Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:54:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AlziraFS.pdf: 2161764 bytes, checksum: 1d0222529ef56674661a66ce88796933 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-16 / In this work, we propose a methodology for teaching robotics in elementary schools, based on the socio-historical Vygotsky theory. This methodology in conjunction with the Lego Mindstoms kit (R) and an educational software (an interface for control and programming of prototypes) are part of an educational robotics system named RoboEduc. For the practical development of this work, we have used the action-research strategy, being realized robotics activities with participation of children with age between 8 and 10 years, students of the elementary school level of Municipal School Ascendino de Almeida. This school is located at the city zone of Pitimbu, at the periphery of Natal, in Rio Grande do Norte state. The activities have focused on understanding the construction of robotic prototypes, their programming and control. At constructing prototypes, children develop zone of proximal development (ZPDs) that are learning spaces that, when well used, allow the construction not only of scientific concepts by the individuals but also of abilities and capabilities that are important for the social and cultural interactiond of each one and of the group. With the development of these practical workshops, it was possible to analyse the use of the Robot as the mediator element of the teaching-learning process and the contributions that the use of robotics may bring to teaching since elementary levels / Neste trabalho propomos uma metodologia para o ensino de rob?tica no Ensino Fundamental, baseada na teoria s?cio-hist?rica de Lev Vygotsky. Esta metodologia em conjunto com o kit Lego Mindstormsr e um software educacional (uma interface para controle e programa??o de prot?tipos) comp?em o sistema de rob?tica pedag?gica denominado RoboEduc. Para o desenvolvimento dessa pesquisa foi utilizado o m?todo pesquisaa??o, sendo realizados atividades de rob?tica com a participa??o de crian?as com idade entre 8 a 10 anos, alunos do Ensino Fundamental I da Escola Municipal Professor Ascendino de Almeida, localizada no bairro Pitimb?, na periferia de Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. As atividades visaram produzir conhecimento sobre a constru??o de prot?tipos rob?ticos, sua programa??o e controle. Ao construir os prot?tipos as crian?as desenvolvem ZDPs, que s?o espa?os de aprendizagem que quando bem aproveitados proporcionam a constru??o, pelos indiv?duos n?o s? de conceitos cient?ficos, mas tamb?m de habilidades e compet?ncias importantes para as intera??es sociais e culturais de cada um e do grupo. Com o desenvolvimento das oficinas foi poss?vel analisar a utiliza??o do rob? como elemento mediador do processo de ensino-aprendizagem e as contribui??es que o uso da rob?tica pode trazer para o ensino desde o n?vel fundamental

TITLE: LEGO Mindstorms: Didactic utilization in mathematics with a focus on fractals ABSTRACT: The objective of this thesis is to determine whether the teaching of fractal geometry supported by computer and robotic LEGO Mindstorms NXT has its place in the education of primary and secondary schools pupils in the Czech Republic. The theoretical part focuses on key topics and personalities closely connected to fractal geometry problematics. It provides a brief historical overview of the fractal geometry development, its potential use in teaching mathematics (with reference to Turkish curriculum documents), and a description of LEGO Mindstorms NXT which can well serve as a manual for teachers and pupils. The practical part contains instructions for building a robotic turtle as well as a proposal of teaching block aimed to support pupils' algorithmic and geometric thinking including key competencies. Quantitative comparison of the results taken from Turkish studies and evaluation of the project by the author and pupils are a part of the experiment as well. KEYWORDS: LEGO Mindstorms NXT, fractal, programming, Logo, learning by doing, turtle, Papert, L-system, microworlds

The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® toolkit can be used to help students learn basic programming and engineering concepts. Software that is widely used with LEGO MINDSTORMS is ROBOLAB, developed by Professor Chris Rogers from Tufts University, Boston, United States. It has been adopted in about 10,000 schools in the United States and other countries. It is used to program LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics in its icon-based programming environment. However, this software does not provide debug features for LEGO MINDSTORMS programs. Users cannot test the program before downloading it into LEGO robotics hardware. In this project, we develop a simulator for LEGO MINDSTORMS to simulate the motions of LEGO robotics in a virtual 3D environment. We use ODE (Open Dynamic Engine) and OpenGL, combined with ROBOLAB. The simulator allows users to test their ROBOLAB program before downloading it into the LEGO MINDSTORMS hardware. For users who do not have the hardware, they may use the simulator to learn ROBOLAB programming skills which may be tested and debugged using the simulator. The simulator can track and display program execution as the simulation runs. This helps users to learn and understand basic robotics programming concepts. An introduction to the overall structure and architecture of the simulator is given and is followed by a detailed description of each component in the system. This presents the techniques that are used to implement each feature of the simulator. The discussions based on several test results are then given. This leads to the conclusion that the simulator is able to accurately represent the actions of robots under certain assumptions and conditions.

The research described in this dissertation examines the possible link between self-regulated learning and LEGO Mindstorms robotics activities in teaching concepts in an introductory university computer programming course. The areas of student motivation, learning strategies, and mastery of course objectives are investigated. In all three cases analysis failed to reveal any statistically significant differences between the traditional control group and the experimental LEGO Mindstorms group as measured by the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and course exams. Possible reasons for the lack of positive results include technical problems and limitations of the LEGO Mindstorms systems, limited number and availability of robots outside of class, limited amount of time during the semester for the robotics activities, and a possible difference in effectiveness based on gender. Responses to student follow-up questions, however, suggest that at least some of the students really enjoyed the LEGO activities. As with any teaching tool or activity, there are numerous ways in which LEGO Mindstorms can be incorporated into learning. This study explores whether or not LEGO Mindstorms are an effective tool for teaching introductory computer programming at the university level and how these systems can best be utilized.