Final Robotics Journal Page
All these items and answers are required for your final journal page.
Are there dangers in ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
Should we (humanity) pursue A.I. if we know that it could hurt us or have a negative impact on humanity and our world?
Do we have the responsibility to pursue A.I. to better ourselves and how we live? (All are welcome to participate in our BLOG.) |
What needs to be said?
When sharing our work . . . What needs to be said . . . . Why?
Grade 1-2 visited our classroom. This gave us a chance to see what it was like teaching other students and really what was important to say and what they would remember after the sharing time.
(Mr dB gave the guests a quiz at the end to see if the Grade 4s did a good job teaching and sharing.) A Grade 3-4 class visiting our classroom. GATE Grade 4 stubbled with what are the best ways of communicating their information and how to engage a new visitor (uninformed guest).
(Mr dB gave the guests a quiz at the end to see if the Grade 4s did a good job teaching and sharing.) |
Une Maqette de Calgary |
A turning Point |
Our little version of Calgary has evolved. Students are now able to test their robot using landmarks to better refine their programming
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Teacher Reflection:
Some students have re-evaluated the problem they are addressing and how they are trying to solve it. We have noticed a change in focus that has been happening over the last couple days amongst the students. The major building of the ROBOTS have slowly calmed down and the focus is now on PROGRAMMING. The students have been asked to reflect and journal about how their robotics experience resembles the ENGINEERING PROCESS. |
Our 2nd Socratic Seminar
The students reflected on the steps that we have gone through to date.
Teacher's Reflection:
Students are being asked to do a lot within our robotics exploration. Problem solving, building skills, programing skills, analytical and evaluative decision making, collaboration, editing and revising. The robotics exploration is not taught but nearly presented to the students. The holder of the information and expertise is not one person, but shared as we all discover together and share/ lead/ help our peers. The students have been independent in the programming and building of the generic robots to become familiar with the basic process. They have also been challenged to push the limits with seeing videos and participating in conversations around what is possible with Robotics. The struggles will come when students move on to the application of basic robotic skills and try to solve their identified problem from The Situation. How do they make a concept a reality, is something they will need to work through. They will be faced with realities and parameters that cause them to think differently and evaluate what they are doing and why. Regardless of the 'success' of their robot, robotics has been a way of having students look at problem solving differently and in a collaborative manner. |
THE common Pallet 03-07Common Pallet: 03. Drive Forward
Common Pallet: 04. Reverse
Common Pallet: 05. Accelerate
Common Pallet: 06. Curve Turn
Common Pallet: 07. Point Turn
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Our Robotics Platform (just the basics)
This is the basic platform that students will be asked to complete their robotics task on. We will need to add accessories such as houses, roads, trees, a river on the ground, a rocks and other items that the students feel necessary. Their robot will then start at a 'HOME BASE' on the platform and follow its program either through the town or down tot he river, complete its mission and then return back to the home base.
Robotic Sensors
What makes a robot move and respond? Our robots will need to navigate a number of obstacles and differing terrain. How will our robot be able to move independently to complete its designated task?
Purpose & Design |
We previewed these videos today to inspire and entertain us, however what came out of it was some side conversations with students about the shape of the robots, tools they have, which robot was/ could be more successful and why they were built. These students were putting stronger connections between purpose and design, why we build things the way we do. This conversation is worth having with the whole class next robotics period.
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QUESCUSSION
A silent conversation where you respond with a question.
Do we really need robotics?
A silent conversation where you respond with a question.
Do we really need robotics?
Hard Fun
Students today were challenged to use their Open Robotics Time to complete a number of tasks:
-Complete yesterdays personal reflection.
-Review Robotic Proposal and get it approved by Mr deBoer.
-Work on blueprints for Concept One of your robot highlighting key features and abilities.
-Complete steps on Lego MindStorms 1-7 on the common pallet.
-Organize Science Journal: Engineering Side to ensure all is organized and glued in. (city map, personal reflections, blueprint paper, stakeholder chart, Engineer Job --Description, proposal, MindStorms: Common Pallet Checklist.
We took most of the day to embed ourselves into the work on Robotics. After all groups have completed these steps, all pre-built robots will be dismantled and the students will be left to engineer their own robot to solve the problem their group has identified as the most immediate need.
-Complete yesterdays personal reflection.
-Review Robotic Proposal and get it approved by Mr deBoer.
-Work on blueprints for Concept One of your robot highlighting key features and abilities.
-Complete steps on Lego MindStorms 1-7 on the common pallet.
-Organize Science Journal: Engineering Side to ensure all is organized and glued in. (city map, personal reflections, blueprint paper, stakeholder chart, Engineer Job --Description, proposal, MindStorms: Common Pallet Checklist.
We took most of the day to embed ourselves into the work on Robotics. After all groups have completed these steps, all pre-built robots will be dismantled and the students will be left to engineer their own robot to solve the problem their group has identified as the most immediate need.
THE SITUATION!!!!!
You are the Chief Water Treatment Specialist for the city of Calgary. It is 6:00 a.m. on a rainy April morning. You are awakened by the ringing telephone. When you answer, you are told by the new Operator Trainee, “Come to the Calgary Bow River Weir (The Harvie Passage). There is leachate entering into the Bow River and we need you right now.” Slowly some discolored, odorous substance has been discovered mixing in with the water. Initially it was thought to be an isolated spill, but upon further inspection it appears to be a slow continuous seepage. It is not yet determined where the pollution is entering into the Bow River and the extent of the pollution has spread. Quickly you dress and hurry over to the weir. You are reminded that this is affecting one of the main sources of Calgary’s drinking water. As you field calls from your Bluetooth headset on the way to the weir, reports of the riverbanks north and south of the weir have becoming contaminated with the leachate. It is also reported to be traveling towards other bodies of water down stream. You have authorized a water advisory to be announced in 20 minutes, alerting all of Calgary and area to avoid drinking water from their taps until the issue can be resolved. It is clear that many people will be inconvenienced and their health may be at risk if they come in contact with the polluted water. Wildlife and plants all along the Bow River are being contaminated and with every passing minute more life down stream is affected. |
PROCEDURE OF OUR ROBOTIC TASK
Some possible problems identified within the Scenario:
- Leachate contaminated drinking water. - Leachate effecting/ polluting local ecosystem (water & land) - Raining increases Bow flow - Pollution is spreading downstream - Tourism will be effected - Cost of damage to Calgary and surrounding areas may be a problem - people going to waters edge to look, not being safe - Leachate is leaking from an unknown location - People won't know about the issue/ danger - You are not alert enough to make good decisions - You need to act fast, get to location quickly - Food chain may be affected long term - People don't take it seriously (April Fools!) - Leachate contaminates land areas because of flooding - Cost of clean water becomes expensive, people would go crazy - People don't know if water is clean, leachate mixed with water was discolored |
A few of our Student Questions After looking at the Links below . . .What are robots?
Why are we building robots instead of hiring people that need work? Can robots run on a human brain? Do robots care about humans? Do robots have feelings? What type of technology can make a robot have a mind of its own? When they make robots are they aware they could go bad? If they evolve can they also de-evolve? If robots adapt to our life, would they also be able to murder/kill? Can robots reproduce naturally? Can robots have a mind that helps them communicate? Do we really need robots? Can we make robots with minds? Can robots evolve themselves? Will humanity fail and robots prevail? Can there be robots that look just like humans? |
To further explore the robotics topic, we participated in a socratic seminar.
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ART ROBOTS LINKS . . . . . so, can robots make art?