Looking back at LEGO's

11/28/2011

After the Dance Off challenge we will be taking a break from LEGO's. As you wrap up your time with this current LEGO group, and you compete in the hardest challenge yet, please answer atleast 4 of the following questions in atleast TWO paragraphs.
Please support your answers with detail and insight from your LEGO experiences. Remember to draft your response in Word before posting it here! Don't forget to check it carefully for correct spelling/grammer and punctuation!

-What has been the hardest part of LEGO's?
-If you have never built a robot or used LEGO's before- How have these challenges changed your point of view on LEGO's or robotics?
-If you had to grade yourself on your progress thus far on LEGO's (including your knowledge of the program, your ability to build and program, use of sensors, etc.) are you below expectations, meeting or exceeding them?
-Are LEGO's important to keep in the 6th grade?
-What has been the best part of LEGO's?
-How do you feel you have grown as a student and a team member (or friend) during this process?
-In the spring we will be competing in one more challenge- Would you rather compete in an obstacle course or design a robot that is graded on how many challenges it can complete? Why?

49 Comments

Vishwanka

11/28/2011 12:02:07 am

I think the hardest part of LEGOs is that my group would argue over who would do what. It was very frustrating. Sometimes, I just had to walk away. In the other challenge, the hardest part was that our robot kept moving slightly to the left. In this challenge, another problem was that our laptop kept freezing and we would have to close the program and restart it. It would take forever! The best part about the LEGO program is that we get to learn how to program a robot! The thing I liked about the LEGO program is that it teaches you not only how to program a robot, but also helps develop group work and team participation.
I say that you should defiantly keep the LEGO program next year. I enjoyed it very much and I think that the grade below us will like it. It can also teach them how to program a robot that will listen to the instructions it is given. In the spring, I would like to do the obstacle course. I think it will be fun to see a robot go through the different courses and obstacles. I LOVE the LEGO program!!!!!

Meaghan

11/28/2011 12:06:11 am

LEGOS have been a real challenge, in good ways and bad. If I had to pick the hardest part of mastering LEGOS I would have to pick learning how to program the robots. This was a challenge because no one was really familiar with the LEGOS except the few who did LEGO robotics. But LEGOS was also really fun too. The best part would have to be building the robot and seeing it come to life. I pick this as my favorite because it was taking a childhood toy and seeing it come to life in a very different way than many students are used to.
This being said I think that LEGOS should be kept for the following grades. I think this because LEGOS is often branded as fun building block kits designed to look like popular characters. With LEGO robotics, you see a different side to these fun toys, a more educational and fun side. Through LEGOS kids can build a robot with a mind of its own. They can also learn how to use new programs.
One challenge that I think would be more fun to participate in is an obstacle course. I think that this would be better than being graded on how many challenges it can complete. This is because some people have a greater knowledge in LEGOS and would be able to program more challenges. This would be thought as unfair to students. With the obstacle course the challenge is the same for all and would be fairer to all of the students.

Matt Harris

11/28/2011 12:07:47 am

-Are LEGO's important to keep in the 6th grade?
Yes because it can keep you really active. Instead of always doing work you can still have fun. Without fun school would be more boring than it already is. Also you could still be able to know how to build and put stuff together and if you never knew how you could learn.
-What has been the hardest part of LEGO's?
I think the hardest part of LEGO’s was when we had to make the music go with the dance steps. Because if it wasn’t perfect then it wouldn’t look good.
-What has been the best part of LEGO's?
Being able to actually sit with other people and get to know some people. I met some new friends and we all laughed together and it was just fun being able to hang out with friends.
-How do you feel you have grown as a student and a team member (or friend) during this process?
I think I grown as a friend cause I learned about team work. At first we all wanted to make the robot by ourselves. But then we thought about teamwork and ended up working as a team.

Austin

11/28/2011 12:52:05 am

During my experience using LEGO’s it’s been really hard to program the robot I’m working on. Also if you have made an error on building the robot you would have to pretty much rebuild the robot again. If I had to grade myself for robotics I would say that I met expectations. I would say that I met expectations because I was able to build the sensors for the robot (such as touch sensor and light sensor) pretty well.
I think that when we start LEGO’S again the spring we should do the obstacle course. I think our classes should do the obstacle course because it would be more challenging and more sensors will be involved. I think that next the sixth grade should do LEGO’S again. This is because it would be fun for the students and it would be a great multi-tasking project. The best part about doing LEGO’S would be building the robot instead of programming it.

andrew

11/28/2011 03:52:07 am

I have used LEGO’S before well I basically play with them every day. These challenges have changed my point of view with LEGO’S so much like when we programmed I did not know that it was going to be that hard and confusing. My progress is probably meeting expectations because we started doing good in the beginning but then we started doing bad and starting to make our own decisions. I think Lego’s are important to keep in the sixth grade because a lot of kids like Lego’s and the seventh graders are kind of jealous that we are doing this program.
The best part of Lego’s was the pace coming to work with us because they are really awesome and they inspire us to work more with our robots. The other part I liked was programming because it was hard and really cool seeing how the robots work and how what we put on the computer go’s to the robot.

maddie

11/28/2011 03:53:19 am

For me the best part of Lego’s was the dances. We all got to be in groups with all of our friends, and it was fun picking out songs to make our robots dance to. Also it was interesting to see all the different things the robots could do. I think Lego’s are really important to keep in the sixth grade. Why I say this is because it really taught me all of the different pieces of the robot and how to build the basic robot. It was also really fun and everybody would enjoy it and it would be a cool experience for the upcoming grades. The hardest part during Lego’s was programming the robot. I was really bad at that. The challenges of Lego’s changed my point of view by showing me that building robots can be fun. It also isn’t that hard.

Erin

11/28/2011 04:26:55 am

The best part of the Lego’s was the challenges. With the challenges were fun and you learned a lot. My favorite challenge was the robot dance. I think that it is important that you do Lego’s next year because it teaches you team work. Also you might not be with your best friend and you learn to work with the people in your group.

The hardest part for me was building the robot. Sometimes someone in your group would be sick and you would not get a lot done that day. It was also hard because one of our wheels was in front of each over. The challenge in the spring I would like to do it the obstacle course. It sounds like it is tricky and hard and that is why I want to do it.

jessica

11/28/2011 04:48:16 am

I think that the hardest thing was building the robot because sometimes it works then other times it falls apart and we are just behind.

No I have actually never built a robot or used lego’s before but I have actually watched people build. I said oh that looks easy then I actually tried it this year and it isn’t as easy as I thought! There is so many different steps to do this do that!

I think that lego’s are important to keep in the 6th grade because people that don’t work well together can or maybe actually have to because they are in the same group and then after that they probably end up being friends! Or you could just be shy and make new friends.

I don’t think that I could choose the best part it was all so fun but if I had to I would either choose working with pace or working building even though I thought that was pretty hard. I think that when pace came or should I say before my group was falling behind and they really helped us build and get started programming even though it was hard. I think the building could have been easier if we worked together instead of doing different parts then trying to put it together so I think we would have went a little faster. I also think that our group works well together even when our robot doesn’t work we are always fixing it

Emily

11/28/2011 04:48:47 am

I would have to say the hardest part about LEGOs would be programming. Sometimes the data wouldn’t pass completely onto the robot and you have to repeat this task multiply times. Also if you did not have your robot on the data could not go through and save itself onto the robot so then you would soon have to realize that it should be turned on so you can save the programming you just completed.

The challenges changed my point of view in many ways. I thought building a robot would take time and be difficult to finish and make the robot successfully move. I think that it changed my view by showing me how easy robots are to actually program and build. It also showed me how not to judge a book by its cover I thought it would be difficult to actually make the robot move and to figure out how to attach certain pieces.

I think you should keep the LEGOs for the next year. I think the new 6th graders could expand their knowledge on these robots as our classes did and you should maybe even tell other teachers so the whole grade could create and build a robot. I think you were definably able to give me a better understanding of how LEGOs and robots work.

The best part of LEGOs was watching the robots race each other and crating them as a whole. I also enjoyed creating them with the PACE members who helped us in many ways. I am really pumped for the dance off to see how the robots and teams will turn out. Thanks for helping me with better knowledge of LEGOs.

Charlotte

11/28/2011 04:50:34 am

I think LEGOs are important to keep in sixth grade for many reasons. They build team skills and concentration. Your group has to work together efficiently together even if you are not happy with your group. I think the best part of LEGOs was the first part of them with the first challenge. My group worked really well together and we fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

I would rather do an obstacle course. I think that would be cooler than challenges because I always think of obstacles as really fun. The hardest part of LEGOs was probably programming. The building wasn’t that hard, but when it came to the programming things went wrong. We got it eventually, but it was hard in the beginning.

Ethan Lewis

11/28/2011 05:10:33 am

The hardest thing for me has been the mathematical part of the programming for example, during the race our robot was going too far before the competition because we weren’t good at calculus we couldn’t get the exact number and our robot lost.
But the best part of Legos has definitely been programming with PACE because they are funny, helpful and have a good attitude.

I think Legos are important to have in the 6th grade science curriculum because it teaches building, programming and how programming turns into motion.
For the next challenge I would like it to be greater on how many challenges it can complete, the reason is that I think is best to design a robot that can do more than one thing instead of being programmed to do one thing, because if robots work as planned for the future, robots will have to walk, talk, listen and do countless chores.

Leonardo Rinaldi

11/28/2011 05:37:54 am

If you had to grade yourself on your progress thus far on LEGO's (including your knowledge of the program, your ability to build and program, use of sensors, etc.) are you below expectations, meeting or exceeding them?

Answer:Our robot is dancing pretty good so I give it an A-. This is right at my expectations. I feel great about the program. Right now, I am trying to build a Lego model of an Allosaurus. I did the feet. On Thursday I will build the tail.
If Legos was not going to end, I would like to build other creations like pet animals and mythical creatures like dragons and unicorns. I am not sure how I feel about Legos ending, sad I guess. Chris was in my group, and Jacob and Vinnie and McCrae.

2. What has been the best part of LEGO's?

Answer: Legos has been really good because I get the time to build whatever I want. I also like how my group was all boys. As a team, we used laptops. I didn’t use it much though. Jacob Roth found out that the light sensor for our robot did work, it turned on.

Vincent

11/28/2011 05:40:41 am

The hardest part of this project was getting started. Reading all the direction and following the directions to program our robots was pretty hard. I think Lego’s are very important to keep in 6th grade because this project has allowed us to work in groups. I feel that we have learned to work as a team which isn’t always easy. I also think Lego’s allow you to be creative and use your imagination. Building robots has been important in developing our computer skills. It has allowed us to learn a lot about programming. I someday would like to become an engineer like my dad. Having Lego’s in 6th grade is important in learning about engineering and programming.

The best part of Lego’s has been working in our groups and learning from our mentors. We have learned a lot by doing this hands on project with Lego’s. I feel you learn more by doing. In the beginning we made a lot of mistakes, our mentors were very helpful in explaining how to use the directions. We learned from our mistakes and corrected our errors. I have grown as a student because this project allowed us to work with our team members and also with PACE University Mentors. We learned from each other and we inspired each other during this project. It allowed us to be creative and use our imaginations plus it was fun.

Alexa

11/28/2011 05:45:41 am

The hardest part of LEGO’s would have to be programming because, it’s very hard to figure out and confusing. It’s hard to know what motor it is, and how to make it move, and what sensors you’re using. It’s very complicated. So maybe next time we do programming , you can teach us a lesson on how to do program better because that was one thing that really slowed my group down. If I had to grade myself on LEGO’s I’m meeting expectations because, I’m not too good at programing but I thought I was very good at using the sensors and building the robot! So that’s why I think I’m meeting expectations on grading myself.

The best part of LEGO’s has been building the robot, not programming it but when you finally did I loved seeing the robot work! When the Robot was finally programmed and actually moved I was so excited! I felt really proud when I saw it move and do our dance!! I also loved building it; it was so much fun and interesting! In the spring I think we should do an obstacle because it would involve a lot of thinking, and I think that would be so much fun because we would learn a lot of new things, and it would be so interesting to see how good we programmed our robots in the obstacle. I think the obstacle course would be fun and really interesting idea to do!

In conclusion I liked working with the robots and you should definitely do this next year!!

Hanna

11/28/2011 05:52:21 am

I think that the hardest part of LEGO’s was programming. All of the little squares that you use to make a certain motor do something are confusing. I don’t usually know what they mean. But it is fun to try to figure out how to use programming. I think that LEGO’s are important to keep in the sixth grade. This is because we need to learn this kind of thing, because some of us may become mechanics, engineers, scientists, or something else when we grow up. LEGO robotics is introducing programming and wiring things to them. It is also giving everyone else a little bit of knowledge about that. I think that LEGO robotics should still be something that other sixth graders will do, because it is a great hands- on project. It is a lot more fun and interactive than a poster.
I think that I have grown as a student and team member during LEGO robotics. I have learned to voice my opinion. Also, I have learned not to just stand there and watch my classmates do the work, I have learned to get into it and help out. I haven’t really played with LEGOS a lot. I always thought that they were just for building little houses or cars with. Now I know that they can be made into something really cool that you can actually make do things and control. There is something that is just so satisfying about hearing the little click of the LEGOS attaching to each other.

Sean S

11/28/2011 05:55:54 am

My four questions are:
Are Lego’s Important to keep in Sixth Grade?
If you were grading yourself on your progress thus on Lego’s (including your knowledge of the program, your ability to build and program, use the sensors etc) are you below expectations, meeting or exceeding them?
What was the hardest part about Lego’s?
In the spring we will be competing in one more challenge- Would you rather compete on an obstacle course or design a robot that is graded on how many challenges you can do.

I think it is important to keep Lego’s in sixth grade because it’s just plain old fun. I mean you get to take a whole chunk out of your day to just have a good time. And believe me we need it. Also it’s good because you get to be an engineer and see how all the stuff works.
I think I would be meeting expectations. The reason I think this is because sometimes I’ll get off topic and start talking about my weekend. Also if you tested me on programming I wouldn’t know what to do, no ever even let me touch a computer.
The hardest part about Lego’s would be staying on topic. When your with someone you like its hard not to talk. Especially me, I talk constantly.
I think I would rather do an obstacle course instead of multiple challenges. The reason why is because we don’t even know what the challenges are. They could be beauty contests. At least for the obstacle course you know what’s going on. Also we might learn some cool tricks

Sierra

11/28/2011 06:03:20 am

The hardest part for me with Lego’s is building and programing. One reason I think building is hard is because, what if you can’t get the pieces to fit into place. It hasn’t happened to me but it could happen. One reason I think that programing is hard is because I don’t know what each little box does on the programming site that’s why I find programming hard. I think that it’s really important to keep the Lego robotics in the sixth grade because 1) I would feel guilty knowing that the 5th graders this year won’t get to do this amazing unit, and 2) I really want the 5th graders to learn all about it, even if it means waiting a year.

Nicholas S ;]

11/28/2011 06:16:08 am

The hardest part of Lego robotics for our team is the programming. It was hard to program because of the sensor and the seconds our robots has to groove to. Also it was hard to pick the right moves in order to match the song Axel f by Crazy Frog. So far Lego robotics has not changed my view of Legos they just helped me to push myself farther so I can achieve more. Honestly speaking I would put myself at meeting expectations due to the knowledge I have on programming because since I was two I have been building with legos not PROGRAMING.

Of course Lego are important to keep in the sixth grade because they teach teamwork, coronation and a little architecture. The best part of legos for me relates to the question that was, is it important to keep legos in the school. and it is because was going to say that my favorite part of legos is playing with them in school. I think that I have Grown a little because in the fist challenge I didn’t know anything about lego Robotics only I have seen them in stores but now I know a lot. What I would like compete in is the obstacle course.

Meagan

11/28/2011 06:16:28 am

My favorite part of the Lego’s is the programming, because it is also the hardest part of the Lego process. A lot of people find the programming to be very challenging to do and remember. If I had to grade myself on my progress thus far in Lego’s I think I am in the middle of meeting expectations and exceeding expectations. I think this because I do really well in the two different groups I’ve had so far. Also I do really well when it comes to building and programming, I think I’m a big part of my group.
I think Lego’s are really important to keep going in the 6th grade, because they help teach kids how to work well in a group and to try to reach a goal. I think we should do an obstacle course in the spring because I think it might be more of a challenge to do.

Delia

11/28/2011 06:28:21 am

The Lego challenges have been extremely fun. I think it is very important to keep Lego in the sixth grade curriculum. The Lego challenges have taught me a lot about programming and technology. I used to not know anything technical, but now I know about programming and robotics. Lego challenges teach confused kids about robotics and programming. It gives kids a chance to learn and explore the world of robotics. The Lego challenges have been a lot of fun and it is hard to choose just one thing that is the best. I think the best part might have to be watching your robot being tested because it is amazing to see what you can accomplish. I never thought that I could be good at programming, but it turns out I actually can be. Watching my robot dance is realty funny because it looks completly spastic and is not as smooth in dancing as a human.
In the spring we will be doing one last challenge. I would rather do the obstacle course challenge. This challenge sounds very fun and I think it will be interesting to see robots try to do an obstacle course. I think the obstacle course challenge is the best. I have grown a lot as a student through the Lego challenges. At first I knew nothing about programming and was absolutely clueless about robots. Now I am confident in our robotics unit. The Lego robots have helped me grow as a student.

Maia

11/28/2011 06:29:58 am

I think that the hardest part of the LEGO robotics challenges is programming the robot just right. It’s really hard to get the exact measurements and sometimes your robot will get messed up and not know what to do.
I had never built a robot before. I used to think robots were weird and really hard to build. But my opinion changed when I started LEGO robotics. Now I love building the robots and think that building them isn’t that hard. If I had to grade my progress with the program, I would say I am meeting expectations. I have a lot of knowledge about the building of the robot, but I’m not as good at programming.
I think that LEGO’s should be kept in the grade. They are really fun, but you can also learn a lot from building and programming them. I love the robots, and really hope future sixth graders will be able to make LEGO robots. The best part of LEGO robots is probably preparing for the challenges. I love adding the finishing touches to the robot and the programming.
I think I have grown as a team player a little bit during the process. I have learned to compromise better and work as a team better. I have learned that the best way to get something done is to share the work. For the spring I’m not sure which one of them I like better. I really like both of them, and think that it will take a lot of hard work in order to get the challenges done. But I enjoy the challenge and think that both of them will be really fun.

Hannah G

11/28/2011 06:38:03 am

I think that LEGOS should be used next year because it gets kids to think about what they are doing. It also lets kids used their imagination and think outside of the box. The best part of LEGOS was when we got to coronagraph a dance for our robot. It was fun because I like to dance so I got show that I really like this type of project and that it was really interesting. The hardest part of LEGOS was when we first started. No one had any idea how to do them. When we had to program them for the first time it was kind of like “What do we do now?” My group had a really hard time during the race. I think that the race was the hardest part.
I would rather compete in an obstacle course because it would be a little more challenging but more fun. Having an obstacle course would mean that we would have more time with the LEGOS and it would be a fun thing to do during the spring, especially because we have done one challenge at a time but an obstacle course would be like a series of obstacle. I’ve grown because I have learned things in another way, more interactive. I also have grown because I have learned how to build and program LEGOS in another way. LEGOS have been an interesting way of learning.

ava

11/28/2011 06:44:27 am

I think the hardest part of the Lego robotics challenge was that you had to keep focused and try not to start building random things. I also think that learning the programming part on the computer was very tricky to understand. I think Lego’s are a big part of sixth grade because it lets kids express their creativity. When kids see robots they think their gonna attack the world they would never think of Lego’s. Lego robotics teaches kids that robots can be a toy or a scientific theory.
My favorite part of Lego robotics is the ability of learning how Lego’s could become human like. I love Lego robotics even though Lego’s and robots are more for boys. I am very happy that we will be doing robots again this spring. I think we should… design a robot that is graded on how many challenges it can complete. I think we should do this challenge so everyone can think of their own challenges so they can prove how good their robot is.

Cassidy

11/28/2011 07:22:44 am

The hardest part would definitely have to be building the robot. The Battery on our robot would keep on falling off so we really had to build a good support system. Also, the arm wouldn’t work right so we had to add things to it.
If I had to grade myself on the robot, (my knowledge, ability to build/program, use of sensors, etc.) I would probably think that I am meeting expectations. I think that because I am ok at building, good at programming, I know a lot about the LEGO’s, and I can put on and use sensors well.
I think LEGO’s are important to keep because I think the classes to come would enjoy building, programming, and overall playing with robots. I think that it is a fun experience and a learning experience.
I think that the best part in the LEGO’s experience is the challenges. I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t want to have a robot race and a robot dance off? Not anybody that I know!

matt mashenko link

11/28/2011 07:27:38 am

I think that LEGOs is an important part of 6th grade because I think it works on team work and working by ourselves. The LEGO program is very fun as well as academic. I feel that the best part of LEGO is the building the robot for the race. You had to think about drag, weight and horsepower. All of those things can affect how it would go. The weight would make it harder to move the drag is if it is aerodynamic, (To make it better take all loose parts off.) And horsepower is like if you have all four big wheels would have more horsepower compared to two big and one small wheel.
I feel I have been doing better as we move on like in the beginning I talked to people, and now I am working with the group. I feel that you did a trial and error with the new seats. I think that the new seats are a new improvement. I am working a lot better now. I would like to compete in an obstacle coarse if we are allowed to see the obstacle coarse and be allowed to practice and have time to work on it. If that is not allowed then I would like to do the challenges.

ashley<3

11/28/2011 07:32:05 am

The hardest part of the LEGO’s is building and programming. It’s hard to build the robot because you might put the wrong piece into the wrong spot or not put an important piece on the robot. It’s hard to program because I can’t find what I need and I don’t know where anything really is. Also, it’s really hard to figure out what everything means and does. The best part about LEGO’s is seeing how your friends are either good or bad with robots and programming. Also, the best part about LEGO’s is you get to do something you might not do for the rest of your life. I got to experience something I probably will never experience ever again. I had so much fun building, programming and having fun!!

I think that LEGO’s are important in 6th grade and I think we should keep it in 6th grade. I think that because the future 6th graders would really enjoy them as much as our class did. They should learn about robots, programming and building them. They would have a blast!! If I had to grade myself I would probably say I’m right in meeting expectations because I don’t know programming that well (but I know some stuff) and have the ability to build the robot. Also, I know how to work the robot.

Darren

11/28/2011 07:33:45 am

I think that the hardest part was programming because at first we did not even know how to make it go 1 inch. It was very challenging for our group at first. I have done Legos before but Lego robotics was a little different in ways.

I grade myself as meeting expectation because I know how to build and program but sometimes I fool around so that's why i am not exceeding. I think Legos are very important to keep in 6th grade because kids need a brake from everything else so Legos is fun but it involves working together and participating.

I have grown as a friend because I like to include people even know it is hard.

I think that we should do the obstacle course because it involves a lot of hard programming so it will really tell you what we are made of. I can't wait til the spring for our next challenges.

gilly

11/28/2011 07:39:17 am

The hardest part of Lego robotics is the programming for the song. My group did cha, cha slide it was hard to make dance moves to fill in the things that we cannot do. I think I would give myself meeting expectations because I am not making the robot have feet or something like that. I am just doing what I need to do to make the robot do what it needs to do. I have a good understanding of the sensors.
I think that Lego’s are a thing that should stay in sixth grade because it gives them a more fun way to know about degrees and adding up rotations. I would like to do a obstacle cores I think it might be more of a challenge or less of a challenge it maters on what type of obstacle cores

Maccray Rentel

11/28/2011 07:49:00 am

I think that the best part of Lego robotics was when the PACE students came for the second time and we worked on getting our robot to dance. The mentors really sparked up a great time with us and made us feel comfortable. Before this unit I honestly never even really paid any attention to the Lego robot program. Now it is almost all I think about when I hear the word science (I mean that in a good way). The challenges the class provided were not only useful in Lego building, but everywhere you go. Such as when you have a group you must let everyone give their opinion before jumping in.
I think that in the spring our groups should build the ultimate robot, see how many challenges it can complete, and then put it on the obstacle course. So in other words, do a mixture of both obstacle course and challenges. I think we should do it this way because if we make this crazy robot with all of these sensors and make it all ready for the challenge run, chances are it will do well in the obstacle course too. Also the kids will get their top choice of obstacle course or challenge run either way. I think that the hardest part of the Lego unit was when we were in our first Lego groups we had trouble “sharing the thunder”. We would always do everything ourselves. This was a good life lesson to learn that not everything you do is correct.

Alex

11/28/2011 08:10:14 am

If I had to grade myself on this I would give myself a meeting expectations because I know the program but I don’t know it like the back of my hand. I can also build but I can’t build like someone who has done this for a while. The best part of LEGO’s was building the robot. I think this because we can get creative and build whatever we wanted to if it worked. Also you can add and/or remove parts to your robot.

In the spring I would like to design a robot that is graded on how many challenges it can complete. I would like to do this because I think it would harder to design a robot that could do multiple challenges than just do one. I like the idea of an obstacle course but I think it’s too easy; I want a fun but hard challenge. I think LEGO’s are important to keep because it’s cool and it is better than class work and you can be creative. I think it is fun and it’s the one of the only things that you do that does not involve writing.

Damien

11/28/2011 08:11:42 am

I feel that the hardest part of LEGO robotics was the fact that this was my first time doing it and picking the song to go with it was a bit of a challange. Even though I was a little bit nervous at first I really liked this project. If I had to grade myself on my progress I think I would give my self an A. I have really tried hard and I think I have come a long way. I believe that Lego Robotics is important to leep in the sixth grade. I never had such an interesting and hands on lesson in science befoe. Having somthing this cool to do at school helps keep the class interested. The best part is that even though we are doing something fun we are learning and that is cool. If I had a chouce for the next challenge I would pick an obstacle course. I think that it would be enjoyable to do a physical activity.

Riley

11/28/2011 08:45:49 am

I think that Legos are not very important to keep in school. I think this because while it teaches some teamwork that’s it. There isn’t much more that Legos can teach kids. For the spring challenge I would like to design a robot that is graded on how many challenges it can complete. I think that because I think it is more of a challenge than an obstacle course.
I think the hardest part of Legos was programing. For me it was very confusing. I’ve never built a robot before but I have played with Legos. These challenges changed my point of view of Legos a lot! I used to think of Legos as toys. Now I think of them as work.

Max

11/28/2011 08:51:38 am

If I had to grade myself so far I would give myself a ninety. My skills with the robot’s building and programing were good, but not my teamwork. I was getting into arguments and not agreeing with everybody else. LEGOS are not important to keep in the sixth grade. LEGOS also are important to keep in the sixth grade. They should be taken away because there is almost no learning involved. They should stay because the little bit of working involves, people skills, teamwork, math, measuring, science, and computer programing.
The best part of LEGOS for me was the building and programming because I was pretty good at that. The building was fun because it required a lot of attention to the topic. The programming was fun because of the computer skills needed and the curiosity. They were also both challenging, which I liked. I think the spring challenge should be how much challenges a robot can do. It is very challenging and involves lots of teamwork and brainpower.

Lara

11/28/2011 08:54:26 am

Looking back at our Lego challenges, I think the hardest part for me to learn and do was programming. I think it was hard for all of us. One example of our issues was when we were trying to make our robot move its arm. We forgot how to and had to spend fifteen minutes experimenting and trying to figure it out.
I think that Lego’s are definitely important to keep in the 6th grade. I think you should keep Lego’s because both classes had a lot of fun with them and also we learned a lot about programming Lego’s. You should definitely keep Lego’s in sixth grade because I think that the grade below us will also learn a lot and also have a lot of fun. Programming is also a good skill to have learned. I also think that it was good to work with my classmates and learn how to solve problems together.
My favorite part and also the most interesting, was getting our robot to dance along with a song. It was fun because our robot did a lot of interesting moves, and it really stretched our minds trying to think of a song. I think that in the spring we should do the obstacle course. I think we should do the obstacle course because if we do it we could learn how to do so much more with the robot in terms of programming than if we did small and easy challenges.

katie

11/28/2011 09:02:37 am

I never really played around with LEGO’S or built a robot, but from this experience with PACE and LEGO’S I’m kind of sad I didn’t. These challenges have been such a great experience and have really been fun. I feel that during the time of building our robot, I’ve grown more as a team player and have learned to respect other people’s ideas. I feel that my group also did a really good job because we started out with an unfinished robot. We didn’t let that get to us, we just kept working and working, and now we are where everyone else is.
The best part about working with LEGO’S is definitely watching your robot grow each time you work on it. It’s like having a baby and watching it grow. Its hard work, but it definitely pays off. I think all the classes in 6th grade should experience LEGO’S. I think it’s a great chance to meet new people, and learn how to work together. If we can do it, other classes can do it. All together, I’m so excited for the DANNCEEE OFF!!!!!

Claire

11/28/2011 09:06:29 am

I think the hardest part of Lego robotics was including EVERYONE. I think I am about to meet expectations. I think lego's are important to keep in 6th grade because it helps us with creativity, but learn at the same time! The best part of Lego was the first day of Lego robotics because we learned so much about the program that day. I think I grow more in the first challenge than the second challenge. I would rather have an obstacle course because it seems more challenging and I love a good challenge!!

jacob

11/28/2011 09:20:30 am

I'm not exactly doing a traditional blog but,In think if you see all my blogs abought the lego robotics, you'll see how much my blogs have grown and gotten better.

Today in science my group didn’t program the robot but we did attach the turning wheel and touch sensor. A lot of people made negative comments about our robot because it “didn’t look right.” When we saw what our robot should have look like compared to what ours looked like my group and I faced a HUGE problem. I’m really proud of the progress that we made from day one.
At first I seriously thought it was IMPOSIBLE to make a walking talking robot with swag and I thought programming it would be harder then rocket science. Now I just feel like an idiot because I thought Lego mechanics, moving parts and sensors would make me pull out all my hair and go snowboarding on a train track but now I really see how easy it actually is.
I’ve played with little Lego’s and ones actually once had a lego birthday, but to be honest I think the most complicated Lego I had was the wheel and axle.
I’m looking forward to meeting to the pace students and the Robot Dugies are going to win it all.
Today in science my group didn’t program the robot but we did attach the turning wheel and touch sensor. A lot of people made negative comments about our robot because it “didn’t look right.” When we saw what our robot should have look like compared to what ours looked like my group and I faced a HUGE problem. I’m really proud of the progress that we made from day one.
At first I seriously thought it was IMPOSIBLE to make a walking talking robot with swag and I thought programming it would be harder then rocket science. Now I just feel like an idiot because I thought Lego mechanics, moving parts and sensors would make me pull out all my hair and go snowboarding on a train track but now I really see how easy it actually is.
I’ve played with little Lego’s and ones actually once had a lego birthday, but to be honest I think the most complicated Lego I had was the wheel and axle.
I’m looking forward to meeting to the pace students and the Robot Dugies are going to win it all.
Today in science my group didn’t program the robot but we did attach the turning wheel and touch sensor. A lot of people made negative comments about our robot because it “didn’t look right.” When we saw what our robot should have look like compared to what ours looked like my group and I faced a HUGE problem. I’m really proud of the progress that we made from day one.
At first I seriously thought it was IMPOSIBLE to make a walking talking robot with swag and I thought programming it would be harder then rocket science. Now I just feel like an idiot because I thought Lego mechanics, moving parts and sensors would make me pull out all my hair and go snowboarding on a train track but now I really see how easy it actually is.
I’ve played with little Lego’s and ones actually once had a lego birthday, but to be honest I think the most complicated Lego I had was the wheel and axle.
I’m looking forward to meeting to the pace students and the Robot Dugies are going to win it all.

At first the PACE students were a little surpised at what our robot look like because we DEFINENTY did not follow the directions. They’re words were “we would’ve gotten an A+ in creativity.” The entire the time pace group and my group tried putting the robot back together while following the directions. I think that the PACE students did more then they should have when helping us remaking the robot. I still don’t agree with my team’s name (Robot Dougies.) I think that our team name shouldn’t have an “I” in the name. for example “Hag Tag Swag.”
At first the PACE students were a little surpised at what our robot look like because we DEFINENTY did not follow the directions. They’re words were “we would’ve gotten an A+ in creativity.” The entire the time pace group and my group tried putting the robot back together while following the directions. I think that the PACE students did more then they should have when helping us remaking the robot. I still don’t agree with my team’s name (Robot Dougies.) I think that our team name shouldn’t have an “I” in the name. for example “Hag Tag Swag.”

Today in science my group and I had the best time. I wasn’t there during the first race but the second race we got 1:30 (+1 second bonus=1:31) but some people said that we cheated. Most people said that I pulled it or the timer wasn’t right but I just think that those haters are just jealous because we were faster.

CHR!$

11/28/2011 09:26:31 am

The hardest part for me was building because I had almost no experience with Legos. I would rather compete in the obstacle course because it seems more of a challenge, it also sounds more fun because we will have to measure the distances and everything, and I think it will be very exciting. I think the best part is what we are doing now, the dance competition. I think it is important to keep because, it teaches teamwork very well and if you don’t have good teamwork, this is quite difficult.

Meredith :)

11/28/2011 09:48:31 am

The hardest part of LEGO robotics would be putting the robot together, finding the right pieces, programming it to the beat of the song, and using the sensor correctly. All of this was a challenge but in the end it was worth it because you got to see your robot race other robots. It was also hard because you wanted your robot to be unique from all the other robots and you wanted it to shine; so to speak. But if someone saw you were putting pictures on the screen everyone started to do that or if there were sound affects for a robot everyone did that too. If a group came up with a cool idea everyone liked it and they had to do it too. This was very frustrating to me because it happened to our group the most and it just puts you down because you go “Oh we have sound with our robot! No one else will.” And then two groups see you out in the hall while your racing your robot and they see you have an arm for your robot or a heart on the screen and then they decide to do the same. It was annoying and sort of made you heart broken when stuff like this happened but you had to push through and not give up and hope that something would come up that could be a secret. I think that LEGO’S are important to keep in the Six Grade because you will be able to see the different types of reactions kids get to robotics and robotics helps with group work and sharing. One thing that was the best part of robotics to me was seeing your robot race and I can’t wait to see it dance because it makes you feel like you completed something and it makes you feel good inside.

I think I have grown a lot as a team member through this unit. How? Well, you need to know how to share and be kind to others which is a big thing in life and in school. I have grown as a friend because I asked people in my group what they wanted to contribute and how they could help. We also asked many questions. Which is a BIG thing in life. These challenges have changed my point of view about LEGO robotics in several ways. One is its not as easy than it looks. When you see people make a Harry Potter Castle or an Eifel Tower with LEGO’S you say “that looks easy”, but it’s not at all. It’s really hard to have everything correct right away. But when this happens don’t give up. I know at times I wanted to throw the robot across the room but I didn’t and I kept building the robot and it paid off. You need to push through it and hope that you can work with your group and create the perfect robot!!! With the robot’s I would say I’m exceeding expectations. I know the parts to the robot, how to build most of the robot, how to program the robot and how to do the light sensor. I know all of these things because my group for both challenges tried to get everyone to do everything so we knew that we had contributed to the project. In the spring I would rather design a robot and have it graded on how many challenges it can complete because it seems like more work and I LOVE to work hard!!!

Ellie

11/28/2011 09:50:23 am

I think LEGOs are important to 6th grade. I think so because they build good teamwork. Also, they are very good for creativity and problem solving because there are problems, like for the race, we figured out that the hallway wasn't quite strait, and for this challenge our group had problems with not having enough space in the hallways.
If I had to grade myself, I'd say I'm meeting expectations with our LEGO robotics unit. This is because I'm very good at building robots and I know how to do certain things like spin the arm, zig-zag, ect. Though I wouldn't give myself an exceeding expectations because I still haven't quite mastered the program.
In the spring, i would like to complete an obstacle course challenge instead of a challenge based on ability to complete tasks. This is because an obstacle course would be more fun and a task graded on multi tasking ability would be less creative and harder to program.
There have been many really great times during LEGOs. I think one of my favorite parts was building the robot in the first challenge. I really like this part. I liked it so much because I was able to see the robot growing and becoming more functional, until it has reached the point where all of the sensors and such have been attached.

dante is awesoooome 8)

11/28/2011 09:57:01 am

I think LEGOs are very important to keep in the sixth grade because it helps encourage teamwork in a fun way that kids actually like, and I know that every Monday and Thursday in the Scollins homeroom everyone’s always excited to do LEGO robotics. I think I have grown as a team member because this helped me get better at working with people which I used to be bad at I also think it helped me grow as a teacher because doing LEGO robotics before people always went to me for help.
I think I am between meeting and exceeding expectations because I can build and program really well but I need to work on using the sensors because I don’t understand how o fully use all of them. I think the best part of LEGOs is the robots dance off because you have so much more freedom then in the race because all you did in the race is make a robot go to the line and back but in the robot dance off you got to use the program much more.

Taylor C.

11/28/2011 10:09:30 am

The hardest part of LEGOs was programming the sensors to the robot. In the first challenge, the objective was to race the robot from point A to B and back. We first tried using the touch sensor which was unsuccessful since it needed a wall as a reference to touch and sense in able for it to turn around. We ended up not using the sensor but instead we entered the exact wheel rotation to determine how far the robot should go. The course one way was 107 feet and each rotation was 7 inches and with this calculation we determined the amount of wheel rotations.

In the second challenge we had to use a sensor. We first tried attaching a sound sensor but it didn't work since it was too sensitive to sound. We went back to using the touch sensor. This time it worked; the robot bounced off of a persons foot and started dancing.

If I had to give myself a grade it would be 92. I completely learned how to build a basic robot and program using rotations and the touch sensor.

I think that we should compete in the obstacle course since the class was able to get the robots to dance. The kids who have been working with LEGOs outside of the classroom has an edge over their opponents and are more capable in completing more challenges than our class.

The best part of LEGOs was selecting our own song and choreographing the robots to the dance moves.

Leo S

11/28/2011 10:27:24 am

LEGO’s are important to keep in 6th grade for several reasons: LEGO’s help us to work as a group, LEGO’s are a break from paper and pen but we are still learning, and LEGO’s are a fun competitive activity. I think the best part of LEGO’s has been working with the program on the computer.

If I had to grade myself on my progress thus far on LEGO’s I would say that I am exceeding expectations. I say this because I started off this year not knowing anything about LEGO’s and I used my knowledge of computers to help me figure out how to use the LEGO Mindstorm program. I have learned how to use the sensors with the NXT LEGO Mindstorm brain.

In the spring I would rather compete in an obstacle course because we would have to use the sensors more than we have this fall. Using the sensors is something different, that we haven’t done and therefore we can learn something new.

Ivan

11/28/2011 10:55:06 am

The best part about Lego Robotics was when we did the race, because it really made me think on how I would get the robot to have light weight to be able to go fast.
The hardest part about the Lego’s is that sometimes in my group one person wanted to do one thing, but the rest of the group didn't approve, then the whole group would get into a argument. Also sometimes we got distracted with the people around us.
To me, I think the robots are important in sixth grade because it can teach us to solve everyday situations. The most important, it teaches us how to work and cooperate with our classmates, and make new friends.
I felt like I grown as a team member because my group was very productive with our robot and was getting along very well.

leon

11/28/2011 11:30:41 pm

leon

11/28/2011 11:45:48 pm

The hardest part of LEGO's is building most of the time we either built it wrong or arguing about a sensor that we don't need. I think that LEGO's are important to keep in 6th grade because it teaches how to be a team player.

I've grown as a team player because I can deal with not getting what I want and stopping arguments from starting a lot better than before. In spring I think we should do the obstacle course it would be fun seeing the robots going through the course.

yesenia

11/29/2011 12:20:24 am

Legos are important to keep in the sixth grade because it is educational. The best part of legos was the building and programming the robots. I think i have done good in legoes and partership i would rather compeat in a obstacal couse because it seemes a lot more funner to do.

marcus

11/29/2011 03:51:33 am

The hardest part of LEGOS for me was… nothing! I have worked with LEGOS before and they are very fun and easy to use. If I had to choose something I would have to say the building, as it is very repetitive and tedious. I am exceeding my personal expectations of becoming a better programmer and I believe that I have improved in that category highly. I believe it is important to keep the LEGOS because from what I have seen most of the students (including myself) have had a lot of fun with them.
The best part of LEGOS has been seeing all of the hard work, dedication, and hours of building and programming have created, it is very satisfying to see you creation dance and race. I would rather have an obstacle course to do because with an obstacle course I will have an opportunity to work with all of the sensors.

Charlotte

12/2/2011 12:24:31 am

I feel good about working in a team, although sometimes it can get annoying. I think working in a team is an important skill for school and for life. Working in a team teaches you lots of good qualities. I think it is better to work in a team because it would be very hard to do LEGOs alone.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Looking back at LEGO's

Leave a Reply.

Archives

Categories