigued enough to try one out on my own!)

Meccano. Since this robotics kit is modeled after the old erector sets, it is definitely buildable. You even attach the pieces together with real screws. The price isn’t bad, but customer reviews indicate that some models take a long time to build, programming can be confusing, and there may be problems with the system’s power management (battery life). I think this system offers a lot of creative possibilities, but it might be a bit overwhelming for a 4-year old. Meccano gets placed on the back burner until she’s older.

EZ-Robot. This system is comprised of EZ-Bits that you click together to make a robot. Sounds simple, but the bits you are clicking together do things like speech recognition, vision tracking, glyph recognition, GPS tracking – activities that are almost over my head, let alone hers. Again, goes on the shelf for later.

MakeBlock mBot. You have to build this robot, but once it’s put together, I don’t see possibilities for making new designs unless you purchase add-on kits. It is, however, compatible with LEGO (there we go again), so you can get creative that way. This kit does, however, come with 2 motors whereas WeDo only comes with 1. MakeBlock has its own programming app, but it is also compatible with Scratch and Arduino. One of the nice things about their website is that they have 2 free tutorials you can download with lots of getting started activities specifically made for kids.

ZOOB-Bot. This is a very inexpensive kit that you can buy at most retail stores with a toy department. The pieces snap together to create different designs. There is no programming involved, because it is more of a mechanical device with pull-back motors. It’s probably not a bad toy for an afternoon’s enjoyment, but not a long-lasting contender.

4M Tin Can Robot. I’ll have to admit, I already bought one of these kits for my niece. It’s only $10 and has that artsy/craftsy feel to it that I enjoy. You make the robot out of a recycled soda can. It comes with a motor, a couple cams, and some miscellaneous parts for decoration. There isn’t any programming involved and the kit isn’t reusable, but it makes for a silly afternoon of nerdy fun.

Makerspaces

I've been noticing that more and more schools are establishing makerspaces, especially in the library area. A makerspace can be a great place for building robots or designing jewelry or programming an app or coloring a picture. There are no blueprints or rules for a makerspace. A makerspace is simply a DIY area where students can explore, invent, learn, and do something creative with their hands at their own pace in a relaxed, non-threatening environment.

I recently taught a hands-on workshop for teachers on Makerspaces. My goal was to give participants a multitude of simple, inexpensive tips and tricks - ideas for starting their own makerspaces. The activities ranged from high-tech to low-tech, pricey to budget-friendly, and skilled to novice. Contrary to popular opinion, makerspaces are not just about tools (especially 3D printers), but about the possibilities for imagination and creativity - where students are encouraged to improve their tinkering skills and think out-of-the-box.

Here is the agenda I used for the workshop. The times are approximations and would vary depending on the experience and skill-level of your audience.

Monday
8:00am  Curiosity Corner:  Raspberry Pi
8:05am  TOOT-Box Warmup:  Marshmallow Towers
8:35am  Topic:  What is a Makerspace?
9:00am  Activity:  Knex Towers
10:00am  Topic:  The Design Process
10:30am  Activity:  Skill Assessment - Using Tools
11:45am  Lunch
12:30pm  STEAM Stimulus:  Zentangles
1:00pm  Topic:  Directed vs Discovery Activities
1:30pm  Activity:  Kite Design

Tuesday
8:00am  Curiosity Corner:  Minecraft
8:05am  TOOT-Box Warmup:  Newspaper Boats
8:35am  Topic:  Sensitivity Considerations - Manual Dexterity
9:00am  Activity:  Finger Knitting
10:00am  Field Trip:  3D Printing at a local library
11:45am  Lunch
12:30pm  STEAM Stimulus:  Geometry in Art
1:00pm  Topic:  Consumable Materials vs Capital Equipment
1:30pm  Activity:  Dollar Store Designs

Wednesday
8:00am  Curiosity Corner:  LEGO Simple Machines
8:05am  TOOT-Box Warmup:  Crash Cushions
8:35am  Topic:  Qualitative vs Quantitative Measurements
9:00am  Activity:  Redesign Crash Cushions
10:00am  Topic:  Evaluation - Sensors or a Bucket of Sand?
10:30am  Activity:  Suspension Bridges
11:45am  Lunch
12:30pm  STEAM Stimulus:  One Word Designs
1:00pm  Topic:  Taking It Outdoors
1:30pm  Activity:  Solar Cars

Thursday
8:00am  Curiosity Corner:  Motion Maps
8:05am  TOOT-Box Warmup:  House of Cards
8:35am  Topic:  Architectural Design
9:00am  Activity:  AutoCAD Templates
10:00am  Topic:  Architectural Rendering
10:30am  Activity:  Laser Cutting Architectural Models
11:45am  Lunch
12:30pm  STEAM Stimulus:  Cropped Collages
1:00pm  Topic:  Famous Tinkerers
1:30pm  Activity:  Rube Goldberg Marble Roller Coasters 

Friday
8:00am  Curiosity Corner:  Makey Makey
8:05am  TOOT-Box Warmup:  PVC Paper Rocket Launchers
8:35am  Topic:  Methods of Assessment
9:00am  Activity:  Squishy Circuits
10:00am  Topic:  Non-traditional Materials
10:30am  Activity:  Conductive Paint Pens
11:45am  Lunch
12:30pm  STEAM Stimulus:  Comics
1:00pm  Topic:  Competitive Tech Coaching
1:30pm  Activity:  Robotic Devices

Each day, I started off the workshop introducing the Curiosity Corner. The materials in this space tended to be higher-priced, technology-oriented electronics - activities that wouldn't appeal to all, but might have been heard of by some. Interested participants could play with the materials whenever they had free time.

The TOOT-Box Warmup (Think-Out-Of-The-Box) was intended partly as an icebreaker (teachers were assigned new partners each day) and partly as a way to accomplish a task with non-traditional materials (such as supporting a marshmallow with spaghetti and a length of string). It was supposed to be a quickie 30-minute activity, but tended to run long, especially when the Type A's started Googling design ideas on their smart phones. It was rewarding, however, when teachers asked questions such as, "Can the marshmallow be in the middle of the tower rather than the top?" or "Can the marshmallow be torn up and used as a joint compound?" In my opinion, that's thinking-out-of-the-box.

The one thing about this workshop (for those who might be considering running their own version), it was incredibly labor and material-intensive. Many of the materials were consumable, meaning you need a fairly hefty budget to purchase enough for everyone or a fairly long lead time to collect them from your kitchen trash. The other issue was the expertise of the participants. It's hard to find a mix of activities that is pertinent and appealing to such a diverse group of individuals. Some teachers could have drawn zentangles all day long; others were bored with it after 10 minutes. If I were running this workshop again, I would probably implement more of the activities as stations, allowing the participants a greater choice in the structure of their day. That would probably go a lot farther in creating that "relaxed, non-threatening environment."

Upcycled Art

I cycled past these sculptures the other day and thought, 'what a great idea for a STEaM project" - upcycling a broken appliance into a piece of art. Back when I was teaching, the ancient copy machine in our building broke down for its last and final time. The administration had a nice new model ready to go in its place, but they were unhappy that it was going to cost $300 to transport our old dinosaur to the recycling center. I volunteered to let my students take it apart, thus giving my students a hands-on lesson in "how things work" and making the pieces small enough to fit into the trunk of my car eliminating the $300 transportation cost. That old copy machine yielded some excellent lenses, gears, and motors that we used in later science experiments, but they would have also made good components for a steampunk sculpture.

If you want to try this idea out with your own students, I would recommend asking your local parent organization to donate any broken appliances. Keep it small - can openers or radios as opposed to refrigerators or plasma TVs. Ask the students to draw diagrams as they disassemble their devices. Label individual components and discuss or research their functions. When students are ready to turn their components into a sculpture, take a teachable moment to talk about center of mass and what it's going to take to keep their sculptures from tipping over. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area as adhesive fumes can be toxic. Be safe, but above all, have fun.

Is Google a 21st Century STEM Skill?

During a recent educator workshop, I challenged the participants to build a boat out of a single sheet of newspaper. The primary goal was to build a vessel that would float in a bucket of water, but would also hold the greatest number of pennies before sinking. I envisioned this as one of those 15-minute warm-up activities designed to start everyone thinking out of the box.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed several participants Googling newspaper boat designs. My quickie warm-up activity had become a time-intensive and highly competitive design challenge. I let the activity run its course, but when summing up I mentioned that it had been my intention for people to think on their own (not via Google) about building something out of a non-traditional material.

Suddenly I was hit with a backlash of comments about not allowing the participants to use their 21^st century skills. It turned into quite a lively debate between those who advocated using their brains and those who insisted upon using their phones. And, yes, I’ll say it – the people with the strongest opinions tended to be the Baby Boomers versus the Millennials.

I think allowing students to use their cellphones as an educational tool opens up a world of exciting possibilities; but like most things in life, there is a proper time and a place. We also need to teach students how to think for themselves in order to promote inspiration and creativity. Proactively exercising your brain leads to better mood, faster thinking, improved memory, quicker reaction time, and increased focus. After all, no matter how good the design, if you build a boat out of newspaper it will eventually become water-logged and sink.

SparkFun Inventors' Kit

If you're looking for some simple, but interesting, circuits to build with your Arduino, the SparkFun Inventors' Kit is an easy, cost-effective option. This kit includes everything you need to build 16 different circuits - and I mean everything, including an Arduino, a breadboard, and a wide assortment of electronic components (LEDs, switches, sensors, motors, etc - they even include a screwdriver). If you've already got many of these components, they make it super easy to order any missing pieces from their web-linked materials list. I especially like the black backer board that holds the Arduino and breadboard in close proximity so jumper wires stay securely in place. 

Another great thing that SparkFun does is publish all their tutorials for the 16 circuits online. At first I was tempted to skip around and try out only those activities that were new to me (after all, I can't tell you the number of times I've lit up an LED), but I stuck with doing the activities in order. Good thing. These tutorials are a great teaching tool, not just in electronics, but in Arduino programming. Each activity gets progressively more advanced building on previous concepts and introducing new ones. The tutorials also address real-world applications and suggest interesting variations to try out.

My only complaint with these tutorials was with the hook-up tables (which SparkFun actually stopped using after the third activity). The hook-up table in the first activity told me to put the LED in C2, but there is no C2 pin on an Arduino. It finally dawned on me that C2 was referring to the breadboard hole, not the Arduino pin. If you're like me, I usually just put my components into the first available breadboard hole and don't really worry about row and column referencing. I think a nice labeled diagram would be a much better substitute for this table. But to SparkFun's credit, they put a wealth of information into the comment sections of their sample sketches, so I've learned to skip straight to the comments when wiring up my circuits.

Becoming a STEM Consultant

I am a consultant – a STEM Education Specialist. I love my job, but I can't keep up with all the opportunities that come my way. Why am I saying this? Because there is a huge demand for STEM educators and you might be considering a career change.

So what exactly does a consultant do? Mostly I teach students and teachers how to use technology. STEM is the hot topic right now in education and administrators want to jump on the bandwagon with the latest and greatest gadgets. That's where I come in, because those gadgets aren't always as easy to understand as they look. Matter of fact, that's probably my greatest skill – making things look easy.

I am an engineer by training (civil and electrical) with extensive (but varied) experience in teaching (high school, middle school, industry, and college). I've never stayed in one place for very long, because I'm one of those people who always want to try something new. Some might call that a rolling stone; I prefer to think of it as visionary. I'm creative and passionate about hands-on activities that relate to the real world and think that anyone can be successful if you make learning fun as well as challenging. My favorite tools are robots and sensors with a little sprinkling of art thrown in. I firmly believe if you're good in art, you're good in math; and besides, everyone likes a little color in their life.

How did I get started in this business? When I find something I like, I'm very vocal about passing that information along to others. Businesses love to support people who do that, whether it be by representing the product at a conference, writing up a curriculum manual to go with the product, or teaching a workshop to show someone else how to use it. That is what I spend most of my time doing and I love it.

My job is not without a few frustrations, mostly in the accounting end of things. In order to get paid, I have to keep track of my hours, send out billing statements to my clients, and pay my own taxes and insurance (not the fun part of my job). I'm a very organized person, but unfortunately many of my clients are not. Instead of one boss, I have many, most of whom are borderline techno-phobes, but who are determined to get into STEM.

My advice if you want to become a STEM consultant – get out there and make a name for yourself (90% of my jobs come from referrals). Check out your local university, community center, or library, because many of them offer summer workshops for kids and adults. Offer to teach one that highlights your expertise. As long as people sign up, your fee is paid by the registrants' tuition. Make sure your idea is innovative, hands-on, and cost-conscious. A client probably won't be willing to buy a classroom set of drones for a newbie, but most organizations have access to a set of computers. Start off by suggesting an Hour of Code workshop using Scratch or Python or appInventor or any of the other free programs easily downloadable from the internet. And then invite the organization's marketing department to your workshop to take photos. It's a win-win for everyone – the organization gets some good publicity and you've gotten your first job as a consultant.

Merry Christmas Eve

Pitsco has a guide on their website for building a spinning Christmas tree out of their Tetrix Prime Robotics Set. Their design uses elements from both the starter set (beams) and the expansion set (linkages). They even include a file for 3D printing 2 specialized parts for constructing the center support. But don't worry if you don't own a 3D printer or have time to run down to the local STEM center. There is also an option to build the center support out of wheels and axles (shown here). By adding a battery-operated set of LED lights, I've got a very festive (if somewhat nerdy) centerpiece for our Christmas table.

Science Journal App

I found out that Google's Science Journal app for Android phones can now be used with Vernier sensors and since I have a closet-full of Vernier sensors, I thought I'd try it out. Science Journal was originally created so that you could graph data from the sensors built into your Android phone (sound, light, motion, and barometer). The app is very easy to use, but limited in its analysis capabilities. What is nice, however, is that Google is encouraging 3rd-party vendors (like Vernier, Sparkfun, Jameco, and Pocketlabs) to develop compatible products and kits that capitalize on the features of Science Journal.

I tested Science Journal with Vernier's Go Wireless Temperature sensor. This waterproof Bluetooth device has a temperature range of -40 to 125°C (-40 to 257°F) with an accuracy of half a degree. The battery charge lasts about 2 hours, but you can easily recharge it with the same USB charger you use to charge your phone. You must have Vernier's Graphical Analysis app installed on your phone in order for their sensors to communicate with Science Journal, but once you do the initial setup, the Vernier sensor icon shows up right next to the Android sensor icons. Truthfully, having used both apps for data collection, there are times I would use Graphical Analysis over Science Journal, like when I need to do curve fitting or statistical analysis beyond the basic min/max/mean. But Science Journal is a simple way to couple my closet-full of Vernier sensors with the sensors in my phone.

Electrical STEAM

I recently stumbled on a few interesting products while volunteering at a STEAM workshop for Art Unleashed. Art Unleashed is a non-profit organization that has been incorporating science and engineering into some of their more traditional art classes for kids. Earlier this year, they offered a Saturday workshop on electricity. The kids made greeting cards accented with LEDs that lit up. They drew simple circuits onto card-stock using bare conductive paint from Sparkfun. This water-based paint conducts electricity eliminating the need for wires between the LEDs and coin-cell batteries. The paint comes in little squeeze tubes, so it is very easy to apply; but the paint has to be applied fairly thickly and it takes a long time to dry, especially in humid weather. This activity would work better spread over a couple days, so the paint can dry overnight.

Next we had the kids create light-up animals with Playdoh and modeling clay. The Playdoh is conductive, while the clay acts as an insulator. This is an excellent way to demonstrate the difference between a series circuit and an electrical short, because the LED won't light up if you just stick it and the battery into a single lump of Playdoh. Normally, you wouldn't connect an LED directly to a 9-volt battery or it would immediately burn out; but since the Playdoh has such high resistance, you can create circuits without the need for adding traditional resistors. Just be sure to have extra LEDs on hand for those kids who accidentally burn out their LEDs. I tried this activity with the off-brand Dough from Dollar Tree (4 different colors for only $1) and it worked beautifully.

For fast finishers, we set up stations with Snap Circuits. Snap Circuits are electronic elements mounted on big squares of clear acrylic - kind of like electronic jigsaw puzzle pieces. Kids snap the various elements together to create electrical circuits. We used the Snap Circuits Jr kits, which contain instructions for creating 100 different circuits from over 30 elements, like switches, sensors, lights, sounds, motors, etc. I'd heard about Snap Circuits at conferences, but never had a chance to try them out. I was so impressed, I bought my own set from Amazon (less than $20) and tried it out with my 4-year old niece. She loved it, especially the flying propeller.

Prime Expansion Set

I bought the new Tetrix Prime Expansion Set during the Cyber Monday sale at Pitsco. Unlike the Starter Set which primarily contains aluminum beams and plastic brackets, the Expansion Set includes a wide assortment of aluminum linkages, plates, and gussets. One major advantage is that you can use the linkages to make walking robots. 

The building instructions for the WalkerBot (shown above) are included in the user manual. I think it "loosely" looks like a reindeer - very apropos for this time of year. This model was significantly more difficult to build than the introductory models in the Starter Set. The premise of a linkage is to transfer the motor's rotational motion into linear motion, however if you don't get the linkages lined up perfectly, the whole model just locks up. It took a little finagling and re-positioning of joints to get the model to start walking. Once it did, its gait was rather clumsy and lumbering - kind of like a cockroach after a few cocktails. I haven't tested WalkerBot with kids yet, but I suspect the slowness of its awkward gait may not be as exciting as some of its wheel-based counterparts.

Tetrix Robotics Camp

I'm teaching 3 robotics camps this summer. All are based around the Tetrix Prime set - a remote controlled system. But each camp has a little different flavor, because I have 3 very different audiences: teachers, middle schoolers, and high schoolers. I've discovered that teachers love to build the robots, but are reluctant to drive them (fear of not being perfect in front of a crowd???). Kids slap the models together as fast as they can and race out to drive them. It doesn't bother them if a part or two falls off when their robot collides with another (matter of fact, that sends them into fits of hysterical laughter).

I get most of my ideas off the TetrixRobotics.com website, either in the Build section or the Video section. I use these as a starting point to introduce a concept like gear trains or joystick control, and then present a challenge to the campers that would require some individual design or game strategy. I'm trying out a few new models this year, since some of my campers will be returning. The one on the upper left is called InchBot. If you maneuver the joystick just right, you can get him to move along in a straight line, but mostly he inches up and down while moving forward. You have to be careful you don't lay him out flat or you can't get him back up. I call the one on the upper right DetectorBot. It's just a square chassis with an NXT light sensor suspended from the center of the base. The NXT has a very simple program to beep whenever the light sensor rolls over a little blue square of painters' tape. This robot takes a lot of patience and concentration, because he's a little harder to maneuver than you might think.

The device on the lower left is called MazeBot. I saw this in the Pitsco booth at one of the STEM conferences last year. It took me a while to figure this one out, because unlike Pitsco, I don't have access to unlimited parts. It takes almost every beam and connector in the box, but I managed to create this design with only one kit. The campers construct their own mazes out of cardstock and mount them to the center frame. Then they try to see who can get the marble through the hole the quickest. The device on the lower right is called KickerBot. It's a great training tool to practice getting the timing right to connect with the ball and get a good hit, but then I challenge the campers to come up with a way to put a kicking mechanism on a mobile chassis so we can play robot polo.

The last day of camp is our ultimate challenge - meant to emulate NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars. The campers have to build a robot that can retrieve the stranded astronauts (minifigs), find water (blue tape squares), clean the dust off the solar panels (4x4 bricks), and exchange the dead power boosters for fresh ones (wheel and axles torn off some old pinewood derby cars). It's a lot of fun and a great way to impress the visitors who show up for parents' day. I really like the Tetrix Prime kit, because their quick rivets and thumbscrews make it easy to assemble and disassemble robots quickly. We average 2-3 robots a day, which would be nearly impossible if we were using traditional nuts and bolts.

LEGO WeDo for Chromebook

When I attended the Engineering Educators' conference last month in New Orleans, I talked to the LEGO rep and found out they were getting ready to release a Chromebook app for WeDo 2.0. I just set mine up today and I must say, it works beautifully. The only little "glitch" was getting the software to find the SmartHub. My Chromebook found it instantly, but I had to turn Bluetooth on and off a couple times to get the software to recognize it.

LEGO Education has a special going on right now. If you order the WeDo 2.0 Core Set, you also get the curriculum pack ($290 value) for free. I really like the built-in tutorial section of their software. It includes 4 Getting Started activities, 8 Guided Projects, and 8 Open Ended Projects. The Getting Started projects teach you how to build a little rover, get it moving, and operate the motion and tilt sensors. Another nice thing about the software is the built-in capability for kids to keep a log of their designs. There is a camera function that allows students to incorporate stills, video, or screenshots alongside their text-based reflection statements.

The only down side of the software are the Help videos. None of them contain any written or spoken words - just some background music and a lot of pantomiming by 2 minifigs (Max and Mia), Sometimes it's hard to figure out what they are trying to tell you.

I noticed that there is an Android app for WeDo 2.0. I may try to check this out on my phone, since I feel a little funny chasing after my robot with a Chromebook.