Technology in Classrooms

A Robot Named Megabyte Makes Robotics Fun

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 26 May 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

At Clairbourn School, a pre-K to 8th grade school in San Gabriel, technology is as ubiquitous as  students and teachers themselves. There are Smartboards in every classroom and iPads on every desk; electronic resources and tools are utilized to enhance the everyday learning experience.

It isn’t surprising, therefore, that besides large screen monitors and desktop computers, robots can also be found in the computer science lab. A relatively new addition to the tools used in the classroom is a 58-centimeter tall, blue and white humanoid robot whom the students endearingly call Megabyte.  

Paul Barker, computer science teacher, tells how he was able to get a robot to be part of their class, “I found out about this a year-and-a-half ago and did some research on him. Originally named NAO by its manufacturer, Megabyte was created by the French company Aldebaran, which worked with kindergartners through post-graduates to develop a robot that can help students learn Robotics.”

“I knew I wanted one for the school, and pushed for it all year.  I started my own fund-raising campaign by teaching after-school classes in Robotics. When the kids went home they told their parents how they wanted to have the class as part of regular school. Eventually our parent association allocated funds to go towards purchasing the $9,000 robot,” Barker adds.

“We’re all learning together with Megabyte. We’re training him to recognize people so when you walk up to him he’ll be able to say ‘Hello, Henry (or the name of the student)’. My goal is to have students do both input/output then using all the programs; students can create something on their own. I would like them to use the program, dive as deeply as they can, and learn how the robot operates with the end-goal of experiencing and exploring him,” Barker explains.

Here, kids as young as kindergarten learn Robotics; in 2nd grade they start programming using a Lego robot; and they move up through the curriculum until they get to 5th grade when they start using Python to program Megabyte. 

This morning, Henry, a 6th grader, bounds in, eager to demonstrate how Megabyte gets them excited for their class lesson. He asks Megabyte to dance and the robot obliges with his tai-chi moves. Midway through his routine, he teeters and reacts to it “Oh, I’m falling on the floor!” But even falling is methodical as he slowly spreads his arms out to lessen the impact to the ground. And just as efficiently, he gets himself up from the floor, and announces, “Hey, back in the game!” The kids absolutely love that.

For Clairbourn’s 5th graders, interactive robots create a wondrous experience. As Alicia Wong says, “Working on robots is better than watching TV. It isn’t hard to make and it’s a lot of fun. It makes me proud to finish constructing a robot by myself.”

In agreement with Alicia is Isabella Hernandez who relates, “Robots are fun to work with and they challenge your mind. I learned that building robots and programming them are easier than I thought.”   

Christopher Fung, on the other hand, takes a different stance, “I learned that robotics is not for everyone, but if you put your mind to it, you can do almost anything. It takes listening, respect and skill.”

Another 5th grader, Henry Xu, has a similar opinion, “I personally think that working with robots means patience and creativity. If you aren’t creative you won’t know what to do – instructions or no instructions. I learned that you should always double check what you’re doing before saying you’re finished.”   

Branden Orellana believes robots are transformative, “It means a lot to me when I work on robots; it changes my life.  I love building and programming now. I always wanted to be an engineer or a graphic designer.”

Perhaps it’s Julian Harrison who summarizes the role robots play, “Robots are the way of the future; seeing all the technology available now, they will likely replace humans someday. I am inspired because it makes me feel like I am part of that future.”

“Robotics is going to be huge in the next ten to 15 years, and getting a jumpstart on it would be a major accomplishment for our students as they go on to the next level in their schooling,” Barker concludes.

That Megabyte interacts well with young kids, who treat him almost like a friend and who talk to him like they would someone their own age, is what gives this Robotics class the element of a deeper, more meaningful experience. Students program questions the answers to which they’re really interested to know.

Megabyte can provide much information about himself including: his height and weight; his birthday and age; if he can eat, hear, see, or understand people; who made him and what he’s made of; if he has family or friends.   

Presently, Megabyte asks, “Do you like chocolates?”  If someone responds with a Yes, he rejoins, “Yes? That’s nice.” When he hears a No, he says, “No? I’m sorry to hear that.”

Henry then invites Megabyte, “Let’s go for a walk. Follow me.” Megabyte agrees, “Sure, take my hand.” Together they stroll, and when Henry stops after a short distance, Megabyte asks, “Are we done walking?”  Henry looks into Megabyte’s eyes and replies, “Yes, thank you for walking with me.” Child and robot regard each other, seemingly in complete understanding of a shared knowledge.   

The possibility of robots taking over the world one day, as one 5th grader surmises, sounds like a death knell for mankind. Happily, robots are not advanced enough to achieve the level of intellect that young students today are capable of reaching. For as long as human beings utilize that wisdom, it’s safe to say that robots still need breathing, living, and thinking people to program them to accomplish tasks.  

Clairbourn School: Technology in Education

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 19 March 2015 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

The morning bell rings and a gaggle of Kindergartners run excitedly into the classroom ready to start the school day. But instead of the usual crayons, pencils and paper, the children have iPads, and sitting in front of them on their desks are computers. There is no blackboard to be seen anywhere; around the periphery of the room are large screen monitors. The five-year-olds await with anticipation today’s important lesson.  

This is the daily scene for Paul Barker, technology teacher, at Clairbourn School in San Gabriel. And, along with his students, he discovers how using technology in the classroom is making the learning experience that much more alive and vibrant.

Founded in 1926, this independent private school offers an excellent educational program for nursery-age children as young as three years old, all the way to 8th grade. Adhering to its original mandate of preparing its charge for a full and rich life, Clairbourn teachers cover the core subjects of English, Math, Science, History, and Language much like their predecessors did all that long ago.  What is different, though, is the way they teach.   

Dr. Robert Nafie, Clairbourn’s head of school, understands that children today are bombarded with bursts of information coming at them from various video platforms. Gone are the days when students sat at their desks to listen to their teacher lecture about a subject matter. Children today retain knowledge when they put into immediate use what they learn; that piece of information goes from their short-term memory into their long-term memory. “The challenge,” he says, “is for us to capture their attention and engage them during that small window we have.” 

Clairbourn School fully addresses this shift in the way children learn. And, as teachers integrate technology in their everyday lessons they are, themselves, still learning about it. Nafie says, “Schools are just figuring out technology along with the kids they’re expected to teach. It’s a new challenge for educators who are digital immigrants (having been largely paper-trained) to teach kids who are digital natives.”       

Meanwhile, in his computer lab, Barker types on his iPad what he wants his students to do. Eager faces look up at the large screen monitors for their instruction, and proceed with the lesson. Using the language Scratch, he teaches them how to program. With each touch of the mouse, they command the Scratch sprite (which looks like a cartoon cat) to walk, run, or skip. They can invent a storyline for this Scratch cat, and using various backdrops available to them, create an interactive book.

First graders learn a Lego program and build simple robots using Mindstorms. In 2nd grade, they learn basic robot controls; in 3rd grade, they add devises to their robots. When they reach 4th grade, they build complicated robots from scratch. In 5th grade, they research and outline a project using all the concepts they learned, their robot-building knowledge, and experience. In middle school, they construct an actual working robot that they will present to their classmates, teachers, and parents. According to Barker, some of his middle-schoolers built a bathroom, complete with flushing toilet and working sink.

Recently, the computer lab got its own 3-D printer from a local manufacturer, Deezmaker. The heart of the contraption is a small index-card size CPU (central processing unit) and is capable of printing simple blocks or complicated objects.  Students are now able to use all the knowledge they gained in Math and Science to design and create something. Using their programming skills, they can make the 3-D printer replicate what they built in their mind into something they can touch and feel and experience.  

The lessons Barker teaches in his computer lab class complement the topics his students are learning in their other classes. He has a list of subjects for each grade level and the lessons on discussion at each point in the schoolyear. When the English teacher is teaching Shakespeare in her class, Barker integrates that lesson in the lab. It makes memorizing Hamlet’s soliloquy, for instance, easier and more fun.

What a long way Clairbourn School has come! From the Bourne family’s first vision of how they wanted their children to be educated, when Mrs. A.K. Bourne held classes in their conservatory for a handful of students, to the interactive teaching instructors now provide.

Under Dr. Nafie’s capable stewardship, technology is not just a promising academic supplement, it is a fundamental component of the Clairbourn student’s everyday learning experience.