Arts & Bots Mentioned in CNN Article

Sue Mellon's robotic poetry class was used as an example of what education should look like in an opinion article about robotics and STEM education.

From the middle of the article:
"Instruction ends up looking different than your father's science class, as evidenced by the robotics poetry class offered at one innovative Pennsylvania middle school."

Check out the full article here: http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/11/opinion/bare-underwater-robot-lessons/
More info about the robotic poetry class: http://remakelearning.org/blog/2013/03/04/for-todays-students-creativity-matters/
Example bots: here and here 

Poetry in Motion

Sue Mellon, Gifted Support Coordinator in the Allegheny Valley School District integrated Arts & Bots into her 8th grade Language Arts class. The project served as a culminating activity for a poetry unit, giving students an exciting anchor for the unit, and allowing them to practice their poetry analysis skills. Students worked in teams to analyze a poem and then create a scene for their poem. 

The Human Seasons by John Keats

"I learned the value of teamwork...we had to depend on each other to get it done."

The Pasture by Robert Frost

"I learned that there is a lot of troubleshooting that you have to do. Sometimes when things don't work out you have to take an alternate route"

Theme in Yellow by Carl Sandburg

"This all requires a lot of patience"

El Dorado by Edgar Allan Poe

"I learned that if you keep an open mind with the group you are assigned to work with then you can do anything."

Bright Star by John Keats

"I learned to always have an open mind about what you can do if it doesn't work."

A Drop Fell on the Apple Tree by Emily Dickinson

"I learned that it is very hard to work with robots and sometimes robots don't like to do what you tell them and they have a mind of their own"

The Sun Has Long Been Set by William Wordsworth

"I have never done this before so I learned how to do a lot of things"

Robotic Poetry

Sue Mellon, Gifted Support Coordinator in the Allegheny Valley School District integrated Arts & Bots into 7th and 8th grade Language Arts classes. The project served as a culminating activity for a poetry unit, giving students an exciting anchor for the unit, and allowing them to practice their poetry analysis skills. Students worked in teams to analyze a poem and then create a scene or a billboard display for their poem. 

 

Grass by Carl Sanburg

"I learned that even though programming looks difficult it is actually easier than it seems."


A Drop Fell on the Apple Tree by Emily Dickinson

 

A Drop Fell on the Apple Tree by Emily Dickinson from CREATE Lab on Vimeo.


"I thought programming was really easy then I realized it takes a lot of timing and work to put everything together."

 

The Human Seasons by John Keats

"It doesn't take a genius to do robotics." 

"I'm happy that art can be intergrated into robotics."

 

El Dorado by Edgar Allan Poe

"Communication is key when working as a team."

"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses."

 

The Pasture by Robert Frost


"Poetry can sometimes be hard to understand but using robotics and giving you a visual can help you understand it."

 

The Sun Has Long Been Set by William Wordsworth

"I learned how the robotics can relate to poetry."

 

Design by Robert Frost

"It takes dedication not necessarily a level of smartness to understand the robots."
"Programming is very challenging but once you get use to it, its easy."

 

Bright Star by John Keats

"I learned that poems can be brought to life off the paper."

Mini Project Idea: Electric Car Timeline - Sue Mellon

Mini Project:  InteractiveTimeline for the Electric Car    Submitted by Sue Mellon

1.       Using the timeline created by PBS (link below) as a starting point, identify five key events for this invention and create a one minute audio file for each identified event using Audacity.  The audio file should contain at least three pieces of information outside of the scope of the timeline.  Keep a record of your references for this additional information.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/electric-car-timeline.html

 

2.        After creating an audio file, develop a robotic icon for each event.  You will use Robot Diaries to make this interactive exhibit of your research.  This exhibit will work much like those seen in museums.  You may use the distance sensor or some other means to trigger the start of your exhibit.

 

Grading Rubric

 

1 point

2 points

3 points

1 Bonus Point

Information?

All 5 events have at least one additional fact

All 5 events have at least two additional facts

All 5 events have at least three additional facts

Exceptional Details

Creative Icon?

meets basic requirements

addition of color, detail or creative thinking

multiple additions

Exceptional Work

Use of Robot Diaries?

simple one area commands

creative combinations

triggered events

WOW!