Weston Middle School

Massachusetts Grade 8

Technology/Engineering MCAS Review

• Bins of materials
• Projector with Computer with Sample Programs
• Tables with tankbot robots displayed on labeled bins
• Sample Robot on target area
• One-Motor Car On Ramp
• Claw

Why do we teach engineering and technology?

• We live in a technological world. The purpose of this course, like any other, is to help students understand and appreciate their world.
• Literacy in engineering and technology is as important today as being able to read and write.
• We need to be a nation which creates technology, not merely consumes it.
• It is important that students become comfortable in solving problems with open-ended solutions.
• Because of this importance, engineering and technology concepts are part of the Massachusetts State Frameworks, and are tested on the Grade 8 MCAS.

How do we teach engineering and technology?

• Students learn to embrace failure- engineering knowledge is gained only through analyzed failure; design only occurs through a cyclical process of brainstorming, building, testing, and re-design.
• Students learn that all design requires trade-offs of strength, cost, performance, efficiency and esthetics.
• Students learn to solve complex design problems through breaking them down into simpler questions.

Grade 7 Lego Robotics teaches the engineering design process, computer programming, and mechanical engineering using a ‘bottom-up’ approach, through a series of short, easily accomplished design challenges.

Each design is improved through several iterations, using the Lego Mindstorm engineering prototyping system ( developed at MIT) and the Robolab graphical programming language (developed at Tufts).

Students are able to easily explore mechanical concepts like gear ratios, torque, cams, and cranks, as well as programming concepts such as feedback loops, multi-tasking, and interrupts. In the final project, they use these concepts to build, program, test , and improve sophisticated, computer-controlled machines.

Students learn from the failures and successes of each other.

The power of the creation of new knowledge.

ANALYZED FAILURE is a key concept in this course. Designs are EXPECTED to fail.

The concept of failure is a difficult one for highly motivated students to accept. They learn not to take failure personally, but rather as a necessary opportunity to analyze and to learn.

Trade-offs—cost vs. performance, beauty, elegance. Is it build-able?

Students get a sense of what can be built, using different techniques.

Projects and system allows for students of a wide range of abilities to have a successful experience- “ low entry –high ceiling.”

Outline of Course:

• Lego Parts
• Simple Car Challenge
• Gearing Up,Gearing Down- Trade-Offs in Engineeering
• One-Motor Car/Uphill gear Challenge
• Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Robotic Claws
• RCX Micro Computer
• Tankbot
  • Programming Challenges:
    • Go to a line, then stop ( Pilot 2)
    • Use Light to control behavior; algorithms (Pilot 3)
    • 3-Step Sumo-Bot ( Inventor 2)
    • Multi-tasking (split tasks)-Inventor 3
    • Feedback loop: The line follower
    • Multiple behaviors; respond to outside stimuli (Loops and events)
    • Sociable Robots: The Work of Cynthia Breazel and James McLurkin (Robot communication)

Putting it all together: Robotic Zoo final project

• Proposal
• Journal Entries
• Algorithm
• Program
• Robot
• Report
• Presentation