Session 1 - How do we control robots....

Last week I finally unveiled the Robosapien Robots the children in my class.

It took a while sorting out batteries- these guys take 6 D and 7 AAA, that's a lot with 6 robots.

So we started off quite simply today.

I wanted the children to discover what the robots can do - so they where set the task of completing a control sheet. It had all the different combinations of buttons you could press and the children had to find out what the did. (This was adapted from a Q4technologies example.)

The children where instantly engaged with the robots. They worked in groups of 4/5 which seemed to work quite well - I had already explained that if groups argued over the robots then would loose the use of one. Bit harsh but it seemed to work. I do think the more robots the better. 10 for a class would be ideal - groups of 3.

The task itself, finding out what the robot could do, did work but I gave the children the whole sheet, this was too much to do. It'd be best to focus on one section and definitely model how to use and read the table. I had to refocus each group onto the Task and remid them to record. All groups did complete some of the sheet - but no group completed all of it. The children where very excited, so could explain why they wheren't that bothered about recording, as they all where experimeneting with the robot. The Task was a good way of introducing them to the robots - but it needs to be be locked down a little more to focus on the task.

The groups did feedback a move they discovered to the rest of the class.

Next time we are going to go back to the control sheet and they will be asked to get the robot to perform a series of tasks.

GENERAL USE POINT - we discovered that 1 remote will control a number of robots. So when children are working in groups make sure they are spaced out so, other groups won't interfere as much.

Check out the pictures and video.