Transcript Presentation to Advisory Board

SPIRIT Briefing
Bing Chen, Neal Grandgenett
Elliott Ostler, Paul Clark
http://ceen.unomaha.edu/TekBots/
Status of current NSF grants:
• NSF Adaptation and Innovation ($160K): 2006-2008
Incorporate the TekBot into NU CEEN programs
• NSF ITEST SPIRIT “1.0” ($1.2M): 2006-2008 Use
TekBot to teach engineering fundamentals and
robotics to middle school teachers
• NSF Discovery K-12 “SPIRIT 2.0” ($2.99M): 20082012 Develop a robotics curriculum for national
distribution
Objectives of SPIRIT 2.0
1. Develop a Grades 5-8 educational robotics curriculum to
enhance STEM concepts
2. Refine the instructional effectiveness of the curriculum
3. Integrate assessments into the curriculum to help teachers
4. Replace the TekBot® with the CEENBoT/NUBoT with hardware,
GUI & tutorials
5. Create cyberinfrastructure support (mat’ls, lessons, info,
assessments, online diagnostics)
6. Scale the project to national levels via two summer workshops
(one in Nebraska and one via distance learning) to use the
curriculum
CEENBoT/NUBoT
CEENBoT/NUBoT attributes
• Employs RC grade level parts available to
hobbyists
• Stepper motors versus servo or dc motors for
greater precision, control and longevity
• Infinitely reconfigurable: a true university-level
engineering product for K-12 space
• Chosen by NSF to develop a national
educational curriculum to support STEM
Current SPIRIT Participants
• Primary collaboration between NU and Omaha Public
Schools targeting >100 middle school math and
science teachers (3 yrs)
• Expanded inclusion to elementary and high schools
• Adapt university TekBot learning platform to teaching
middle school STEM topics
• 52% Minority District, with more that 50,000 students.
Fully available test site.
• Also good participation from other districts
Photo by: Ashley Washburn
Planned Curriculum
Cyber-infrastructure:
Figure 4. Sample CPM Result
Also Undertaking Center/Startup:
• NU start-up company created to meet the
production demands for robots and for customer
service from K-16 schools, colleges and individual
customers
– Continual refinements/upgrades of curriculum
– Sponsoring ongoing hardware-software robot
innovations and continued improvements
– Offering of institutes, grade courses, etc.
– Marketing to potential clients nationally and globally
Potential Markets
• K-12 schools throughout US for in school and
after school programs
• Other ECE programs (and ME) within US (over
400) to give students intellectual stimulation
• Community colleges for transfer programs
• Interested individuals who are engineering
“tinkerers” at heart
Timetable
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•
Space secured for manufacturing and storage: 12/07
Start-up company created: 1/08
SBIR grant preparation: 2/08
Develop business plan: 6/08
Production of first 1,000 bots for SPIRIT 1.0 and A&I
grants produced with CEEN staff/labor: 8/08
• Start-up manager and staff are hired: 12/08
• First National SPIRIT 2.0 Workshop: Fall 2011
Center Builds Upon:
NSF SPIRIT (1.0 and 2.0)
Silicon Prairie Initiative for Robotics in IT
• New Robotics Platform
• Teacher Training (Robotics)
• National Curriculum Efforts
NSF 4H Robotics and GIS (ITEST)
Silicon Prairie Initiative for Robotics in IT 2.0
• Summer and After School Programs
• Developing Special Curriculum Resources
• Using Lego Mindstorms NXT Kits
http://www.ceen.unomaha.edu/TekBots/
http://4hset.unl.edu/itest/index.php
How can you help us get there?
1.
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Provide ideas, suggestions, criticisms
Review developing lessons of key teachers
Review developing lesson modules for writing team
Help us figure out the cyberinfrastructure strategies
Help us with formative and summative evaluation reports
Help us figure out the Center operational process
Help us connect to new ideas, literacy, and other possibilities
Tell us that we are not insane…just a bit crazy
Other possibilities?
Final Comment:
“We have not succeeded in
answering all of your problems.
The answers we have found only
serve to raise a whole set of new
questions. In some ways, we feel
we are as confused as ever, but we
believe we are confused on a higher
level and about more important
things.”
Omni Magazine, 1992