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Vol. 7, May 2013 Should  Kids  Learn  Programming  and  Robotics?    I’m biased, of course, but the after school experiment that is Matador Innovators Team has been a very encouraging success on many levels. The 18 mostly 6th grade students in the group have learned how to do some basic programming tasks, created digital games and animations, added external devices to control their computer programs (including...bananas and grapes?), and are just getting started building and programming their first robots. Attendance has been great and enthusiasm very high (as some folks in neighboring classrooms will likely attest). So, the excitement is there for the group, but why should kids be bothered to learn this stuff to begin with? Didn’t Mr. Roboto (Worst Styx song ever?) and the Terminator dissuade us from the whole robot thing? And, certainly, programming is a rare skill only attained by the elite mathematician/engineer/genius, like Gates, Jobs, or Zuckerberg. These are the types of knowledge and skills that, ultimately, only a small fraction of our students will ever use, right? Is there any benefit for the less “techie” student?

The plain answer is, yes, even a non-techie can learn this stuff and benefit. The question of whether or not every student should be required to learn how to program or build their own R2D2 is certainly open to debate, but I’ve come to realize that every student can potentially glean something useful and powerful from these exercises when given the opportunity. First, if images of lines and lines of code or circuit boards and soldering irons are in your mind, push them away. Today, students can learn to program using a variety of very user-friendly tools, with friendly names like Scratch, Alice, and Hopscotch.

MIT  members  creating  animations  with  Scratch,  a  free  resource  from  the  other  MIT.  

A  Tech  Fair  guest  tries  out  a  banana  piano  created  using  a  Makey  Makey  device.  

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All are FREE and easy enough for even 40-somethings to get the hang of (Of course, I’m referring to someone else who’s much older than me.). These and robotics sets from Lego (Yes, that Lego.) allow students to create, invent, and have a blast doing it. Many STEM-related skills are reinforced when students create their own movies using Scratch or design an obstacle-navigating robot, such as:

• Using mathematic skills for calculations or measurement • Troubleshooting a technical problem/repairing a

machine or system • Ability to break down complex scientific systems into

smaller parts/understand cause & effect relationships • Solve problems creatively • Communication and cooperation skills

As MIT students debug their banana piano or try to determine why their robot keeps running into the wall, I’ve witnessed them go from determined but frustrated independents to collaborating, experimenting team members. Very often, the idea person needs someone with a different skill set to make his or her concept a reality. Also, much like a kid will do when playing a challenging, new video game, a student will display remarkable fortitude when programming or designing a robot. Failure doesn’t stop them—it sends them in a search for the right path. Would that attitude benefit them as students in your class? Many, even most of our kids are instinctively drawn to this type of technology-rich activity, often for life. Even those who aren’t so “techie”, though, might reap some important benefits from the opportunity to try their hands at creating the next Space Invaders (You younger types can look that up.) or building their own version of R3 (See above.). These are skills that are very likely to make them better students and better at just about any career path(s) they seek, and help the US maintain its leadership status. So, should every kid be required to learn this stuff? Maybe. At the very least, they need greater opportunities to do so, if they so desire.

--Randy Rodgers, Director of Digital Learning Services

eBooks Now Available at Your Campus!

All campuses now have a collection of electronic books available for teacher or student checkout. Books can be viewed and checked out online using any modern web browser. Alternately, iDevice and Android users can download the free Follett Digital Reader app for their device. The app allows the user to download a copy of a

R3,  a  humanoid  robot  designed  by  NASA  to  assist  on  the  ISS  in  future  missions.  

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checked out book for offline reading, take electronic notes, highlight text, and more. Books are automatically “returned” when the checkout period is complete. See your techno-savvy campus librarian for more information. To learn how you and your students can begin reading and checking out the new eBooks, I’ve put together a short (8 minute) introductory video.

Mobilized Learning (Don’t Worry, Be Appy) Here are 2 photo apps I’ve found to be extremely useful in a variety of settings:

360  Panorama (iOS and Android, as Panorama 360)–Easy to use photo app takes 360 degree panorama images (surprise!), both horizontally and vertically. Images can be shared and viewed via a free, online account, through various social media, or emailed as a flattened image. Could be a great tool for documenting field trips or creating virtual school or classroom tours. ($.99) Slow Shutter Cam (iOs only)–Great app that puts a feature normally reserved

for high-end cameras in your purse or pocket. Slow Shutter Cam, like exposure and shutter controls. Take photos of a bouncing for a science class to illustrate physics properties or analyze the trajectory. ($.99) Android users can find numerous, similar apps on the Google Play store.

Distressed FX (iOS only)—This photo-editing app has some great special filters

and effects that could be used by students for a variety of purposes. Create photos that appear as if they are from a particular point in history, such as the Depression era. Turn ordinary photos into amazing imitations of the styles of famous artists. Fun, engaging, and easy to learn. ($.99)

Things That Make You Go Hmmm… The latest, greatest statistics on teens (ages 12-17) and technology use:

• Fully ¼ of teens’ primary connection to the Internet sits in the palms of their hands—their cell phones.

• 78% have a phone, and almost HALF (47%) have a smart phone. • 93% have a computer they can use in their homes.

Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-and-Tech.aspx MUCH Better With Age:

• The first Apple II computers had a 1 MHz processor, 4 KB of RAM, and no hard drive. All yours for $1298. A brand new 21.5-inch iMac processes data 2,700 times faster, has 2 million+ times more RAM, and a TB hard drive...for exactly $1 more.

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• A Covrus hard disk for your Apple II in the early 80s would have held a whopping 10 MEGABYTES of data and set you back a not-so-paltry $5350. Today, a $.20 DVD holds 480 times that amount.

• This is the first web page and its original address: http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html

Distance Learning News

Seguin High School students in Anatomy and Physiology and Certified Nurses Assistant programs recently watched an interactive videoconference of a human autopsy. Students asked a pathologist at Ohio State University questions and later completed an activity involving running toxicology tests on a deceased “person”.

A Few More Things… Please keep me posted if you and your students are using technology to do amazing things. I may make you a star by profiling you in this newsletter. Be the envy of your school, the pride of your family. Most importantly, your experiences using technology effectively will serve as an inspiration to other teachers in Seguin ISD.

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Moss-Free Show Podcast: http://www.spreaker.com/show/mossfreeshow.