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."