thomas r. dillof advisor: dr. james ostrowski thomas r. dillof advisor: dr. james ostrowski
TRANSCRIPT
Thomas R. DillofAdvisor: Dr. James Ostrowski
Thomas R. DillofAdvisor: Dr. James Ostrowski
This PresentationThis Presentation
• Who’s involved
• What vGRASP is all about
• My Motivation
• The Relevance of vGRASP
• The structure of the website
• How a vGRASP Project works
• A bunch of demos
• Cocktail reception (time permitting)
• What is Lego Mindstorms?
The TeamDr. James Ostrowski (MEAM)Dr. Christine Massey (IRCS, PennLINCS)Zipora Roth (IRCS, PennLINCS)Sarangi Patel (MEAM Grad Student)
The TeamDr. James Ostrowski (MEAM)Dr. Christine Massey (IRCS, PennLINCS)Zipora Roth (IRCS, PennLINCS)Sarangi Patel (MEAM Grad Student)
The Umbrella Covering vGRASPAgents for Change: Robotics for Girls is a 3-year NSF-funded initiative to increase
participation in the physical sciences, primarily among women and minorities. It uses robotics as a central unifying theme.
The Umbrella Covering vGRASPAgents for Change: Robotics for Girls is a 3-year NSF-funded initiative to increase
participation in the physical sciences, primarily among women and minorities. It uses robotics as a central unifying theme.
The Many Facets of vGRASPThe Many Facets of vGRASP
• An online source for vGRASP curriculums
• A sampling of robotics-based curricular material of my own creation emphasizing hands-on learning
• A Teacher’s Guide to vGRASP Projects
• An engaging forum for students to explore the world of robotics, with clear ties to the vGRASP Projects they undertake in the classroom
• A paper which contains my conclusions on the viability of using robotics in the classroom in general, and on the utility of the various technologies and platforms I’ve reviewed
The Many Facets of vGRASPThe Many Facets of vGRASP
• An online source for vGRASP curriculae
• A sampling of robotics-based curricular material of my own creation emphasizing hands-on learning
• A Teacher’s Guide to vGRASP Projects
• An engaging forum for students to explore the world of robotics, with clear ties to the vGRASP Projects they undertake in the classroom
• A paper which contains my conclusions on the viability of using robotics in the classroom in general, and on the utility of the various technologies and platforms I’ve reviewed
The Many Facets of vGRASPThe Many Facets of vGRASP
• An online source for vGRASP curriculae
• A sampling of robotics-based curricular material of my own creation emphasizing hands-on learning
• A Teacher’s Guide to vGRASP Projects
• An engaging forum for students to explore the world of robotics, with clear ties to the vGRASP Projects they undertake in the classroom
• A paper which contains my conclusions on the viability of using robotics in the classroom in general, and on the utility of the various technologies and platforms I’ve reviewed
The Many Facets of vGRASPThe Many Facets of vGRASP
• An online source for vGRASP curriculae
• A sampling of robotics-based curricular material of my own creation emphasizing hands-on learning
• A Teacher’s Guide to vGRASP Projects
• An engaging forum for students to explore the world of robotics, with clear ties to the vGRASP Projects they undertake in the classroom
• A paper which contains my conclusions on the viability of using robotics in the classroom in general, and on the utility of the various technologies and platforms I’ve reviewed
The Many Facets of vGRASPThe Many Facets of vGRASP
• An online source for vGRASP curriculae
• A sampling of robotics-based curricular material of my own creation emphasizing hands-on learning
• A Teacher’s Guide to vGRASP Projects
• An engaging forum for students to explore the world of robotics, with clear ties to the vGRASP Projects they undertake in the classroom
• A paper which contains my conclusions on the viability of using robotics in the classroom in general, and on the utility of the various technologies and platforms I’ve reviewed
One MoreOne More
• Helping conduct robotics workshops at local Middle Schools
MotivationMotivation
• The frightening statistics on the lack of female and minority participation in the physical sciences
• A strong belief that progressive approaches to technology education will help greatly
• An equally strong belief in the power of the Internet as a democratizing medium
• It’s fun to work with Lego Mindstorms
• It’s really fun to work with/for kids
MotivationMotivation
• The frightening statistics on the lack of female and minority participation in the physical sciences
• A strong belief that progressive approaches to technology education will help greatly
• An equally strong belief in the power of the Internet as a democratizing medium
• It’s fun to work with Lego Mindstorms
• It’s really fun to work with/for kids
MotivationMotivation
• The frightening statistics on the lack of female and minority participation in the physical sciences
• A strong belief that progressive approaches to technology education will help greatly
• An equally strong belief in the power of the Internet as a democratizing medium
• It’s fun to work with Lego Mindstorms
• It’s really fun to work with/for kids
MotivationMotivation
• The frightening statistics on the lack of female and minority participation in the physical sciences
• A strong belief that progressive approaches to technology education will help greatly
• An equally strong belief in the power of the Internet as a democratizing medium
• It’s fun to work with Lego Mindstorms
• It’s really fun to work with/for kids
MotivationMotivation
• The frightening statistics on the lack of female and minority participation in the physical sciences
• A strong belief that progressive approaches to technology education will help greatly
• An equally strong belief in the power of the Internet as a democratizing medium
• It’s fun to work with Lego Mindstorms
• It’s really fun to work with/for kids
Mindstorms BrieflyMindstorms Briefly
• Programmable Lego system
• Programmed in Lego’s RCX Code• Users arrange blocks of color-coded icons • Assignments (e.g. Set Power A to 7) • Flow control (e.g. Check and Choose)• Instructions (e.g. On A for 20)• Variables (not quite)
• Centers on the RCX, a microcomputer
• Various sensors • Touch, Light, Rotation, Temperature
RelevanceRelevance
• The number one goal of the NSES is the realization of universal scientific literacy
• vGRASP Projects conform well to the current National Standards for Technology Education, e.g.
That students perform scientific inquiry
That they learn the principles essential to technological design (In this case, their conclusions are based on experiences with their own designs)
That they understand that even the most advanced technological design is based on the same principles
That technological design necessarily involves trade-offs. There is no such things as a perfect solution.
RelevanceRelevance
• The number one goal of the NSES is the realization of universal scientific literacy
• vGRASP Projects conform well to the current National Standards for Technology Education, e.g.
That students perform scientific inquiry
That they learn the principles essential to technological design (In this case, their conclusions are based on experiences with their own designs)
That they understand that even the most advanced technological design is based on the same principles
That technological design necessarily involves trade-offs. There is no such things as a perfect solution.
RelevanceRelevance
• The number one goal of the NSES is the realization of universal scientific literacy
• vGRASP Projects conform well to the current National Standards for Technology Education, e.g.
That students perform scientific inquiry
That they learn the principles essential to technological design (In this case, their conclusions are based on experiences with their own designs)
That they understand that even the most advanced technological design is based on the same principles
That technological design necessarily involves trade-offs. There is no such things as a perfect solution.
RelevanceRelevance
• The number one goal of the NSES is the realization of universal scientific literacy
• vGRASP Projects conform well to the current National Standards for Technology Education, e.g.
That students perform scientific inquiry
That they learn the principles essential to technological design (In this case, their conclusions are based on experiences with their own designs)
That they understand that even the most advanced technological design is based on the same principles
That technological design necessarily involves trade-offs. There is no such things as a perfect solution.
RelevanceRelevance
• The number one goal of the NSES is the realization of universal scientific literacy
• vGRASP Projects conform well to the current National Standards for Technology Education, e.g.
That students perform scientific inquiry
That they learn the principles essential to technological design (In this case, their conclusions are based on experiences with their own designs)
That they understand that even the most advanced technological design is based on the same principles
That technological design necessarily involves trade-offs. There is no such things as a perfect solution.
RelevanceRelevance
• The number one goal of the NSES is the realization of universal scientific literacy
• vGRASP Projects conform well to the current National Standards for Technology Education, e.g.
That students perform scientific inquiry
That they learn the principles essential to technological design (In this case, their conclusions are based on experiences with their own designs)
That they understand that even the most advanced technological design is based on the same principles
That technological design necessarily involves trade-offs. There is no such things as a perfect solution.
The Structure of vGRASPThe Structure of vGRASP
Curricular MaterialVirtual Tour of the GRASP Lab
Explore the LabMulti-node QTVR panoramic with lots of hyperlinks
Projectse.g. CanBot, WHHP
Mini-Projectse.g. Simple Rover
Lessonse.g. The Differential
Meet the FacultyQTVR panoramic with links to faculty homepages
Other Stuff
The PaperEverything you ever wanted to know about vGRASP
Teacher’s GuideDetails about vGRASP Classroom Project organization
How a vGRASP Project Works…How a vGRASP Project Works…
Stage 1
Objective
Mini Project 1
Mini Project n
IntermediateStages Lesson(s)
Analysis
Stage 1 Mini Project 1
Mini Project n
IntermediateStages Lesson(s)
Analysis
Objective
Stage 1 Mini Project 1
Mini Project n
IntermediateStages Lesson(s)
Analysis
Objective
Stage 1 Mini Project 1
Mini Project n
IntermediateStages Lesson(s)
Analysis
Objective
Stage 1 Mini Project 1
Mini Project n
IntermediateStages Lesson(s)
Analysis
Objective
Stage 1 Mini Project 1
Mini Project n
IntermediateStages Lesson(s)
Analysis
Objective
Stage 1 Mini Project 1
Mini Project n
IntermediateStages Lesson(s)
Analysis
Objective
Stage 1 Mini Project 1
Mini Project n
IntermediateStages Lesson(s)
Analysis
Objective
Enough with the Powerpoint…Enough with the Powerpoint…
An Example vGRASP ProjectThe Wall-Hugging Mouse
Let’s have a look at vGRASPhttp://www.seas.upenn.edu/~dillof/vgrasp
A quick vTour of the GRASP Lab
Meet the Faculty
!?