At the end of last term, we had the team from G.A.T.E.WAYS come in and run some tailored Robotics Extension workshops with some of our select DigiTech students, and what an amazing day it was!
Students were introduced to a little blue robot called Dash. Not only did they learn how to code this perky little fellow to explore around the room, but they also came up with alternative uses (or ‘hacks’) for his various functions. For example, they used his voice record function to design a Turing Test—essentially making him into a little chatbot. In designing their conversation options, the students learned about sentiment analysis and the power of ordered binomial splits.
In their second extension workshop, the students used a modular robotic platform called Cubelets to investigate the relationship between electronic circuits and robotic functions. By connecting the various inputs and outputs via the processor, students created all sorts of unique robots… from a ‘bucking’ robot (oppositional push-pull forces) to a robotic torch that used an Inverse Cubelet and a Light Sensor to automatically turn on when the lights went off.
Thank you G.A.T.E.WAYS for another amazing extension opportunity for our students!
Select students are invited to participate in the G.A.T.E.WAYS program. G.A.T.E.WAYS aims to cater for children who are in the highly able to gifted range. This approximates the top 10 – 15% of children in the classroom. Programs are delivered at a faster pace than in the regular classroom and are pitched around two years ahead of chronological age. Students are selected based on a strict criterion. If you have any questions, please feel free to email ptipping@heathdale.vic.edu.au.