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LEARNING WITH MINDSTORMS

 

 

Preparation

 

In preparation for this assignment I elected to bring the Mindstorms kit to the cold-face (the classroom) for its inaugural outing. We opened the kit together and examined its contents. It became almost immediately apparent who was going to be most comfortable with this learning tool and it wasn't me! The children set about the task with a sense of optimism and fun and without fear of failure. I, on the other hand, remained cautious. My own earliest formal learning experiences were not of a hands-on nature. This, coupled with my residual fear of anything technical, led to my being a hesitant participant.

 

 

open kit

First, I showed the construction kit.
Note the enthusiasm on all the faces!

 

explanation

I explained the computing element of the system.

 

install one

First, we installed the software on a laptop computer.

 

install two

I used a data projector so the whole class could follow the steps.

 

install three

We connected up the USB tower to the computer.

 

brickwork

At last the children could get their hands on the bricks!

 

RCX download

We checked that the tower was communicating with the RCX.

 

data signal

We checked the range of data transfer.

 

strong signal

The signal was quite strong!

 

training mission

It was time for the training missions!

 

working together

Many hands make light work!

 

guidance

But too many cooks...
I had to intervene to make sure all was done correctly.

 

check work

Well, it looked just like the one on the directions!

 

test movement

We checked out its movement.

 

light sensor robot

This is the robot from another training mission.
It had a light sensor attached.

 

stop at line

Success!
The robot turned when it came to the black line.

 

By now, I felt the children were ready to construct their own style of robot.

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