It’s a sunny
day as a team of Fairmont Prep students
known as the “Huskyteers” prepare a wireless operated robot, nicknamed “Balto,”
to compete at the Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Using laptops and power
tools, they work together to make sure Balto performs its required task. Balto must lift, move, and stack items that
represent litter in a pre-determined arrangement.
The process
of building a robot offers students a rewarding experience regardless of their
academic backgrounds and experience. They
form a diverse team exchanging knowledge, skills, and ideas with the goal of
creating an reward-winning robot.
Teachers see
robotics as a perfect example of cutting-edge learning that is completely
student-driven. When students focus their energy on building a robot, they
demonstrate problem-solving abilities, apply academic knowledge, integrate
skills, and collaborate within a group. It’s a microcosm of a real world
entrepreneurial start-up.
The experiences
in designing, building, and testing a robot bring to life mathematics, computer
science, engineering, and other tech savvy topics. The finished robot provides
students a gratifying source of accomplishment. Most of all, they become
confident in using these academic subjects to overcome many obstacles, not only
for technically-based challenges, but life as a whole.
Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools
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