Area schools compete in robotics challenge – Daily Ardmoreite

By Stephen Lamar

Intently looking at laptop screens, data sheets and colorful booklets with coding information, dozens of students prepared for their next move.

More specifically, preparing for their robots next move.

The Junior Botball Challenge was conducted in the Oak Hall Episcopal School Gymnasium on Saturday, welcoming nearly 30 teams and five schools to participate in various robotic challenges. The event, a part of The Noble Foundations Noble Academy, features several different tasks for the robots to perform, which are programmed completely by the students.

The Noble Foundation first got involved with robots in the classroom last year, when they conducted an after school program with some area students. After the success of the pilot program, they reached out to area schools to see if there was an interest in a robotics program. With Noble Academys emphasis on the principles of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), the program made perfect sense.

Robotics, and programming, is in that wheelhouse, Frank Hardin, Noble Academy, said. It fits really well.

Hardin said not many schools had robotics programs in the area and so the Noble Foundation loaned out three kit robots to area schools that were interested. Hardin said the students are actually programming and coding to make the robots function. While some robot programs use a simpler version of code, the robots being used in the program use the actual C Language and students are actually coding.

Hardin said the teachers/instructors of the program went through workshops to learn how to teach the code. Now, teams of students filled Oak Hall Episcopals campus with their robots.

I think its been a really good success, Hardin said. What these kids are accomplishing in there today is just phenomenal.

The challenges require critical thinking and on-the-spot changes, with each challenge posing different obstacles and objectives. Groups of students could be seen doing a challenge, realizing they need to make a change, and rushing back to their laptops to make programming changes to reach success.

The kids are so engaged, Melanie Williams, Oak Hall Episcopal science teacher, said. Its competitive within themselves. Theyre not competing against another group its the internal drive to complete this challenge.

It gets them thinking on the spot, Joey Adams, Charles Evans Elementary fifth grade teacher, said. They have to do some critical thinking and make adjustments and it challenges them.

For many participating schools, this was the first time they were using their robots competitively. Schools were divided into teams and if, as a school, the teams completed at least six of the challenges they received a trophy. During a lunch break, many of the students quickly scarfed down pizza and rushed back into the Oak Hall gym to make adjustments to their bots.

They wont even hardly eat lunch because theyre so excited to going again, Williams said, with students rushing behind her to tweaking their bots.

Hardin said the agriculture business is evolving, with technology and robotics becoming more prevalent in the field. Computer and programming jobs are growing quickly, with 12,000 jobs expected to be available for programmers in Oklahoma alone across the next decade, Hardin said.

The bots serve as a gateway into programming and coding, potentially opening up a future career path for many of the students preparing their robots. Hardin said another event will be conducted in December, providing students another change to compete and challenge themselves.

Theyre learning while theyre having fun, Hardin said. They dont know it but theyre getting a lot of exposure and learning from this.

Read the original here:

Area schools compete in robotics challenge - Daily Ardmoreite