First Week of Computer Science For All - Summer School Class at ISB 2017 - “Arduinos, Drones, and Robots – More Than Just Fun”

Summer holidays are here at International School Bangkok and I am offering a class at its Summer School 2017 program - “Arduinos, Drones, and Robots – More Than Just Fun”

click here for more class information

During two weeks between June 12 – June 23 this class is aimed at students entering Grade 4 – 9 in August 2017. Classes will take place between 7:30 am and 1:00 pm from Monday to Friday.

Every year this class has been characterized by its vision to provide meaningful, innovative, and creative technological learning opportunities to prepare students for a future of infinite possibilities. This hands-on enrichment camp will teach girls and boys maker skills and basic programming using Arduino programmable circuit boards or “microcontrollers”, Parrot minidrones that fly, run, and jump, as well as LEGO Mindstorms robots that compete in a sumo wrestling arena.

All that is called for are in these kits, a few everyday items, and students' own, unique ideas. Because great interactive projects need more than just wires and components, they need smart makers. Students will participate and create something beautiful and make someone smile with what they invent. Fun is guaranteed in this summer!

Why students need to learn about this?

Everyone, every day, uses technology. We live in a world surrounded by it, from banking, medicine, entertainment to retail. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, and any profession in the future will be full of computational thinking. Most people leave the programming to engineers because they think coding and electronics are complicated and difficult; actually, they can be fun and exciting activities. Whether it is sensor-based medicine, computational agriculture, you name it!, success is going to rely on being able to do computational thinking well.

In the future, it will be necessary to know how to tell a computer to do something. Designers, artists, hobbyists and students of all ages are learning to create things that light up, move, and respond to people, animals, plants, and the rest of the world. While many students seem to be using technology quite a lot, they rarely learn how it works. We should try to equip our next generation with the skills to not just use/consume technology, but to also to create and make it work for them.

What will the class teach?

So, how does one “tell a computer” anything? This class will teach students about programming languages and how computers, microcontrollers and robots are able to respond to our commands. Students will see that it doesn’t take a lot of complicated mechanics or electronics to make something fun, to make things respond to the world around them, or spark people’s imagination. At the same time, students will learn about grit, persistence and developing a growth mindset, and understand that people can improve with practice, key skills needed to become good problem solver. Programming can be learned by everyone. It’s not something that someone is born with. There is no geek gene! These are all life skills that provide benefits well beyond the computer screen.

How will the class be taught?

Each lesson will consist of different well-designed tasks and problems to challenge students’ problem solving and independent thinking abilities as well as computational thinking knowledge. During the first week, students will learn about computational thinking and the use of microcontrollers and programming languages. During the second week, students will learn to program drones and robots as well as building them to complete challenges. Using Arduino students will be moving from personal computing to personal fabrication, and contributing to a new world of participation, cooperation and sharing.

Arduino is open and simple. If you start with the assumption that learning to make digital technologies is simple and accessible, you can make it so. Suddenly electronics and code become creative tools that anyone can use, like brushes and paint.

Parrot offers a series of flying and rolling minidrones that are ultra-compact and easy-to-pilot vehicles you can control with a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. These will give us a chance to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills, such as geometry, science, art, physics and coding with leading code-learning platforms.

Jumping Sumo is a responsive bot with a strong personality which rolls, rushes, zig-zags, circles, takes turns at 90 degrees. In a flash, it leaps upt to 80 cm in height. With its embedded camera, it plunges you into the heart of the action! Airborne Cargo weighs 1.9 ounces and boasts superior flight stability because of its 3-axis gyroscope and accelerometer. It flips forward or backward and makes agile turns on a dime. It’s designed for safety, so you can fly it indoors or outdoors thanks to its propeller circuit breaker which automatically shuts things down in case of a collision.

The robotics section of the course will use NXT/EV3 LEGO Mindstorms. Students will learn to program autonomous robots that can move, react to their surrounding using sensors, and find their own way to complete challenges. Students will work in small teams to solve various programming challenges and projects.

Aims:

• Introduce different concepts of computational thinking.
• Experience programming microcontrollers and robots.
• Enhance creativity, logical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and sharing skills.
• Learn to persevere, develop grit and a growth mindset.

Students will be able to:

• Understand the nature of computational thinking and learn to solve problems.
• Communicate with microcontrollers and robots through programming languages.
• Use the computer and microcontrollers to creatively design interesting programs and inventions.

Keep Calm It's Time To Move On: Returning School Laptop 2017

Tournament of Minds 2017 at International School Bangkok - Engineering Mathematics Challenge Judge

This year I was invited to be part of the judging panel for the Tournament of Minds (TOM) 2017 organized in Thailand. Along with two other judges, we were in charge of evaluating the Secondary and Primary Engineering Mathematics Challenges. Teams from various countries in South East Asia came to represent their schools in the largest TOM Competition hosted at the International School Bangkok.

Introduction to the Challenge

The Lord High Council has decreed that all parcels, packages and letters transported around the empire must be Golden Rectangles. The Innovation Company has been charged with designing a simple testing device that will enable the size of items to be quickly checked and accepted or rejected, before the beam transponder sends acceptable items to a new location in the galaxy and any non-conforming items are destroyed.

The Challenge

Teams have to design and build the simple testing device, known as the Gold Standard Tester, which can quickly and accurately test, with as little operator assistance as possible, whether items conform (within 1%) to the Golden Ratio. The Tester will need to be able to accommodate items between paper sizes A7 to A4, from as thin as photocopy paper to 3 mm in thickness, and of any opaque color.

The Presentation

During the presentation teams must:

• Demonstrate the Tester and explain how it aids rapid testing with little assistance.
• Use the Tester to quickly test three items (supplied by the judges in an envelope for each team). Timing will start from when the envelope is opened and finish when the last item has been tested. One or more of the items may be non-conforming.
• Explain the reasons why the Golden Ratio was chosen (incorporating an appreciation of why it is considered special).
• Explain, including three reasons, why the Lord High Council made the decree.

Overall, it was one of the toughest Engineering Mathematics Challenges that I have seen at a TOM Competition. However, we were able to witness great creativity, problem solving and teamwork in most of the teams. They effectively and creatively used recycled materials to create their Testers. Many performances displayed students' excitement, flair, and impact that was related to the challenge solution.

Yes it was a long day on a Sunday judging 15 presentations from 8 AM - 5 PM, but I was completely invigorated by seeing the excitement and joy during the closing ceremony. I will have to give kudos to Dr. Selena Gallagher (follow her on Twitter @SelenaGa11agher) for organizing this amazing event. She is the mastermind of this competition and has successfully managed to complete another successful TOM Tournament. This is her last year in Thailand as she will be heading to the Middle East next year and organizing competitions there. Well done and all the best Selena!

Preparation for FIRST LEGO League Thailand 2016 Robotics Competition

Every year, FIRST® LEGO League releases a Challenge, which is based on a real-world scientific topic. It challenges kids in over 80 countries to think like scientists and engineers. Each Challenge has three parts: the Robot Game, the Project, and the Core Values. Teams of up to ten children, with at least two adult coaches, participate in the Challenge.

Past Challenges have been based on topics such as nanotechnology, climate, quality of life for the handicapped population, and transportation. Students apply science, engineering, and math concepts, plus a big dose of imagination, to develop solutions to real-world challenges. They also design, build, and program LEGO MINDSTORMS®-based robots to perform autonomous “missions” on a playing field. Team members learn valuable life and employment skills which will benefit them no matter which career path they choose. Along the way, they develop critical thinking, team-building, and presentation skills.

ISB has participated in the following FLL Competitions:

• 2012 Senior Solutions Challenge
• 2014 World Class Challenge

Get ready.  Get set.  Roar!  Or you could bark, quack, or squeak, because the 2016 ANIMAL ALLIES season is all about our furry, feathered, and finned friends. When you meet an animal at the zoo, on a farm, or in your home, have you ever thought about whether that interaction helps you, the animal, or both? Who is helping or being helped in each one? For ANIMAL ALLIES, think of people and animals as allies in the quest to make life better for everyone. Sometimes people help animals and sometimes animals help people. Team’s Project mission this season is to make our interactions with animals better – hopefully better for all of us.

Teams will design a solution to the problem. Any solution is a good start. The ultimate goal is to design an innovative solution that adds value to society by improving something that already exists, using something that exists in a new way, or inventing something totally new.

This year, the competition in Bangkok will take place on April 8th and 9th (Saturday and Sunday), 2017 at Dhurakij Pundit University located at 110/1-4 Prachachuen Road, Laksi, Bangkok 10210. This is the official website of GAMMACO, the FIRST LEGO League Partner in Thailand. For more information in English about this competition, click here.

February marks the start of our preparation for the 2 day FLL Thailand 2016 Competition. After our Winter Break, coaches (Mr. Miguel Zambrano and Mr. McGovern) and students reconvene for an amazing time of learning and discovery during the after-school Robotics Club meetings on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30 - 3:30 PM. We have exactly 38 days to prepare for this challenge. Our team of 10 students chosen to represent ISB are: Elmo, Leo, Matthew, Noah, Pun, Bora,, Divyansh, Kaito, Tong Nueng, and Rory. We wish them all the best!

 

Albert's laptop cases

Albert is a high school senior student at ISB Thailand. He is the CEO of Casevenience a company that designs and manufactures laptop cases that are now being sold at our school book store and other locations.

The case that contains two folders for paper, and two pen holders, it includes a handle on the top for easy carry and transport. You don't need to shove your papers in your laptop anymore. Did you know that shoving papers in your laptop can not only damage your laptop, but also leads to many lost papers? This product both helps with organization and is better for your computer. Here is a quick sneak preview of the case.

Organization is key for a successful robotics program

When you have a robotics program, keeping things organized is crucial to ensure that the program can doesn't fall apart. At ISB, we have a robotics class that has lots of shelves around it. For the Middle School students we have organized pieces from NXT and EV3 Lego Mindstorms kits into different types and colors. The High School also keeps their VEX kits in the same room. When groups come in and out, it is essential to remind them about the expectations and rules of the class. Students are highly encouraged to use their personal or team trays and just cherry-picking pieces they need from the shelves. Order is important and will benefit everyone in the room.

 

Chulalongkorn University, Department of Education Administration visits ISB

On Monday, October 10, 2016, a group of 50 students including professors from Chulalongkorn University, Department of Education Administration visited ISB. The purpose of their visit was to learn about ISB's technology management and a visit to some of the classrooms to see how students use technology. The visit was held in MPB1 and started at 8:45 with a welcome from ISB's Head of School, Dr. Andrew Davies and ISB's Headmistress, Khun Usa. At 9:00 the Technology Department gave an overview of ISB's Technology by the Technology Director, Chad Bates, and the Technology Coordinators, Chris Bell, Miguel Zambrano, and Michael Boll.
 

New Format of Parent - Teacher Conferences in the Middle School at ISB

Before:

 After:

Getting Ready For FIRST LEGO League Thailand 2016 Robotics Competition

This is our third day of the FLL Robotics Club. Students are finishing the Robot Game Challenges for Animal Allies. We want students to understand the principle of form follows function before they start building the robots. This principle is associated with modernist architecture and industrial design in the 20th century. The principle is that the shape of a building or object should be primarily based upon its intended function or purpose.

 

Tournament of Minds Australia, Here I Come!

Tonight I will be travelling with 6 secondary students and one teacher from the International School Bangkok to Melbourne - Australia. We will be staying in Melbourne from October 14th to 19th, participating in the Tournament of Minds Australasian Pacific Finals in the category of Language Literature - Secondary. They are the champions in this category after participating in the Tournament of Minds organized in Thailand this year. 

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a problem solving programme for teams of students from both primary and secondary years. Teams solve challenges from a choice of disciplines:

• Applied Technology
• Language Literature
• Maths Engineering
• Social Sciences

Tournament of Minds is one of the fastest growing international school programmes with the involvement of thousands of participants. TOM aims to enhance the potential of our youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a competitive environment.

We are all very excited and hope to have a great time.

For more information, please visit TOM's website