STEM/STEAM – Technology in the Classroom

Cubit Robotics: Probably Better Than What You Are Doing

January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 Tony DePrato1 Comment

I have been working with robotics since 2005. I have worked with students from US Grade 4 to students competing in university competitions.

As of late, I have been shocked by this trend: remote control.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=2082

Remote control is not the future. The future is autonomous and AI-driven. So why are schools teaching robotics via remote control at all levels with very little autonomous programming?

The software that was once easy to access, often free, and allowed for fairly deep programming has reverted to big graphical blocks.

This is why I am very excited about Cubit Robotics/Electronics for STEM.

I asked Cubit for a sample kit, and they sent it along. My robot frame and build were simple because I wanted to focus on programming.

The Cubit was loaded with sensor options, and the programming interface was Bluetooth.

For the record, I was using a Macbook, and I was very happy to get back into a programming environment that empowered real coding on an Apple. As of late, most of the robotics packages I have used on an Apple have removed the text-based coding options.

The flexibility was nice, and the educational scaffolding was clear.

You can start with the colorful blocks, and easily get things working.

Then, you can get into the code, and make things work the way you want.

Cubit uses Lua language. I found it to be an excellent primer for going in a variety of programming directions. I have always found that using robotics and electronics as a prerequisite for IB or AP computer science is a better primer than simply having an introductory course based solely in a language. Let’s be honest, robots are fun, and they can really help build the programming competency base.

If you are new to robotics and have no idea where to get started, Cubit is an excellent solution. Cubit provides a built-in curriculum with projects ranging from elementary to high school. The programming environment guides users through the initial steps.

Robotic’s education needs to move away from the obsession with remote control. I believe this obsession emerged from the ubiquity of mobile devices, and the realization that automation is usually a low scoring and frustrating endeavor. When students can use a remote control, they can get more points and do more in less time.

The process, stress, and failure should be the goal when using robotics for K-12 education. If a student can understand the complexities of automation before they leave high school, then they are better prepared for the AI-driven future and their place within it.

It is small, affordable, and easy to build, but Cubit is a step towards authentic learning and forward-thinking.

AI Research

NASA, Still Pretty Cool and Open for High School

September 10, 2019 Tony DePratoLeave a comment

By: Tony DePrato | Follow me on LinkedIn

NASA has a program for High School Students. Take a few minutes, and see if your students can participate. Be bothered. Be engaged.

All details can be reviewed with this link:

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/stem/High_School_Aerospace_Scholars.html

Computer Science, Programming, and Coding Standards by Grade Level

April 20, 2018 Tony DePrato1 Comment

By: Tony DePrato | Follow me on Twitter @tdeprato

A while back I took the ISTE NETS Standards and decided to create a grade level based layout for what students should be able to do at different grade levels.

As the students continue to progress through their education, the grade level view expands gradually. The idea is that they keep repeating activities and meeting these standards.

Here is what the current design looks like:

Years 3 & 4:

Effectively use primitive data types
Effectively use, manipulate, and explain various external data types (text, images, sound, etc.), various locations (local, server, cloud), etc.

Year 5:

Effectively use primitive data types
Effectively use, manipulate, and explain various external data types (text, images, sound, etc.), various locations (local, server, cloud), etc.
Effectively use modeling and simulation to solve real-world problems
Effectively use two or more development environments

Year 6:

Effectively use primitive data types
Effectively use, manipulate, and explain various external data types (text, images, sound, etc.), various locations (local, server, cloud), etc.
Effectively use modeling and simulation to solve real-world problems
Effectively use two or more development environments
Demonstrate an understanding of operating systems and networking in a structured computer system

Year 7:

Effectively use primitive data types
Effectively use, manipulate, and explain various external data types (text, images, sound, etc.), various locations (local, server, cloud), etc.
Effectively use modeling and simulation to solve real-world problems
Effectively use two or more development environments
Demonstrate an understanding of operating systems and networking in a structured computer system
Using a modern, high-level programming language, construct correctly functioning programs involving simple and structured data types; compound boolean expressions; and sequential, conditional, and iterative control structures

Year 8:

Effectively use primitive data types
Effectively use, manipulate, and explain various external data types (text, images, sound, etc.), various locations (local, server, cloud), etc.
Effectively use modeling and simulation to solve real-world problems
Effectively use two or more development environments
Demonstrate an understanding of operating systems and networking in a structured computer system
Using a modern, high-level programming language, construct correctly functioning programs involving simple and structured data types; compound boolean expressions; and sequential, conditional, and iterative control structures
Design and test algorithms and programming solutions to problems in different contexts (textual, numeric, graphic,
etc.) using advanced data structures

Years 9 & 10:

Effectively use primitive data types
Effectively use, manipulate, and explain
various external data types (text, images, sound, etc.), various locations (local, server, cloud), etc.
Effectively use modeling and simulation to solve real-world problems
Effectively use two or more development environments
Demonstrate an understanding of operating systems and networking in a structured computer system
Using a modern, high-level programming language, construct correctly functioning programs involving simple and structured data types; compound boolean expressions; and sequential, conditional, and iterative control structures
Design and test algorithms and programming solutions to problems in different contexts (textual, numeric, graphic, etc.) using advanced data structures
Demonstrate an understanding of the operation of computer networks and mobile computing devices
Demonstrate knowledge of two or more programming paradigms

Years 11 & 12:

Effectively use primitive data types
Effectively use, manipulate, and explain
various external data types (text, images, sound, etc.), various locations (local, server, cloud), etc.
Effectively use modeling and simulation to solve real-world problems
Effectively use two or more development environments
Demonstrate an understanding of operating systems and networking in a structured computer system
Using a modern, high-level programming language, construct correctly functioning programs involving simple and structured data types; compound boolean expressions; and sequential, conditional, and iterative control structures
Design and test algorithms and programming solutions to problems in different contexts (textual, numeric, graphic, etc.) using advanced data structures
Demonstrate an understanding of the operation of computer networks and mobile computing devices
Demonstrate knowledge of two or more programming paradigms
Analyze algorithms by considering complexity, efficiency, aesthetics, and correctness
Demonstrate an understanding of static and dynamic data structures

Over the next few weeks, I will be connecting the standards at each grade level to the types of activities and lessons that facilitate them.

The Maker Portfolio and University Admissions

April 23, 2017 Tony DePratoLeave a comment

By: Tony DePrato | Follow me on Twitter @tdeprato

I am always focused on the end-game. The end-game for students is the next level after they leave K-12. Preparing students to compete and succeed is difficult. There is always a huge debate over where time should be allocated, what subjects are more important, and what skills will be required ten years after graduation.

I do believe there are always trends, and finding those trends can be difficult. Most of the data we gravitate towards, is data that we are directed to look at. The trick to finding trends, is to find new questions to ask. In order to find those questions, I try and look at data through a variety of lenses.

College Admissions Data

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) publishes a report called the State of College Admission. I decided to research the 2014 and 2016 reports (data range from 2006-2015) after being very intrigued by a 2007 article titled, Young, Gifted, and Not Getting Into Harvard.

The author, Michael Winerip, is an interviewer for Harvard applicants. He made a few profound comments. Here is the excerpt that made me take pause:

Of course, evolution is not the same as progress. These kids have an AP history textbook that has been specially created to match the content of the AP test, as well as review books and tutors for those tests. We had no AP textbook; many of our readings came from primary documents, and there was no Princeton Review then. I was never tutored in anything and walked into the SATs without having seen a sample SAT question.

As for my bean sprouts project, as bad it was, I did it alone. I interview kids who describe how their schools provide a statistician to analyze their science project data.

I started to wonder, aside from academics, are university admission processes valuing all the extracurricular work students are doing, and all the stress and time involved in this competitive process. Many extracurricular options involve technology, and require significant investment in time and money.

The data from NACAC was interesting. There are four common summary columns: Considerable Importance, Moderate Importance, Limited Importance, No Importance.

I decided only to review the change of “importance” in the No Importance category. The first three categories are variable. No Importance is not variable, it is absolute, and reflects a definitive negative statement.

Predictions and FabLabs with Neil Gershenfeld

December 5, 2016 Tony DePratoLeave a comment

Anyone interested in STEM/STEAM spaces and equipment should watch this video. It is older, but worth a revisit. He says we need 20 years to make this feasible and affordable. I think we might be moving a bit faster. He compares the evolution of Fablabs (and personal fabrication) to the original development of UNIX which was done on a PDP-7.

I think the most interesting aspect is we can “go back in time” with his prediction, look at the current state of development, and confirm what direction the technology and pricing are heading.

By: Tony DePrato | Follow me on Twitter @tdeprato