Cyber Robotics 101 Teacher's Guide
How can gathering data about a problem lead to better solutions?
This lesson is based around a series of challenge missions that build on the previous challenges, while incorporating the new sensors students have been using. Students must investigate the challenge environments and determine which sensors and programming constructs will be most useful in finding a solution. This lesson can be run as a collaborative or competitive team exercise.
Identify and collect relevant data about a problem
Determine the relevant sensors needed for a solution based on data collected
Determine the relevant programming constructs needed for a solution based on data collected
Identify and collect relevant data about a problem
In reflection question 1, check that students have matched relevant aspects of the mission environment with how it impacts how they planned to use their robot’s sensor or direct the robot’s path.
Determine the relevant sensors needed for a solution based on data collected
Check for mission success on any of the challenge missions. You may also use reflection question 2 for insight into how students made their choices.
Determine the relevant programming constructs needed for a solution based on data collected
Check for mission success on any of the challenge missions. You may also use reflection question 3 for insight into how students made their choices.
This lesson will be based around a series of challenge missions. This pack will test the student’s understanding and ability to code virtual robots at a basic level. There are two options in which you can introduce the challenges to the class:
Option 1: Competitive activity (Team/Individual effort)
Allow students 30-40 minutes to solve the missions on their own (or as pairs) before going over the rest of the slides with them. If there are students that want to explain their solutions in front of the class, they should be given the opportunity.
Option 2: Class activity
Give students 5-10 minutes to look at and try to figure out each mission, asking the students to lead the discussion on how to solve the challenges.
Slideshow: Challenge Missions II
Whether to introduce it as a competitive activity between students, or as exercises that they solve as a class together is up to you.
Compare between solutions and go through the solution presentation which outlines the methodologies of problem solving and the specific solutions.
Give an example of some information that you collected about a mission before you started coding, and how it helped you plan your program.
Student answers will vary, but all should include relevant information about mission criteria and constraints, such as the angles that the robot would need to turn, the colors marked on the ground at key points and what they indicate the robot should do, and the distances between objects and the robot’s intended path.
Describe a sensor that you used to solve one of the missions, and how you knew that you would need it.
using the color sensor because there were colors marked on the ground, using the gyroscope because there were point turns that need to be at a specific angle, or using the distance sensor because a path was laid out a particular distance from an obstacle.
What’s one block that you used from the Control Flow (yellow) drawer, and how did you know that you would need it?
Student answers may vary, but they may include explanations such as using a ‘Repeat’ block every time there is a polygon or repeating pattern in the path, or using the ‘Wait Until’ block every time a sensor is used to control what the robot is doing.
Description
Let students complete Missions: 1-4
Pack: Challenge Missions II
Timing
35-45 minutes
Familiarize yourself with the above resources.
Allow students to complete the missions on their own time.