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Help with my path to robotics enlightenment? — Parallax Forums

Help with my path to robotics enlightenment?

DrPopDrPop Posts: 227
edited 2017-03-08 16:55 in Robotics
I would like to teach a small class at my daughter's school, and eventually build and program a larger, intelligent bot with ROS. It's been 17 years since my last college class with any physics / electronics, so if anyone has any advice and other helpful resources, I'd appreciate it!

EDIT: After getting to the third lecture of this course, it looks like it will definitely cover enough of the basics to get me back in the game. Then the robotics will pile on from there. ;)Understanding Modern Electronics course from The Great Courses.

Comments

  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    Parallax supports a significant education curriculum, with tested hands-on experiments written and edited by the best in the business. Go to the Learn tab at the very top and see what's there. I understand they have special resources for teachers, including a "hidden" educators forum, so be sure to ask around. I don't know if these materials are for formal educators or all those who teach, but I'm sure you'll find something useful.
  • DrPopDrPop Posts: 227
    Thanks for the info, and I just got a personal reply from Ken Gracey with some links to some videos, etc. Very impressed with the close-knit customer service here at Parallax!
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    With kids and adults, I have found that each lesson needs to end with a kapow. That is a WOW demo that they want to master and take away to amaze their friends. Show that finale at the start of class, and it goes without saying that if they slack off and don't keep up, they won't amaze anyone. Then pepper in the dry tech details along the way. Voltage, current, magic smoke, etc.

    NEVER open with the resistor color code chart, unless you flaunt convention and do the very non-PC version, bad boys rrrr ooo yyyyy ggggg but violet ggggg wwwwwwwww.

  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    non-PC?!!

    I think you'd be arrested if you came out with that in class.
  • DrPopDrPop Posts: 227
    edited 2017-03-08 21:17
    Haha! :) Thanks, I will definitely keep that in mind, and we'll see if I can get the class off the ground next year for them. Might turn into something very informal, not sure yet, but just knew I had to get some of the basics down again. Building a couple Activitybots and playing around is one thing, but being able to teach them a bit of foundation to build on and do it in a way that keeps them interested for more would be something entirely different. :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2017-03-09 02:19
    There's a boutique-style robot shop near me, Rolling Robots. They do robot camps and various events. Also birthday parties, using simple kits that can be assembled in a half hour. They're successful & profitable and have 3 shops IIRC. A really sweet couple own the store, they support lots of winning school robot teams, LEGO league and US First. They didn't bite at the DIY class I pitched to them, but I haven't given up!

    Long story short, people like robots, and I think there's enough room for all sorts of robot classes, events, parties and contests. Figure out what's age appropriate for your class and put a curriculum together. Keith Young here in the forum is also super active working with school groups, his insight is invaluable.

    There are two Ucode locations near me: https://www.ucode.com/locations/

    Also nearby is this guy in Pasadena, running what appears to be a good-sized robot course: https://www.barnabasrobotics.com/
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