Have you ever wished you had a robot to do your homework or clean your room? Wouldn’t it be cool to have a robot bring you takeout or mow your lawn? What would you want a robot to do for you? In this workshop, students get to take charge by telling a robot exactly what to do. They are introduced to coding through hands-on programming of Finch robots, learning how to bring their ideas to life by making robots light up, play sounds, dance, and navigate a maze. Through interactive exploration, students build coding and problem-solving skills turning curiosity and creativity into real-world possibilities, inspiring students to imagine their own future innovations.
Faculty Developer: Dr. Chris Mayfield, Computer Science
What students do:
Students program the finch Robots using the Python coding language. Using sensors, lights, and sounds students program the robots to dance or navigate a maze.
What students learn:
- Introduction to Python programming, including coding and debugging.
- Development of spatial reasoning and translation skills.
- Exploration of linear and angular movement, and the relationship between rotation, angles, and physical motion.
- Understanding coding as a way to translate real-world ideas into a digital format.
- Building computational thinking skills, including the algorithmic process: What’s a good first step? In what order should I complete these tasks? How can I use what I already know to solve a problem?
