ROBOT ACADEMY

WHY BEYOND A BRICK ROBOT ACADEMY?

 

By building up confidence in an environment to inspire, our approach is hands-on learning that challenges students to find their own solutions to problems. With this approach, students are empowered with their own success which encourages critical thinkers and problem solvers for future leaders. Our philosophy is to inspire students to be science and technological leaders, as well as innovators for the future. 

 

Our unique approach helps to combine real world issues to promote interest and innovation. Students will also compete in projects and competitions to challenge their mastery of building, coding and programming.

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WHAT PROGRAM IS USED?

 

First Robotics and Carnegie Mellon Robot Academy are the curriculum used in classes.

Students from ages 6 to 14 are taught computer science through programming LEGO® We Do and LEGO® Mindstorms EV3 robots.

 

WHY TEACH ROBOTICS?

 

The cornerstone of any robot project is teamwork and cooperation. Robotics allows students to think creatively and apply critical thinking skills to analyze real world situations to solve real world problems. As Albert Einstein, said “failure is just really success in progress.” Robotics teaches mistakes are made in order to find a better solution.

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Robotics is fast becoming an integral part of the school curriculum with its ability to integrate across a broad range of topics, most notably the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Areas. Robotics encourages kids to think creatively, analyze situations and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to real world problems. Teamwork and cooperation are a cornerstone of any robotics project. Students learn it is acceptable to make mistakes, especially if it leads them to better solutions.

Robotics is a fun and engaging way to teach fundamental technology, math and science concepts. There are several key facets that the teaching of robotics promotes:

 

• Problem Analysis: Robotics encourages students to take a broad look at a situation and identify exactly what problem needs to be solved. Real world applications are easily found, giving students context for their project. Before any construction can begin, students must identify “what need will this robot fulfill?”. With this in mind, how should the robot be designed to meet these needs?

• Real World Design: With an application in mind and an idea of implementation, students can now begin the design process. This stage provides great rewards for students as they produce physical realizations of conceptual ideas. There is plenty of opportunity for refinement and improvement as they discover errors in their plans and issues, they would never have considered during the design stage. Prototypes are quickly built and just as quickly discarded with lessons learnt as students’ progress towards an optimal solution. Resources must be managed, and compromise made between form, function and cost.

• Programming: There are a variety of programming languages available for robotics, from graphical development environments to text-based languages. Programming skills teach students to think logically and to consider multiple situations, as they learn a robot will do exactly as it is told, no more and no less. Information from a variety of sensors must be processed and dealt with logically and as with the design stage, there is ample opportunity for trial and error as students fine tune their robots to perform at their best.