human senses and robot sensors - · pdf file2014-07-06 · human senses and robot...

This project Pri-Sci-Net has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007 /13) under grant agreement No.266647

Authors: Ilaria Gaudiello, Elisabetta Zibetti, Charles Tijus, Universite’ Paris 8, France

Science Content: Robotics % Physical Science Target Concepts/Skills: Robotics:- Ubiquitous robots- Sensors thresholds- Programming of a sense-reason-act

behaviourPhysical Science- Light: natural and artificial light in the

classroom- Sound: noise level in the classroom- Temperature: heating system regulation in

the classroom

Target Age group: 9-11 years

Duration of activity: minimum 3 lessons (minimum 3x45 minutes)

Summary: Children are introduced to robotics as an inquiry tool through an explorative analogy between human senses and robot sensors: light sensor as sight, sound sensor as hearing, and temperature sensor as touch. Both senses and sensors detect information. Sensors present some advantageous features: the detection accuracy, and the fact that they do not need to be gathered in a single body as in the case of human senses, but they can be spread in the environment. However, while human senses can filter surrounding images, noises and temperatures, sensors cannot filter perturbations unless they are specifically programmed to. Moreover, while human senses have an intentionality (i.e. not only we can sense, but we can intentionally direct our sensory attention to listen vs. hear, watch vs. see, etc.), sensors do not intentionally detect, but they can be instructed to do it. Children are thus guided to discover ubiquitous

robotics in terms of technological devices that, opportunely controlled, allow us to make use of their potential and distribute our senses in the environment. In groups, students are engaged in three challenging inquiries (1) how to program an intelligent lamp desk (light sensor), (2) how to detect classroom noise level (sound sensor), (3) how to monitor school heating system (temperature sensor). Worksheets of pre-assessment and post-assessment, as well as a worksheet of report and exercises are used all along the activity.

Objective: Throughout this activity, children are guided to use a Lego Mindstorm NXT® robotics kit as an inquiry tool for the gradual acquisition of competences and notions about observables in physics (light, sound, temperature), scientific method of inquiry, logical reasoning (conditional statements), problem-related abilities, technological skills (construction and programming of ubiquitous robots).Competences and notions about observables in physics (light, sound, temperature) are pursued by prompting children to conversion of language qualifiers (e.g. warm, red) into numerical values (i.e. scales), of comparative (e.g. warmer than) into numerical relations (> 25°) and of fuzzy definition (e.g. more or less warm) into range of values (e.g. 100 > warm < 50) and average values. Logical reasoning is trained by use of conditional statements in programming.Problems-related abilities are prompted by problem-solving, problem-recognizing, problem-inventing.

Scientific method of inquiry is pursued by guiding children towards systematic observation, questioning, calibration of tools, predictions, information collecting, group work, reporting, discussing. Technological skills are enhanced via the exploitation of the robot as a tangible object which externalizes children ideas and as a programmable ubiquitous device that allows exploring and measuring physic observables

Resources: Class materials: • Three A3 papers and scotch (or one

magnetic table and magnets); printed images of robots, automatons, and machines.

• Group materials:• Light sensor inquiry: one Lego Mindstorm

NXT® educational kit (in particular light sensor); Lego Mindstorm NXT® Software; a computer; an empty glass; an empty plastic bottle; a coloured paper.

• Sound sensor inquiry: one Lego Mindstorm NXT® educational kit (in particular sound sensor); Lego Mindstorm NXT® Software; a computer; a pipe-whistle (or any object producing high volume sounds); a wooden percussion (or any object producing medium volume sounds).

• Temperature sensor inquiry: one Lego Mindstorm NXT® kit (retail or educational version); Lego Mindstorm NXT® Software; temperature sensor (not included in the kit); a computer; three containers for room temperature water, boiling water, ice cube

9-11years


The content of the present document only reflects the author’s views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information therein.

Human senses and

robot sensors

Human senses and robot sensors


Lesson plan (with inclusion of teacher notes) Description of activity(describe underneath what children have to do and how the teacher guides the activity)

First lesson (25 minutes: 10 minutes for Presentation + 15 minutes for Introduction to robotics)

Presentation (10 minutes)The teacher introduces the lesson: the discovering of robots as tools to understand the properties of light, sound, and temperature. In particular: the discovering of one special type of robots (“ubiquitous robots”) that can be integrated in the classroom environment to monitor the quantity of light, sound, temperature. Children are encouraged to pose questions about robots in general and ubiquitous robots in particular. They discuss collectively. The teacher does not provide children with definitions but he/she tells children that they are going to find out if their ideas about robots are right in the course of the activity

Introduction to robotics (15 minutes)The teacher proposes a game to better understand how children can recognize a robot and how to interact with him. The game consists in positioning printed images on the “Machine”, “Automaton” or “Robot” panels (three paper panels or one magnetic panel divided in three sections). By class discussion, the teacher guides the children to the following definitions: machines like household appliances can be mechanical, electronics and informatics but they can perform only in-built functions and are usually not modifiable (programmable) by the user; automatons are mechanical and can do only one task (e.g., the automaton of Hugo Cabret can only produce drawings); robots are mechanical, electronic and informatics, and they can perform more tasks: perceiving by sensors, acting by actuators, and adapting their behaviour to the environment if we instruct them by rules. Different kinds of robots exist (humanoid robots, animal robots - called “animat” – pathfinder robots, ubiquitous robots etc.), and Lego kit permits to create some of them by assembling the bricks and programming. Children are invited to do the exercise in Worksheet 1. After a collective discussion, the teacher tells the children that they will learn to control ubiquitous robots: robots that can be integrated in the environment, for example in the classroom, in order to detect light, sound, temperature, and to react according to specific rules decided by children. To better explain ubiquitous robots, the teacher can make an analogy between robot sensors and human senses: light sensor as sight, sound sensor as hearing, and temperature sensor as touch. Both senses and sensors detect information. But they do not only have similarities, so the teacher asks children which are the differences between human senses and robot sensors. Children discuss

all together. The teacher guides them to consider that sensors present some advantageous features: the detection accuracy, and the fact that they do not need to be gathered in a single body as human senses, but they can be spread in the environment. However, while human senses can filter surrounding images, noises and temperatures, sensors cannot filter perturbations unless they are specifically programmed to. The teacher invites the children to consider situations in which we select some sound sources among noise (e.g. if a child who loves football is in a noisy room where tv is on, he will hear tv news about football even if he is not paying explicitly attention to the tv) . Moreover, unlike human senses, sensors do not intentionally detect, but they can be instructed to do it. To explain the concept of intentionality, the teacher asks children if they can explain the difference between listening and hearing, watching and seeing. Children discuss all together. The teacher comments on their intervention and he/she guides them to understand that to listen is to intentionally hear, and to watch is to intentionally see. Then he/she tells children that they can try to realize ubiquitous robots to “distribute” their senses in the environment. In order to do this they have to: i) solve the problem of the perturbations, and ii) propose a procedure to make robot sensors intentional as human senses.



Second lesson (60 minutes minimum)(describe underneath what children have to do and how the teacher guides the activity)

Investigation Challenge Then the teacher proposes the challenge: creating (by group work) i) an intelligent lamp desk based on light sensor, ii) a classroom noise detector based on sound sensor; iii) an alarm for class heating system based on temperature sensor. The teacher is free to choose one of the three challenges (considering the others as activities to test children transfer of knowledge or as extended activities).

Basic notions about hardware and software The teacher presents the Lego kit: its mechanical (bricks), electronic (motors, sensors) and informatics (processor, interface) components - see Teacher notes.

Before starting the inquiry phase, the teacher can execute some in-built trials programs choosing among those of the trial menu on the display of the processor brick. These programs are conceived to make the robot react to a certain event, for example to move faster as someone claps his hands or speak loudly. The teacher can prompt the children to observe the robot behaviour several times (he/she repeatedly executes the program).

Now the children are asked to infer the underlying rule of this behaviour, pointing the attention on both the internal state of the robot and on the external event. In the above example: when does the robot speed increase? Before or after they clap their hands? What if they clap their hands and then stop clapping? How are the hand clapping and the speed increasing correlated?

Through children answers, the teacher can get a global picture of children understanding and preconceptions about the robot functioning. He/she encourages children to check their own answer by providing robots with different sound stimuli and checking how it reacts. Children are thus guided 1) to formulate the underlying rule of the specific observed behaviour (i.e. if high sounds are detected by the sound sensor, then the motors speed is increased) by means of empirical testing; 2) to generalize this rule, i.e., to understand that the basic behaviour of a robot implies a sense-reason-act (or input-process-output) sequence: the robot senses environmental information (input) and it acts (output) accordingly to the rule established by the program (reason).

Behaviour programming: Sense-reason-act (input-pro-cess-output) by flow structures The teacher asks the children how to combine sensors and actuators programming to obtain a “sense-reason-act behaviour” as the one they have just observed. The teacher collects the different proposals inviting children to test them. Which procedure is successful? Why are the others not successful? Kids give their interpretations. The teacher recalls the notion of the underlying rule that they have encountered when trying to explain one of the sense-reason-act behaviour executed by the teacher at the beginning of the robotic lesson. He/she explains that, in order to combine sensors and actuators, we need to find the “rule”, that is, the “reason” between the sense and the act. This can be done by using flow structures programming icons along with sensors and actuators programming icons). He/she then shows a first example of a sense-reason-act program:

Table I According to this program, if the sound sensor detects a sound dB value exceeding 50, motors power increase to 70. Otherwise, motors power keeps the value 20.

Icon 1 Icon 2 Icon 3 Icon 4 Resulting program

Trials Working in groups, children can try some sense-reason-act programs by themselves. This phase is important to let the children be acquainted with the idea that the sensor needs to

check the external environment at certain intervals (one of the most common children misconceptions is that sensors have an intentionality, so they autonomously detect the environment at any time).



Third lesson (45 minutes: 30 minutes for Inquiry + 15 minutes for Evaluation)

Challenges and predictions Once children have familiarized themselves with the basic notions of programming, the teacher proposes them to use the robot in order to discover new things about light, temperature and sound in their classroom. The teacher recalls the objectives of three challenges and children divide in groups according to their challenge preference. a. Light sensor inquiry: how to program the robot to

automatically switch the led on in order to produce artificial light when natural light intensity is under a specified value?

b. Sound sensor inquiry: how to test if boys make more noise than the girls during the break?

c. Temperature sensor inquiry: how to use a temperature sensor to monitor the heat level of the classroom radiators/heaters?

In order to accomplish the inquiries, children have to propose a solution to: 1) solve the problem of perturbations (noise) for the sensor detection 2) make sensors intentional as senses

1. Engage (Forming hypotheses)First lesson (25 minutes: 10 minutes for Presentation + 15 minutes for Introduction to robotics)Presentation (10 minutes)The teacher introduces the lesson: the discovering of robots as tools to understand the properties of light, sound, and temperature. In particular: the discovering of one special type of robots (“ubiquitous robots”) that can be integrated in the classroom environment to monitor the quantity of light, sound, temperature. Children are encouraged to pose questions about robots in general and ubiquitous robots in particular. They discuss collectively. The teacher does not provide children with definitions but he/she tells children that they are going to find out if their ideas about robots are right in the course of the activity.

Introduction to robotics (15 minutes)The teacher proposes a game to better understand how children can recognize a robot and how to interact with it. The game consists in positioning printed images on the “Machine”, “Automaton” or “Robot” panels (three paper panels or one magnetic panel divided in three sections). By class discussion, the teacher guides the children to the following definitions: machines like household appliances can be mechanical, electronics and informatics but they can perform only in-built functions and are usually not modifiable (programmable) by the user; automatons are mechanical and can do only one task (e.g., the automaton of Hugo Cabret can only produce drawings); robots are mechanical, electronic and informatics, and they can perform more tasks: perceiving by sensors, acting by actuators, and adapting their behaviour to the environment if we instruct them by rules.

Different kinds of robots exist (humanoid robots, animal robots - called “animat” – pathfinder robots, ubiquitous robots etc.), and Lego kit permits to create some of them by assembling the bricks and programming. Children are invited to do the exercise in Worksheet 1. After a collective discussion, the teacher tells the children that they will learn to control ubiquitous robots: robots that can be integrated in the environment, for example in the classroom, in order to detect light, sound, temperature, and to react according to specific rules decided by children. To better explain ubiquitous robots, the teacher can make an analogy between robot sensors and human senses: light sensor as sight, sound sensor as hearing, and temperature sensor as touch. Both senses and sensors detect information. But they do not only have similarities, so the teacher asks children which are the differences between human senses and robot sensors. Children discuss all together. The teacher guides them to consider that sensors present some advantageous features: the detection accuracy, and the fact that they do not need to be gathered in a single body as human senses, but they can be spread in the environment. However, while human senses can filter surrounding images, noises and temperatures, sensors cannot filter perturbations unless they are specifically programmed to. The teacher invites the children to consider situations in which we select some sound sources among noise (e.g. if a child who loves football is in a noisy room where tv is on, he will hear tv news about football even if he is not paying explicitly attention to the tv) . Moreover, unlike human senses, sensors do not intentionally detect, but they can be instructed to do it. To explain the concept of intentionality, the teacher asks children if they can explain the difference between



listen and hear, watch and see. Children discuss all together. The teacher comments on their intervention and he/she guides them to understand that to listen is to intentionally hear, and to watch is to intentionally see. Then he/she tells the children that they can try to program ubiquitous robots to “distribute” their senses in the environment. In order to do this they have to: i) solve the problem of the perturbations, and ii) propose a procedure to make robot sensors intentional as human senses.

Second lesson (60 minutes minimum)Investigation Challenge Then the teacher proposes the challenge: creating (by group work) i) an intelligent lamp desk based on light sensor, ii) a classroom noise detector based on sound sensor; iii) an alarm for class heating system based on temperature sensor. The teacher is free to choose one of the three challenges (considering the others as activities to test children transfer of knowledge or as extended activities).

Basic notions about hardware and software The teacher presents the Lego kit: its mechanical (bricks), electronic (motors, sensors) and informatics (processor, interface) components - see Teacher notes. Before starting the inquiry phase, the teacher can execute some in-built trials programs choosing among those of the trial menu on the display of the processor brick. These programs are conceived to make the robot react to a certain event, for example to move faster as someone claps his hands or speak loudly. The teacher can prompt the children to observe the robot behaviour more times (he/she repeatedly executes the program).Now the children are asked to infer the underlying rule of this behaviour, pointing the attention on both the internal state of the robot and on the external event. In the above example: when does

the robot speed increase? Before or after they clap their hands? What if they clap their hands and then stop clapping? How are the hand clapping and the speed increase correlated?

Through children answers, the teacher can get a global picture of children’s understanding and preconceptions about the robot functioning. He/she encourages children to check their own answer by providing robots with different sound stimuli and checking how it reacts. Children are thus guided 1) to formulate the underlying rule of the specific observed behaviour (i.e. if high sounds are detected by the sound sensor, than the motors speed is increased) by means of empirical testing; 2) to generalize this rule, i.e., to understand that the basic behaviour of a robot implies a sense-reason-act (or input-process-output) sequence: the robot senses environmental information (input) and it acts (output) accordingly to the rule established by the program (reason).

Behaviour programming: Sense-reason-act (input-process-output) by flow structures The teacher asks children how to combine sensors and actuators programming to obtain a “sense-reason-act behaviour” as the one they have just observed. The teacher collects the different proposals inviting children to test them. Which procedure is successful? Why are the others not successful? Kids give their interpretations. The teacher recalls the notion of the underlying rule that they have encountered when trying to explain one of the sense-reason-act behaviour executed by the teacher at the beginning of the robotic lesson. He/she explains that, in order to combine sensors and actuators, we need to find the “rule”, that is, the “reason” between the sense and the act. This can be done by using flow structures programming icons along with sensors and actuators programming icons. He/she then shows a first example of a sense-reason-act program:

Table I According to this program, if the sound sensor detects a sound dB value exceeding 50, motors power increase to 70. Otherwise, motors power keeps the value 20.

Icon 1 Icon 2 Icon 3 Icon 4 Resulting program

Trials Working in groups, children can try some sense-reason-act programs by themselves. This phase is important to let the children be acquainted with the idea that the sensor need to

check the external environment at certain intervals (one of the most common children misconceptions is that sensors have an intentionality, so they autonomously detect the environment at any time).



Third lesson (45 minutes: 30 minutes for Inquiry + 15 minutes for Evaluation)

Challenges and predictions Once children have familiarized themselves with basic notions of programming, the teacher proposes to them to use the robot in order to discover new things about light, temperature and sound in their classroom. The teacher recalls the objectives of three challenges and children divide by groups according to their challenge preference. a. Light sensor inquiry: how to program the robot to

automatically switch the led on in order to produce artificial light when natural light intensity is under a specified value?

b. Sound sensor inquiry: how to test if boys make more noise than the girls during break?

c. Temperature sensor inquiry: how to use a temperature sensor to monitor the heat level of the classroom radiators?

In order to accomplish the inquiries set, children have to propose a solution to: 1) solve the problem of perturbations (noise) for the sensor detection 2) make sensors intentional as senses

2. InquiryFirst, children are invited to formulate and collectively discuss their predictions, according to their challenge:a. What is the value of natural light in a specific moment of the

day?b. Do boys make more noise than girls during the break, or the

opposite?c. Which moment of the day the value of classroom temperature

is higher?

In order to test their predictions, children need to think about the fact that these values can be different depending on the spot the sensor is in and / or on the moment of the day:a. Some spots are more exposed to light than others.b. There are different sounds in different moments of the day.c. There are spots more or less near to the radiator, or more or

less exposed to the sunlight in different moments of the day.

The teacher asks children how they can find a unique value that accounts for the light/sound/temperature in the whole classroom. Children propose their procedures in groups and they discuss it collectively with the entire class. The teacher comments on these proposals and then he/she suggests his/her proposal: find the average value. This can be done by noting the highest and the lowest values appearing on the interface, summing these two values and dividing the result by 2:a. The highest and the lowest light intensity values found in the

classroom.b. The level of sound in a silent moment and in a noisy moment

in the classroom.c. The highest and the lowest temperatures found in the

classroom (these measures need to be done at the warmest moment of the day).

The teacher proposes to the children to practice this method by filling Worksheets 2a-c.

Now the teacher asks children how they could make sensor intentional, how they can program it not only to see / hear / feel, but to look / listen / be aware. Children propose their procedures in groups and then they discuss them with the entire class. The teacher comments on these proposals and then he/she suggests his/her proposal: to use the average value as a threshold. (The concept of threshold can be intuitively understood by children, but the teacher should assure that they have an appropriate comprehension of it. He/she can make some example of thresholds in nature. For examples changes of state: water passes from liquid to gas (evaporation) when it reaches a temperature of 100° Celsius/212° Fahrenheit, and from liquid to solid by freezing when it reaches the temperature of 0° Celsius/32° Fahrenheit).

a. Beyond an established light threshold, a signal (e.g. a led beam) is emitted by the robot.

b. Beyond an established sound threshold, a signal (e.g. the sound “Silent!”- children can find this sound file on the Lego interface) is emitted by the robot (Fig. 2).

c. Beyond an established temperature value, a signal (e.g. an alarm sound - children can find this sound file on the Lego interface) is emitted by the robot. (If the calculated class average temperature is 15°, radiators temperature should not exceed 25°; or when the average temperature is 25°, radiators could be turned off).

In this way, children have created a robot that simulates the “intention” of monitoring the variable. Below find the programs:



Fig.1 This program generates artificial light through led when natural light is under a threshold value (in this image the threshold value is set to 50). Notice that the function “generate light” is activated only for the second icon contained in the loop.

Fig.2 This program makes the robot monitoring the noise level in the classroom and saying “Silent!” when this level exceeds the threshold (in the image the threshold value is set to 60).

Fig.3 This program makes the robot triggering an alarm when the radiator temperature exceeds 25°.

At the end of the activity, children are asked to explain how they test their initial prediction, and if the test results confirmed or not their prediction (Worksheet 3a-c).



3. EvaluationEvaluation is done exploiting Worksheets 3a-3c as a start point for group discussion. The teacher moderates the discussion and prompts children to draw conclusions about their inquiries.

At the end of the activity the teacher assigns homework: an assessment about scientific knowledge and technological skills (Worksheets 4a-4d).

Extended activities can be proposed: beyond sight, hear and touch, can the other human senses be reproduced by sensors? Children can discuss their ideas about how to create a sensor for smell, taste and even for proprioception (e.g. by means of rotation sensor). Teacher tipsBefore starting the activity we recommend teacher to:

- Verify the availability of the materials: materials that are already available in the school (e.g. computes) and materials (e.g. robot) you need to buy from local or online sellers or borrow from associations, pedagogical centres, other schools, etc.

- Check the suitability of the materials: computer operating system requirements according to the Lego Software, eventual missing components of the kit, functioning of the main components (sensors, motors, and processors); other components that you may need and that are not included in the kit (temperature sensor, lithium battery and its charger, further cables and extended bricks sets).

- Try to build and program a basic robot model, following the step by step instructions on the interface.

- Prepare the classroom with four joint desks for each group, such that children will have enough space for: i) the components container (it is preferable to keep the assortment of components in the container so that children can easily find the type of brick they need), ii) a working area to build the robot, iii) the computer, and iv) the worksheet.

- Use the help menu on the interface and the online community to obtain further explication and feedbacks about, specific solutions or to conceive extended activities.

- Not to be worried about the idea of having to learn robots functioning and their programming: the basic notions are described in the Teacher notes. Further functions can be discovered while testing the activities: teachers learning can partially occur at the same time and at the same rate than children learning. What is important is to have a solid general understanding of the kit in order to recognize and correct eventual children misconceptions about robots.

- Consider pre and post assessment as optional. These

assessments can also be done outside the time of the activity. They are conceived to monitor the learning progress of children on different competences, abilities and notions. However, teachers might prefer different qualitative approaches for evaluation (discussion, extended reports, new project proposals, competitions, etc.).

Teacher notesBetween the end of the Engage phase and the beginning of the Inquiry, the teacher may invite children to explore the components of the robotic kit and to pose questions about their functioning. Particularly, he/she may drive the attention on the hardware and software functioning of the four main components: interface, sensors, actuators, and processor.

InterfaceOnce the application in lanced, a window appears in which teacher is asked to create a new project and to name it. In the same window, a tutorial is available, which briefly present the content of the interface (Fig.1).

Lego Robots can be interfaced to computer thanks to NXT, an iconic language based on National Instruments Labview (Fig. 2).

Fig.7 The Lego NXT application: (1) The tutorial “Getting started”, (2), the area to open a new project, and (3) the Robot Center, with building and programming instructions.



Fig.8 The Lego NXT interface when a new project is started: (1) the icons palette, (2) the working area, (3) the signal display, (4) the parameters panel, (5) the NXT buttons (clockwise: the first button can be used to download the program on the processor brick, the second to check the memory and the Bluetooth address, the third to execute a selected part of the program, the fourth to stop the program, the fifth to download and execute it), (6) the Help menu

Sensors

Light, sound, ultrasonic, touch and rotation sensors are included in the robotic kit (temperature sensor has to be found separately). Their role is to detect a signal from the environment and to send it to the control system (see Table II). The detected signal is visible on the interface, so that it is possible to monitor the state of the robot.

Sensor Corresponding NXT programming icon

Function

The light sensor includes a led projecting a light beam and a lens capturing environmental light as well as beam light

The sound sensor detects sounds of different intensity (dB ad dBA)

The ultrasonic measures distances (centimetres or inches) by calculating time it takes for a sound wave to hit an object and return

The touch sensor can assume three states: hit, pressed, released.

The temperature sensor detects temperatures of different intensity, measured by Fahrenheit or Celsius scale

Table II The Lego sensors, their corresponding programming icons on the NXT interface, and their function.



Actuators

Actuators allows robots to make actions, e.g. to move forward or backward, to turn etc. For this reason, the robot has motors that produce energy and wheels that transmit energy to the various Lego bricks. Actuators are the electric and mechanical components of the robot. Lego Mindstorm NXT® kit includes three servomotors, with in-built rotation sensor (Table III).

Processor

Sensor and actuators are connected to a processor, often called the “intelligent brick”, which stores the programs created through the interface by children. Programs can also be directly created on the processor brick or sent by the computer or by a mobile telephone by Bluetooth.

Actuators Corresponding NXT programming icon

Function

Actuators convert electrical signal in mechanical signals.

Fig.9 Left: the Lego Mindstorm NXT® processor brick includes a display to visualize: a set of menus for in-built trial programs; programs created by children through the interface or directly on the processor brick; sensors and actuators values; blue-tooth messages, etc. The arrows can be used to scroll the menus, the orange button to execute the program, the grey button to go back in the menu or to turn off the robot. Right: sensors and motors connected to the processor.



BibliographyAlimisis, D. (ed.) (2009). TERECoP Project: Teacher Education on Robotics-Enhanced Constructivist Pedagogical Methods. School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, ASPETE, Greece.Datteri, E., Zecca,L., Laudisa, F., Castiglioni, M. (2011) Explaining robotic behaviors: a case study on science education“. Proceedings of 3rd International Workshop Teaching Robotics,Teaching with Robotics - IntegratingRoboticsinSchoolCurriculum, RivadelGarda(Trento,Italy)April20,2012, pp. 134-143.Demo, G.B., Moro, M., Pina, A., Arlegui, J. (2012). In and out of the School Activities Implementing IBSE and Constructionist Learning Methodologies by Means of Robotics. In B. Barker, G. Nugent, N. Grandgenett, & V. Adamchuk (Eds.), Robots in K-12 Education: A New Technology for Learning (pp. 66-92). IGI GlobalDruin, A., & Hendler, J. (Eds.) (2000). Robots for Kids: Exploring New Technologies forLearning. San Diego: Academic Press.Eguchi, A., & Uribe, L. (2012). Educational Robotics Meets Inquiry-Based Learning: Integrating Inquiry-Based Learning into Educational Robotics. In L. Lennox, & K. Nettleton (Eds.), Cases on Inquiry through Instructional Technology in Math and Science (pp. 327–366).Resnick, M. (1990). MultiLogo: A Study of Children and Concurrent Programming. Interactive Learning Environments, vol. 1, no. 3. 153-170.Gelin, R. (2006). Le robot ami ou ennemi? Edition Le Pommier.Sullivan, F.R., (2008). Robotics and Science Literacy: Thinking Skills, Science Process Skills and Systems Understanding, Journal of research in science teaching, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 373–394.

Webography- Labview website: http://www.ni.com/labview/f/- Lego Mindstorm Website: http://www.legomindstorms.com/- Lego Mindstorm NXT® Community: http://us.mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/Community/NXTLog/Default.aspx- Light, sound, temperature notions: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/- Official guide to Lego Mindstorm NXT®: http://www.google.it/

url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcache. lego.com%2Fr%2Fsc%2F-%2Fmedia%2Flego%2520education%2Fhome%2Fdownloads%2Fuser%2520guides%2Fglobal%2Fmindstorms%2Fts.20101019t110252.9797_lme_use

- Unofficial guide to Lego Mindstorm NXT®: http://www.andyworld.info/legolab/Download/Books/The%20Unofficial%20Guide%20To%20Lego%20Mindstorms%20Robots.pdf



Worksheet 1: Robots and automatonsLook at the images and discuss with your classmates if they belong to the “Machine”, “Automaton”, or “Robot” panel.

Fig.4 From left to right, four example of machine: a washing machine, a traffic lights, an automatic door, a marry-go-by. Though being mechanic, electronic and informatics, these machines are not robots because they are programmed to perform only an in built specific task.

Fig.5 From left to right, three examples of robots: Nao, Lego and Mars Rover are mechanical, electronic and informatics. They can be programmed to per-form a variety of tasks.

Fig.6 An example of automaton: Hugo Cabret’s automaton, which is only mechanical and which can perform only one task: drawing.



Worksheet 2: Light, sound and temperature detection2a. Use the light sensor to detect the surface of the three different objects represented in the table and for each of the objects to note the corresponding light intensity value as it appears on the left bottom of the computer interface

2b. Use the sound sensor to detect the sound emitted in the three different situations represented in the table and note the corresponding sound dBA value as it appears on the left bottom of the computer interface

2c. Use the temperature sensor to detect the temperature of the three objects represented in the table and for each sound source note the corresponding Celsius value as it appears on the left bottom of the computer interface

Light sensorDetected objects Transparent objects Translucent objects Opaque objects

E.g. a glass E.g. a plastic container E.g. a colored paper

Natural light value

Sound sensorDetected objects Sound sensor Medium volume sound Low volume sound

E.g. a pipe-whistle E.g. a wooden percussion E.g. children whispers

Sound dBA value

Temperature sensorDetected objects Warm objects Room temperature objects Cold objects

E.g. boiling water E.g. room temperature water E.g an ice cube

Sound dBA value



Worksheet 3: Testing predictions and driving conclusions3a. (Light sensor inquiry) Answer to the following questions by discussing with your group:

Which was the initial prediction of your group?

How did you calculate the average light value of your classroom?

How did you test your prediction?

Has this test confirmed your prediction?

3b. (Sound sensor inquiry) Answer to the following questions by discussing with your group:

Which was the initial prediction of your group?

How did you calculate the average noise value of your classroom?

How did you test your prediction?

Has this test confirmed your prediction?



3c. (Temperature sensor inquiry) Answer to the following questions by discussing with your group:

How did you calculate the average temperature value of your classroom?

How did you test if there is energy wasting in the heating system of your school?

What have you discovered?

Which solution can you propose to the eventual wasting?



Worksheet 4: Scientific notions4a. (Light sensor inquiry) Read the questions in the “Scientific knowledge” table and cross the correct answer. For each question there is only one correct answer.

Light

How does light travel?a) by a straight lineb) by spiralsc) as a thunderboltd) light is motionless

An opaque objecta) does not allow light to pass throughb) must be cleaned before exposure to lightc) allows light to pass throughd) absorb colours

A translucent objecta) does not allow light to pass throughb) partially allows light to pass throughc) it is not used for science experimentd) it is dangerous

A transparent objecta) allows light to pass throughb) changes of color every 2.5 minutesc) it is not used for science experimentsd) partially allows light to pass through

4b. (Sound sensor inquiry) Read the questions in the “Scientific knowledge” table and cross the correct answer. For each question there is only one correct answer.

SoundHow do you measure sound?a) by Celsius degreesb) by decibels (dB/dBA)c) we only can measure ultrasoundd) by a bell

Which is the difference between listen and hear?a) listen is to perceive sounds attentively, hear is to perceive sounds b) they are synonymousc) listen is to perceive sounds without headphones, hear is to

perceive sounds with headphonesd) hear is to perceive sounds attentively, listen is to perceive sounds

4c. (Temperature sensor inquiry) Read the questions in the “Scientific knowledge” table and cross the correct answer. For each question there is only one correct answer.

Temperature How do you measure temperature?a) by Celsius degrees or Fharenheit degreesb) by decibels (dB/dBA)c) by a meterd) by a motor

At which temperature does water boil? a) 50° Cb) 100° Celsius/ 212° Fharenheitc) 0° Celsius/ 212° Fharenheitd) 32

4d. (All inquiries) Read the questions in the table “Technology skills” and note your answers.



Technology skillsLearning Sciences through robotics Question: Which science notions have you learned during the robot activities?Answer:

Declarative knowledge about robots Question: According to you, what is a robot?Answer:

Procedural knowledge about robots Question: Can you tell how does it work?Answer:

Technological creativity As you saw, robots have light (and ultrasound) sensor to “see”, sound sensor to “hear”, and temperature (and touch) sensor to “touch”. They do not seem to have taste or smell. Can you figure out how can you create a robot that can taste? Or a robot that can smell?

human senses and robot sensors - · pdf file2014-07-06 · human senses and robot...

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