The idea to offer the course, which is open to ninth through 12th graders, came from teacher David Ericson, who also leads the Quadrangles robotics team at South. In the class, students build and program robots and learn about the history of robotics, automation, motors and other topics. Ericson has been navigating how to adapt the class for online students.
The idea is to be able to expand on real world situations and then incorporate that into the classroom, and thats what were doing, Ericson said. Robots can be a really good thing. For example, robotic firemen why have a human go into a fire when we can program a robot to do that same function?
London Mitchell, a freshman, said prior to the class she had no experience with robotics, but had an interest in STEM.
I saw robotics as an elective and that just seemed like a really neat thing, Mitchell said. Im really glad that I ended up deciding to take it because its been really cool and interesting and Ive learned a lot already.
Ericson said hes aware that some students have no experience with robotics, so students read about the history of robotics before moving on to learning about automation and pneumatics and hydraulic systems. With their reading assignments, students do online discussion posts.
Other topics of the class include circuits, motors, how pumps and compressors work together to make pneumatic hydraulics work, the structure of a robot and motion subsystems, so how a robot moves forward or backwards and how it turns or lifts things. The class discusses if controls are autonomous or teleoperation. In other words, are things being done via remote control or automatically through programming.
Right now were in the coding stage of robots and thats been really fascinating, Mitchell said. Ive never really done that before. Its really interesting just to think through how that works. Then also, the readings that were doing are kind of learning about the history of robotics. Thats also really interesting to me like how it has come so far from where we started.
Ericson said even though the idea of a robot has been around for a long time, its a relatively new field. Ericson said he has the ability to provide one robot kit per student, up to 30 students, and has around 15 programming kits, so students are paired up with those. Students use the programming software called ROBOTC on desktops in the classroom.
The difficulty curve for getting ROBOTC set up and getting your first program written is a bit of a steep one, Hazel Roeder, a sophomore, said. So I try to assist with that and getting peoples first program down so that way they can have their robot run and actually do tasks.
As a teacher, some of Ericsons proudest moments come when he teaches a concept or idea that students can use to formulate into solutions for problems.
Thats what its all about to me, thats how I teach, Ericson said. I teach that using the applied problem, project based approach.
Ericson said it can be very difficult as a teacher to watch students struggle to figure things out, but he realizes that if he does the work for students, they wont learn anything. Thats why teamwork is a part of his class. Brock Teagarden, a junior, said students helping one another gives the class a good and fun environment.
The education level seems to increase higher when a student helps another student as opposed to the teacher helping the student, Ericson said. This is a very student centered environment. It is the students working with the students and theyre producing their results. And thats exactly what STEM education is. Thats exactly what its all about. Were practicing it here at Bloomington High School South and Im proud to be part of it.
Online and in person
Payton Gross, a senior, said its kind of hard to be an online student right now, because as someone who was already on the robotics team, she enjoys the hands-on aspect of building a robot.
But also, being online and not having the chance to do that, it gives me more of an opportunity to analyze the basics of robotics and really build my own foundation of knowledge that I can then use later on, Gross said.
Ericson said with his online students, he gives them curriculum in a written form, but they dont get the active engagement of being in class and being able to be hands-on or the ability to use ROBOTC, which is on the desktops in the classroom but not laptops, he said.
From a teaching standpoint, its very difficult, Ericson said. I feel that the students that are out there online, dont get the same level that you get being in person. But I also understand why parents and students would want to stay home, too. I understand that totally.
As of right now, the Monroe County Community School Corp. will be in phase yellow on Nov. 30, following the districts Thanksgiving break, which means high schoolers will be on a hybrid schedule.
Online, I mean, I cant pass the projects through the computer, Ericson said. And I cant ask them to try to gather up materials to be able to do stuff.
Ericson also teaches a construction class, so students are working with saws and drills, quite different from other subjects, like art, where some supplies might be able to be sent home.
For the robotics club, one of the things that we did do is we have taken tubs of parts to certain students to build prototypes with, Ericson said. So there is some active stuff going on. But the students by themselves, they can come and talk to the mentors, but as far as being able to interact together as a team, and in person were not doing that, its all virtual.
Diversity in robotics and STEM
I am a diversity STEM instructor, so Im engaging everybody and showing their perspective on things, Ericson said. And Im encouraging people to work together. Robotics is something that men and women both should be involved with.
Gross said For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), is an organization that the robotics club at South is involved in.
Its this whole global program that has different levels of robotics for different ages, Gross said. In 2019 for the overall program, 48% of any of the participants were actually women. So thats almost a 50/50 divide, which is a really good number, considering how STEM is often male dominated. And FIRST is really working to change that.
Gross said in past years, the robotics team at South has done programs with Girls in Engineering, Math and Science (GEMS) at the Bloomington High School North library and does middle school outreach programs to expand diversity, including racial diversity. Due to COVID-19, those kind of outreach efforts have been more difficult.
Gross said as a freshman on the robotics team, she was able to volunteer at the FIRST World Championship competition in Detroit, Michigan, and she saw a lot of teams of all girls from Japan, Pakistan and other areas of the world.
It really, really helped inspire me to stay in the program and really help develop the diversity within not only our Bloomington area, but hopefully someday across the world, Gross said.
Contact Emily Cox at 812-331-4243, ecox@heraldt.com or follow @HT_InSchool on Twitter.
More:
Robotics elective offered at South for the first time - Times-Mail
- Robotics Academy - December 14th, 2016 [December 14th, 2016]
- KUKA Robotics | KUKA AG - December 14th, 2016 [December 14th, 2016]
- Robotics - The Great Courses - December 22nd, 2016 [December 22nd, 2016]
- Robotics - reddit - January 11th, 2017 [January 11th, 2017]
- Chatham Robotics Goes Undefeated and Moves On to State Championship - TAPinto.net - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Meridian robotics team gears up for Idaho FRC Regional - KBOI-TV - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Local robotics students headed to World Championship tournament - KOLO - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Report: Nearshoring favors robotics, will require heavy capital investment - Supply Chain Dive - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Belding hosts largest robotics competition in history of event - Greenville Daily News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- First Tech Challenge: High schools battle in robotics competition - The Journal News | LoHud.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Robotics Team Takes Home Trophy at Lego Competition - Patch.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- OHS robotics club dazzles McKinley students - Southernminn.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Toyota Industries Acquires Warehouse Robotics Developer - Wall Street Journal - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- South High wins Volvo's robotics tournament - Herald-Mail Media - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Belding hosts robotics competition - Sentinel-Standard - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- CMS robotics program soars - SW News Media - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Update On The Megatrend of Robotics - CTOvision (blog) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- 33C3: Edible Soft Robotics - Hackaday - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Shopping robots on the march in Ocado - BBC News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Keller students Starstruck on robotics - Fort Worth Star Telegram - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Our obsession with robots keeps getting creepier - New York Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Rethink Robotics makes its workplace bots easier to train and redeploy - TechCrunch - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Donation will cover costs for Sequim robotic competition - Peninsula Daily News - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Derby Middle School robotics club competes at high school competition - The Derby Informer - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Raspberry Pi-powered arm: This kit aims to make robotics simple enough for kids - TechRepublic - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- WPI Robotics Team Has a Mission with Mars | News | WPI - WPI News - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Rehab robotics field promises to return control, mobility to aging population - ScienceBlog.com (blog) - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Rethink's Robots Get Massive Software Upgrade, Rodney Brooks So Excited - IEEE Spectrum - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Robotics: A robot that flies like a bat : Nature : Nature Research - Nature.com - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Robotics teams at CCS stay busy at tournaments - Imperial Republican - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Rethink Robotics rethinks its software | ZDNet - ZDNet - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Hartland robotics teams take on the FIRST Tech challenge at state competition - LC Sussex Sun - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Home-schooled students studying robotics - Valencia County News Bulletin - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Agility Robotics Introduces Cassie, a Dynamic and Talented Robot Delivery Ostrich - IEEE Spectrum - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Memphis robotics team headed to Super-Regionals - New Baltimore Voice Newspapers - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Patriot Robotics Alliance upsets Brentwood Academy Alliances - Clarksville Now - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Raptor legs & human hips: Giant leap for walking robots - RT - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- How drones and robotics may shape the future of conflict under President Trump - PRI - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Robotics teams wins at state meet - The Citizen.com - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Ford Bets $1B on Startup Founded by Waymo, Uber Vets - ABC News - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- South Beach robotics squad advances to super regionals - The Daily World - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Personal robotics the next technological revolution: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan - Channel NewsAsia - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- This bipedal robot could deliver your packages one day - The Verge - The Verge - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Robotics event offers lesson in teamwork - Lewiston Morning Tribune (subscription) - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Essex County Freeholders Honor Livingston Robotics Club Teams - TAPinto.net - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- College Town: WPI Robotics team aims for $1M NASA prize - Worcester Telegram - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Alice Shaw robotics team building invention to save wolves | Local ... - Lompoc Record - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Ford invests $1B in robotics startup in driverless car quest - CBS News - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Freshman Caldwell team takes first place in Regional Robotics Tournament - Idaho Press-Tribune - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- What went seriously wrong with Lily Robotics - VentureBeat - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Face off: Marion students compete in robotics competition - The Exponent Telegram (press release) (registration) - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Robotics Competition slated for Monday - San Angelo Standard Times - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Cornerstone Prep robotics team brings home trophy in first year - MDJOnline.com - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Center Grove robotics team headed to state competition - Daily Journal - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Hundreds piled into a Fort Mill gym. They cheered. They competed. They drove robots. - The Herald - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- My Turn: Arts education paved the way for girls' robotics win - AZCentral.com - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Young Alberta engineers face off in robotics showdown - CBC.ca - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Cougar robotics team advances to Super-Regionals - Times Bulletin - Times Bulletin - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- South Carroll Robotics teams compete at Maryland State Robotics Competition - Carroll County Times - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Cave Spring High School's Robotics Club wins in the First Tech ... - Roanoke Times - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- FIRST Robotics Competition - Wikipedia - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Designing robots to look more like ostriches can solve a key problem for our future biped overlords - Quartz - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- More than 1000 high school students expected to Battlefield HS robotics tournament - PotomacLocal.com - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Event to look at Scotland's pivotal role in robotics - The Scotsman - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Kennett Coders to compete in NH State Robotics Championships on Saturday - Conway Daily Sun - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Are there enough robots? - Robotics Tomorrow (press release) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois robotics team makes state tournament - Alton Telegraph - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Intuition Robotics raised $6 million for its ElliQ elder care assistant robot - TechCrunch - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Richmond robotics team gears up for districts - New Baltimore Voice Newspapers - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Microsoft lets you crash drones and robots in its new real world simulator - The Verge - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Makeblock's Lego-like 'Neuron' teaches kids robotics and code - Engadget - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- West Ridge robotics team maneuvers into national championship - Austin American-Statesman - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Immokalee High team set for robotics state championships Friday - Naples Daily News - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- What has Robotics got in store for our future? - RTE.ie - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Uber Is Becoming a Robotics Company, CEO Says - Yahoo News - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- 3Doodler's new kits help kids craft their own robots - Engadget - Engadget - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Magnetic Control Could Help Robots Navigate Inside Your Body - IEEE Spectrum - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Boston's new hub, MassRobotics, is like a WeWork for robotics startups - TechCrunch - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- 3Doodler announces a robotics kit, Star Trek and Powerpuff Girls ... - TechCrunch - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Chart: Are Robots Replacing High-Cost Workers? - Seeking Alpha - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]