Past Events
Teaching DIY Robotics to Kids and Teens
After years of developing and testing STEM-related activities for kids about electronics, robotics and coding, I am finally offering my first online course to teach other teachers what I know!
Participants of the course will learn how to use a Smartphone Robot to teach robotics to kids aged 10 and up. We will be using my improved MakerBot version, which is more powerful, more robust and uses only widely available parts! This version is more suitable for classroom use, but the knowledge you gain from the course is easily transferable to my paper circuit Smartphone Robot.
Why are smartphone robots awesome? I invented this type of robot because you can build them using only simple electronics and a smartphone. You can take any phone, even very old ones, and give them a new life as a robot! This dramatically reduces the cost per robot, and using a smartphone as the robot's brain gives endless possibilities for programming. Programming is done using MIT App Inventor. Think of it as Scratch for app programming. It is very simple and easy to learn and teach! To learn more about my smartphone robot check out the two links above!
Online course key facts:
Date: Saturday and Sunday April 22 and 23
Time: from 7pm to 9:30pm Berlin time (that's morning or midday in the USA). My time zone is CET/CEST
Each session consists of 120 minutes guided class + 30 minutes optional tinkering and chatting
Language: English
Format: online via Google Meet
You can join from a browser, no registration required
Booking via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/diy-robotics-for-teachers-online-course-tickets-549667278627
Ticket price includes needed materials, shipping cost and Eventbrite fee
See Eventbrite ticket for final price
You will receive all necessary electronics in advance
No previous experience required, just an interest in electronics and coding
You will receive a detailed PDF guide summarizing all the information so that you are ready to teach this to your students.
Payment is required in advance (via Eventbrite) along with a delivery address after registration.
You will receive a proper invoice from Eventbrite along with your ticket.
Workshop registration and payment must be received by Friday March 31 to allow time for delivery of components.
Maximum number of participants: 10
This workshop is open to everyone but is aimed at teachers and trainers.
Please note: This workshop is not suitable for children.
Update: I had to reschedule this event (it was April 8 and 9 before).
Special offer: Use promo code DIYRobotics10 to get 10% off!
What you will learn:
The basics of DIY electronics
How to use a light-sensor transistor circuit to control motors
Basic robotics and programming principles
App development using MIT App Inventor
How to teach the above to kids and teens
Day1:
On day one we will build a light-seeking robot. This is a great first lesson for kids because we use exactly the same circuit and components as the smartphone robot, but we do not need to do any coding. Instead, we control the robot with a flashlight: The robot will follow the beam of light, turning the torch into a remote control! When we are done playing with our robots, we will examine the circuit to better understand the components and electrical principles used! The workshop will end with a relaxed tinkering session to decorate our light-seeking robots, with questions and answers or just a chat.
Day2:
On day two, we use the same circuit as before and attach a smartphone to our robot! Now we will start building our first app for our robot using MIT App Inventor. Once the basic app is working, we will start programming a simple sequence of movements for our robot. After that, we will look at different ways of programming our robot: Making the robot talk, creating facial expressions, making it listen to voice commands, and remote control. As we will not cover all the possibilities in detail, you will receive an exclusive pdf guide with all the coding lessons in more detail. The workshop will end with a relaxed tinkering session, where we try out different coding examples and have a Q&A session or just chat with each other.
Preparation:
You will receive all needed electronics in advance. Besides that you will need:
4 AA batteries
Hot glue and paper glue
Scissors and a cutting knife
A Laptop and WiFi
A (old) smartphone
If you have any questions or problems with the booking process, please e-mail me.
See you soon online!