Epsom Girls Grammar School
9 Information Technology
Course Description
Teacher in Charge: Miss C. Greenwood.
DESCRIPTION OF CONTENT:
This is a course using digital technologies designed to develop critical thinking in a collaborative learning environment. This course runs for one term and focuses on computational thinking, programming and robotics.
Students will learn how to create a robot (Edison OR MBot) using online coding software called EdScratchApp and or the Mblock app. An extremely competent computer programmer could possibly learn the coding program (Python). Students will learn the basic concepts of computer science and programming so that in the future they will have a basic understanding of the reasons for programming protocols, procedures and concepts.
KEY FOCUS:
Program a robot to sense its environment and then to perform a series of iterative tasks to accomplish a real-world goal.
NZ Curriculum Key Indicators:
Computational Thinking
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students decompose problems related to Edison robots to create simple algorithms using the three building blocks of programming: sequence, selection, and iteration. They implement these algorithms by creating programs that use the robot’s inputs and outputs, and use sequence, basic selection using comparative operators, and iteration in their code. They debug simple algorithms and robot control programs, by identifying when their robot does not behave as expected and they are then able to explain why things went wrong and how they corrected the code. (Progress Outcome 4)
More advanced students will independently decompose problems into algorithms. They use these algorithms to create programs with selection using comparative and logical operators and variables of different data types. They will also determine when to use different types of control structures. (Progress Outcome 5)
During this unit students will be learning to upload their digital evidence to their Drive and the Classroom as appropriate, and use a variety of digital media to display their work and evaluations e.g. visual diary (Google slides), daily log.
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Course Overview
Term 1
Students will program a robot to perform a series of iterative tasks. This is one term ONLY.
Course Costs and Equipment/ Stationery requirements
1 x usb (minimum 8gb)
Students will be required to have a device to video record their tasks.
Pathway
Robotics are the bridge between mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and even psychology. Each route places the main focus of study on a different core part of robotics:
1. "The Body" - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
This branch of engineering looks at the physical systems which make up a robot. Subtopics like mechanics, materials engineering and manufacturing are core to industrial robotics. Often, mechanical engineering courses will have specialization in mechatronics or robotics, but these tend to be focused mostly on physical design and actuation.
2. "The Nervous System" - ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
This branch of engineering gives you the basics of electronics, embedded systems, low-level programming, and control theory. Often, electrical engineering courses will also provide specializations in robotics or automation, which will be centred around the control of robots rather than the mechanical design.
3. "The Brain" - COMPUTER SCIENCE
A lot of people in research seem to enter robotics through computer science. This trend is likely to continue as standard robotic hardware platforms become the norm. Common platforms remove the research focus from the physical hardware and instead allow researchers to concentrate on software and high-level programming. Often, these courses will include robotic programming topics such as Artificial Intelligence and Software Design. It is usually at this level of study where people with a background in psychology and related fields can enter robotics with a postgraduate Masters course.
These are the core 3, but there are also many other routes you could take to end up working in robotics. For example, just take a look at the top 25 women in robotics and you'll find people who have started out studying:
- Physics (e.g. Aude Billard from EPFL and Arianna Menciassi from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna)
- Cognitive Science and Psychology (e.g. Leila Takayama from Google X)
- Sociology and Social Psychology (e.g. Astrid Weiss from Vienna University of Technology).
Assessment Information
Open book summative task based on formative lessons. Students will be required to complete the train track challenge successfully.Disclaimer
We aim to enable every student to have the course that they prefer, however, some courses have limited places or pre-requisits that may restrict the student's choice.
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