What is STREAM?

STREAM is a workshop to help K-12 educators utilize robotics as they teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. This workshop will provide educators the opportunity to explore how they might use robotics in their own STEM instruction through interactive sessions as well as through presentations by other educators currently using robotics as a way to teach STEM. Representatives of local technology companies will also describe potential careers for students interested in robotics and STEM disciplines.

Click the thumbnails to view larger photos.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Artbotics workshop presentation files and handouts

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Best practices presentation files and handouts (ZIP files)

Del Mar High School in San Jose, CA
Used Artbotics in her 3D design classes to produce Cricket car drawings, shadow puppets, and kinetic sculptures made up of Cricket car drawings. Includes student critique sheet, project criteria, history of the spirograph, and questions for students about their projects.

Revolving Museum in Lowell, MA
Ran twelve after school high school programs, each culminating in an exhibit of the students' kinetic sculptures. Includes videos of mechanisms in student projects.

Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill and Lawrence, MA
Adapted into curriculums for Microcomputers, Intro to CS, and British Literature, as well as ran four and five-day Upward Bound workshops.

Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA
Ran workshops for high school and college level students using Artbotics, with photo documentation.

Advanced Math and Science Academy in Marlborough, MA
Used Artbotics in an after school program, participating students exhibited their work Botfest, which then led them to competing in the Botball competition. Also had workshops and presentations done at AMSA to interest students in robotics.

Middlesex Community College, North Essex Community College, and UMass Lowell Design Camp
Ran multiple robotics workshops using Artbotics and TechCreation materials, projects include a haunted house and soda dispensing machine. Includes constraints, problem decomposition, brainstorming, videos of student projects, first project introduction, programming guide, and tool safety guide.

MassBay Community College in Wellesley, MA
Used Artbotics in one-hour workshops for high school students and four-hour workshops for CS0 and CS1 college students. Includes Artbotics kit component description sheet and links to photos and videos of student projects

Breakout Session discussions and findings

• Artbotics with different age groups: elementary, middle, and high school students (less than 1 MB)
• Artbotics in different settings and program types: after school / camps, and in school (less than 1 MB)
• All teachers are facing the same challenges outlined in the documents linked above.
• Artbotics is great for the shy and introverted student who doesn't know where else they might fit.
• Some students may act like they don't care, but secretly, they do!
• The ability to take something home (such as a Cricket car drawing) is a big plus. Students can bring their knowledge and experiences back to their siblings, parents, guardians, etc.

Diana Coluntino and Adam Norton, The Revolving Museum
Holly Yanco, UMass Lowell

The Artbotics program will be covered during this workshop. In the first workshop day participants will experience the structure and process of Artbotics, which is typically run in semester or week-long sessions. The second workshop day will focus on best practices of Artbotics replicators.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Artbotics: Attracting Students to STEM
The first day of the workshop will introduce kinetic art concepts, a variety of sensor and motor types, and computer programming with Cricket Logo. Participants will create interactive art which will be presented in a short exhibition at the end of the day. You are welcome to come to this day of the workshop even if you have taken another Artbotics workshop in the past.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Artbotics: Best Practices
The second day of the workshop will be focused on best practices, featuring talks by teachers who have already adapted the Artbotics materials to their curriculum. Participating teachers will be asked to share their methods of implementation and outcomes of using the materials. We will also have breakout groups focusing on Artbotics at different age levels (e.g., middle school, high school, and college) and different types of programs (e.g., one week camps, after school programs, and integration into the curriculum).

For more information on Artbotics see artbotics.org

Location Address:
iRobot Corporation
8 Crosby Drive
Bedford, MA 01730
Phone: 781-430-3000
Fax: 781-430-3001

Route 3 South:
Take exit 26 for MA-62 toward Burlington, turn left at Burlington Road/MA-62, turn left at Crosby Drive

I-95 North/South:
Take exit 32A-B, merge onto Route 3 North toward Lowell, take exit 26 for MA-62 toward Burlington, turn slight left at Crosby Drive

I-495 North/South:
Take exit 35A-B-C, merge onto Route 3 South, take exit 26 for MA-62 toward Burlington,turn left at Burlington Road/MA-62, turn left at Crosby Drive

STREAM 2012: June 27—28, 2012
STREAM 2011: June 29, 2011
STREAM 2010: June 24—25, 2010
STREAM 2009: June 25—26, 2009

The STREAM 2012 workshop is organized by the University of Massachusetts Lowell and iRobot.

Financial Support for STREAM 2012