SPIRIT Briefing Bing Chen, Neal Grandgenett Elliott Ostler, Paul Clark

Status of current NSF grants: NSF Adaptation and Innovation ($160K): Incorporate the TekBot into NU CEEN programs NSF ITEST SPIRIT “1.0” ($1.2M): Use TekBot to teach engineering fundamentals and robotics to middle school teachers NSF Discovery K-12 “SPIRIT 2.0” ($2.99M): Develop a robotics curriculum for national distribution

Objectives of SPIRIT Develop a Grades 5-8 educational robotics curriculum to enhance STEM concepts 2.Refine the instructional effectiveness of the curriculum 3.Integrate assessments into the curriculum to help teachers 4.Replace the TekBot® with the CEENBoT/NUBoT with hardware, GUI & tutorials 5.Create cyberinfrastructure support (mat’ls, lessons, info, assessments, online diagnostics) 6.Scale the project to national levels via two summer workshops (one in Nebraska and one via distance learning) to use the curriculum

CEENBoT/NUBoT

CEENBoT/NUBoT attributes Employs RC grade level parts available to hobbyists Stepper motors versus servo or dc motors for greater precision, control and longevity Infinitely reconfigurable: a true university-level engineering product for K-12 space Chosen by NSF to develop a national educational curriculum to support STEM

Current SPIRIT Participants Primary collaboration between NU and Omaha Public Schools targeting >100 middle school math and science teachers (3 yrs) Expanded inclusion to elementary and high schools Adapt university TekBot learning platform to teaching middle school STEM topics 52% Minority District, with more that 50,000 students. Fully available test site. Also good participation from other districts Photo by: Ashley Washburn

Planned Curriculum Cyber-infrastructure:

Also Undertaking Center/Startup: NU start-up company created to meet the production demands for robots and for customer service from K-16 schools, colleges and individual customers – Continual refinements/upgrades of curriculum – Sponsoring ongoing hardware-software robot innovations and continued improvements – Offering of institutes, grade courses, etc. – Marketing to potential clients nationally and globally

Potential Markets K-12 schools throughout US for in school and after school programs Other ECE programs (and ME) within US (over 400) to give students intellectual stimulation Community colleges for transfer programs Interested individuals who are engineering “tinkerers” at heart

Timetable Space secured for manufacturing and storage: 12/07 Start-up company created: 1/08 SBIR grant preparation: 2/08 Develop business plan: 6/08 Production of first 1,000 bots for SPIRIT 1.0 and A&I grants produced with CEEN staff/labor: 8/08 Start-up manager and staff are hired: 12/08 First National SPIRIT 2.0 Workshop: Fall 2011

Center Builds Upon: NSF SPIRIT (1.0 and 2.0) Silicon Prairie Initiative for Robotics in IT New Robotics Platform Teacher Training (Robotics) National Curriculum Efforts NSF 4H Robotics and GIS (ITEST) Silicon Prairie Initiative for Robotics in IT 2.0 Summer and After School Programs Developing Special Curriculum Resources Using Lego Mindstorms NXT Kits

How can you help us get there? 1.Provide ideas, suggestions, criticisms 2.Review developing lessons of key teachers 3.Review developing lesson modules for writing team 4.Help us figure out the cyberinfrastructure strategies 5.Help us with formative and summative evaluation reports 6.Help us figure out the Center operational process 7.Help us connect to new ideas, literacy, and other possibilities 8.Tell us that we are not insane…just a bit crazy 9.Other possibilities?

Final Comment: “We have not succeeded in answering all of your problems. The answers we have found only serve to raise a whole set of new questions. In some ways, we feel we are as confused as ever, but we believe we are confused on a higher level and about more important things.” Omni Magazine, 1992