Magazine 2018

The Grade 1s have thoroughly enjoyed working with their iPads to control their robots with Bluetooth. They eagerly arrive at each lesson awaiting new challenges involving both coding and building. We have explored all types of sensors, motors and building techniques. Milo the Science Rover proved to be a highlight, as we made scales with tilt sensors and many more exciting features. Sphero’s were a great hit, providing lots of excitement while practising writing patterns, sight words and problem solving various obstacles. Grade 2s spent the first quarter “travelling” the world and exploring many famous buildings. They learnt about design and building techniques, and by keeping this knowledge in mind were able to build landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Villa Savoye, Seattle Space Needle and many more. The second quarter opened up the vast possibilities of building using the WeDo2 interface; this allowed learning in areas such as code, speed vs. time, friction and gearing systems. In Grade 3 the learners really got involved in coding and how this can be used in their daily lives. Using the Tynker App the learners created interactive programs, which allowed actors to move, speak and interact in stories and games that the learners created. Learners were delighted that these skills could be used in the classroom to make presentations, create games to help with studying and bring creative writing to life. From the exciting Robotics in the Junior Preparatory school, learners proceed across the road to the Senior Preparatory school, to a new classroom filled with unknown challenges. Concepts and skills that were learnt are followed through and reinforced throughout their journey. As expected, the Grade 4s created maze games with enthusiasm. They were introduced to Scratch, a programming app, in the second quarter and their games varied from unicorns that must collect doughnuts to dragons racing each other. They wrote their own code with drag and drop blocks, whilst being exposed to basic coding elements, like loops, variables and conditionals. Grades 5 and 6 were challenged to learn how to build a robot from square one. This was a brand-new challenge, and a lot more difficult than most learners had expected. The lesson would begin with a story. The learners were far more inclined to become absorbed in the lesson if the story accompanying the building challenge appeared to be connected to a real life situation. The Robotics labs are always abuzz with fun and learning for all Parklands learners. It is an environment in which they can learn from mistakes and acquire knowledge through hands- on experiences and exploration. As Thomas Edison said, “ I have not yet made a working light bulb but I know over a 1000 ways not to make one.” It is with this mind-set that we explore and integrate Robotics into the everyday classroom experience. Put a COG in it... 82. 21st Edition