1. Ivy Tech and Indiana Robotics Educators
Fertilizing the “grassroots” robotics movement
Daniel Ward II
Design Technology Program Chair,
Ivy Tech Community College-Kokomo, Indiana
Chair, Indiana Robotics Educators Grant
President-VisualEdge, Incorporated

3. Funding Sources
1st workshop was funded with surplus money from a NSF grant and a robot donation from Radio Shack
Indiana Department of Workforce Development (IDWD) has funded last 6 years-2011 just finished
Success of workshops has made a major impression with IDWD
Ivy Tech provides facilities and food for the workshop participants and lodging for workshop facilitators
Autodesk donates 150 copies of Inventor Pro each year
A strong professional relationship with intelitek and Innovation First/VEX

4. Workshop Purpose
Workshops are designed to introduce high school and middle school teachers to robotics as a teaching tool
Teachers take this new knowledge and integrate it into their curriculum or after school activities
The ultimate outcome is to start a robotics program or activity in every school corporation in the state of Indiana
Introduces teachers to ITCC and the local campus in an informal setting
Allows for ITCC regional faculty and staff to meet local teachers and put a “name to a face”

5. IRE Facts Since 2005…
Indiana Robotics Educators Grant summer workshops have had 1221 participants since 2005
1055 VEX robot kits have been distributed to Indiana schools through the grant
41 major robotics competitions have been held in Indiana.
955 Indiana teams have participated in competitions (three students and a teacher per team)
14 Indiana teams advanced to the VEX Worlds Competition in May of 2008
3 advanced to the top 16 out of 91 teams around the world
40 qualified for the VEX National and World Championships in April 2009
29 competed in the VEX National and World Championships in April 2010

7. Who is Eligible
Open to public high school or middle school teachers in the state
Priority is given to STEM teachers
CTE and PLTW teachers are targeted to reach as many technology students as possible and expose them to robotics in the classroom

8. Workshop Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Teachers arrive and are given a basic overview of the grant and the overall state of technology education in Indiana. A campus tour follows.
Teachers break out into groups based on experience
First Year participants spend the afternoon learning about robots and building their first robot in groups.
Second Year Participants spend the afternoon talking about the design process and various mechanisms and their functionality. They also build a robot to use for the remainder of the workshop.
Tuesday
First year teachers learn about CADD and beginning programming of their robot. They must program their robot to navigate a maze.
Second year teachers spend the entire day learning about sensors and how to program their robot using them.
Wednesday
First year teachers finish their programming challenge and then receive rules for their afternoon challenge. They then compete for bragging rights
Second year teachers continue their sensor lessons. Seven sensors in total are covered in the two days of programming.

9. Grant Outcomes
Write a lesson plan showing how they will incorporate the robot into their curriculum
Complete a survey and provide feedback about the workshop
Attend an IRE sponsored competition with their robot

10. What they receive First Year Second Year
VEX robot kit ($500)
Autodesk Inventor Software ($3,750)
Autodesk Robotics Curriculum ($200)
CD that contains all presentation materials used during the workshop
Experience they can pass on to students in using the robot
Second Year
A VEX robot kit ($500)
Sensor Pack ($100) – Contains all the sensors used in the second year program
Programming Software ($100)
Experience they can pass on to students in building and programming their robots
Third Year (First offered in August 2009)

11. Secret of Our Success We bring the message to the audience
Teachers are inclined and willing to travel shorter distances to receive the training
Our best estimate is that every public school corporation in the state is within an hour drive of an Ivy Tech campus
We don’t just provide information – we provide hands on experiences
Other states and groups are taking notice with what is happening in Indiana and want to replicate our model
Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio will be holding workshops for 400 teachers during 2012