Thomas Cooper
The Walker School
700 Cobb Parkway North
Marietta, GA 30316
Email: thomas.cooper@thewalkerschool.org
Twitter: tcooper66
Skype: tcooper1966
Professional Site: The Networked Learner
Google Certified Teacher, GCT New York 2007: Presentation, Bio Info
Introduction to Compuer Science
This course is one semester, with the first quarter comprised of mainly scribbler robots and the second quarter mainly consisting of media computation. Two sections are run each fall and 1 section in the spring.
Course Syllabus: coming
Project #1 - Robot Art
Students should complete Chpts. 1, 2 & 4 of IPRE textbook. These topics and some exericses have been combined into the Robot Art Project PowerPoint slides. Review the lesson plan. Have students complete the Robot Shapes and Objects Challenge. Show the Robot Art PowerPoint and talk about the Elements of Design. I have students focus on Line, Shape, Color and Form. Have them write up a plan for their projects first (see lesson plan; there's discussion points and an example). I have everyone come up with their own idea, but have students work in pairs for their actual project. Discuss how technology (i.e. robots) help us to express ourselves artistically. It's easy to do it with other technology like Photoshop, but how do robots help us do it? Have students find examples of videos of robots doing "art-like" things. Then, have them complete their art projects. By this time, students should be implementing procedural commands (e.g. rotate, turnLeft, motors, etc.), parameters, and loops.
Project Files:
1. Robot Shape and Objects Challenge.docx
2. Robot Art PowerPoint - coming
3. Robot Art Project Lesson Plan.docx
4. Robot Art Project Elements of Design.pptx
5. Robot Art Project Rubric.docx
Project #2 - Robot Performances
Students should complete Chpts. 5 & 8 (the parts on music) of the IPRE textbook. These topics and some exerises have been combined into the Robot Performance Project PowerPoint slides. Review the lesson plan. Have students write their script using the Robot Skit Script template. I have each student write their own script, then get them together in groups to do a peer review. Each peer review is attached to the script. Group skit scripts are stappled together with the "best" script on the top. I have them then attach a 1-2 page analysis of why they thought the top script would be the most successful and turn in the packet. Once they have their script, I also suggest that you have students spend some time laying out their stage and doing some costume sketches. They can use the Stage and Costume Design template for this part of the project. After they turn in their basic idea, the script, and their stage and costume designs, give them time to write the code. I have them make a copy of their script and write the code on the script before they actually create the python files for the performance. By this time, students should be using parameters, loops, conditionals, and lists or arrays as part of their code (see rubric). One of the main criteria of this project is that students use lights to control the actions of the robots during the performance.
Project Files:
1. Lesson Plan - coming
2. Robot Art PowerPoint - coming
3. Robot Skit Rubric.docx
4. Robot Skit Written Template.docx
5. Stage Layout and Costume Design Template.docx
Project #3 - Media Computation Collage
coming
Project Files:
Project #4 - Rover Exploration
In this project students create an environment for their scribblers to explore. I give them three choices for this project: 1) research a moon in the solar system and create a planned exploration, 2) research an acient or mondern city and develop a vacation tour, 3) research a modern military operation and plan a rescue of the hostages. Main critera for this project is that they use IR proximity sensors so they don't bump into objects, they can detect and correct for stalls, check their battery so they don't run out of power before returning to base, that they use the camera to take pictures along the exploration route, and store them in an array, and that they program the gamepad in order to control the robot. After they return from the exploration, students are required to use python to create a movie of their exploration. Python should be used to improve photo quality to make out objects, as NASA does during its exploration.
Project Files:
Other, Smaller Projects
1. Human Activity: Human Activity Project.docx
2. Robot Dance Activity: Robot Dance Project.docx
3. Store Discount Activity: Store Discount Project.docx
Other Ideas Under Development
1. Have students represent a solum kayaking course and have the robot do the course. You could also add various other objects that students would have to consider, such a rocks, strainers, eddies.
2. Have students represent a sloum skiing course and have the robot do the course.
3. Have students explore a famous historical expedition. Create a path on the floor that has various objects (people, places, geographical barriers) that the explores encountered. Teach the robot to do different things at each barrier.
4. Have students create a floor plan of a city. Teach the robot to take a city tour. At each location, the robot take a picture of an informational placard about the place. Items could involve clues to a scavenger hunt about a famous object (person, event, artwork). Create a little film of the tour.
Files
Robot Art Project Lesson Plan.docx
Robot Art Project Rubric.docx
Robot Shape and Objects Challenge.docx
Robot Skit Rubric.docx
Robot Skit Written Template.docx
Stage Layout and Costume Design Template.docx
Robot Art Project Elements of Design.pptx
Human Activity Project.docx
Robot Dance Project.docx
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