Posted 3:08 pm Monday, February 22, 2010
Robotics Program Helps Teach Math, Culminates With Contest At John Tyler
By EMILY GUEVARA
Staff Writer
The competition resembled a high school basketball game.
Staff Writer
The competition resembled a high school basketball game.
Coaches shouted, “Block him! Block him!”
Spectators gasped as the ball barely missed its target.
And students bowed in thanks for their accomplishments.
However, there were no baskets made or points scored — at least not in the traditional sense.
On this particular Saturday, about 25 school teams battled with robots in the John Tyler High School Junior Varsity gym. The school played host to the first VEX Robotics Competition in East Texas. The competition is one of many in which students compete nationwide. However, this is the first year in which John Tyler participated in the program.
“Robotics is a way of teaching math in a new way,” said John Tyler teacher Jim Bybee, one of the three organizers of the event.
The Tyler ISD Foundation awarded a $4,000 grant to Bybee, Josh Bush and Jimmy Osteen to start a robotics program at the high school. The funding enabled the school to hold this robotics competition with help from one of the participating schools.
The top six teams from Saturday’s event earned the right to compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas this April. The John Tyler GI Joes team was one of the six to qualify.
“The real hope is that they are going to get an introduction into computer science and engineering,” Osteen said while laying out trophies. “Anytime you can take something that’s fun, you can kind of sneak in the education.”
The competitive spirit was present in much the same way as a traditional sporting event, but the setup was entirely different. Teams competed on one of two “fields.”
A 12-by-12-foot foam surface bordered by a metal frame served as the competition area. A divider cut the field in half.
The object of the game was for the teams to get as many balls — small, medium and large in size — from their side of the field to the other side. Points were awarded based on the size and number of balls that made it to the other side.
Just like an athlete on the soccer field or basketball court, the preparation for the competition began well before the tournament. Using metal pieces, screws, wheels and gears as their equipment, students designed and built robots. They programmed the robots to operate autonomously for 20 seconds in competition. After that, they could use a hand controller.
Through this process, students learn not only how to work in teams and solve problems, but also the basic principals of engineering and computer science, coaches and teachers said.
“This is their robot, and they have to figure it out,” said assistant coach Brady Anderson, of Apollo Junior High School in Richardson. “If they fail, they learn an important lesson. If they succeed, they learn an important lesson.”
That’s the philosophy head coach Jack Nelson has for their team, Anderson said.
On Saturday, as students competed in one gym, other students tweaked their designs. It was not uncommon to see students in the practice area tinkering with their designs, cutting metal, adjusting parts and reprogramming their robots.
Fourteen-year-old Nicholas Braden sat in front of a Hewlett-Packard laptop at a cafeteria table. The Berkner High School freshman from Richardson was responsible for programming the robots, keeping track of supplies and ensuring that everything worked properly.
“A lot of the VEX stuff is very fragile,” he said. “We just got to make sure that we do everything right.”
At a table nearby, teacher Kim Swarm tried to help 17-year-old Peter Kouevi solve a problem with his robot.
The team from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas was having trouble with the microcontroller or “brain” of their robot. The program was timing out before the end of the match, so the robot just stopped dead in its tracks, essentially causing them to lose a game. The two found a quick fix they hoped would do the trick.
Swarm said that beyond the thrill of competition, students build character through these events. They learn to work under pressure and solve problems under pressure.
“They’re learning when things don’t go right to not give up,” she said.
Bybee said the event was a great success.
“They are learning a lot,” he said about the John Tyler teams. “Each time, they made more and more improvements.”
And students bowed in thanks for their accomplishments.
However, there were no baskets made or points scored — at least not in the traditional sense.
On this particular Saturday, about 25 school teams battled with robots in the John Tyler High School Junior Varsity gym. The school played host to the first VEX Robotics Competition in East Texas. The competition is one of many in which students compete nationwide. However, this is the first year in which John Tyler participated in the program.
“Robotics is a way of teaching math in a new way,” said John Tyler teacher Jim Bybee, one of the three organizers of the event.
The Tyler ISD Foundation awarded a $4,000 grant to Bybee, Josh Bush and Jimmy Osteen to start a robotics program at the high school. The funding enabled the school to hold this robotics competition with help from one of the participating schools.
The top six teams from Saturday’s event earned the right to compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas this April. The John Tyler GI Joes team was one of the six to qualify.
“The real hope is that they are going to get an introduction into computer science and engineering,” Osteen said while laying out trophies. “Anytime you can take something that’s fun, you can kind of sneak in the education.”
The competitive spirit was present in much the same way as a traditional sporting event, but the setup was entirely different. Teams competed on one of two “fields.”
A 12-by-12-foot foam surface bordered by a metal frame served as the competition area. A divider cut the field in half.
The object of the game was for the teams to get as many balls — small, medium and large in size — from their side of the field to the other side. Points were awarded based on the size and number of balls that made it to the other side.
Just like an athlete on the soccer field or basketball court, the preparation for the competition began well before the tournament. Using metal pieces, screws, wheels and gears as their equipment, students designed and built robots. They programmed the robots to operate autonomously for 20 seconds in competition. After that, they could use a hand controller.
Through this process, students learn not only how to work in teams and solve problems, but also the basic principals of engineering and computer science, coaches and teachers said.
“This is their robot, and they have to figure it out,” said assistant coach Brady Anderson, of Apollo Junior High School in Richardson. “If they fail, they learn an important lesson. If they succeed, they learn an important lesson.”
That’s the philosophy head coach Jack Nelson has for their team, Anderson said.
On Saturday, as students competed in one gym, other students tweaked their designs. It was not uncommon to see students in the practice area tinkering with their designs, cutting metal, adjusting parts and reprogramming their robots.
Fourteen-year-old Nicholas Braden sat in front of a Hewlett-Packard laptop at a cafeteria table. The Berkner High School freshman from Richardson was responsible for programming the robots, keeping track of supplies and ensuring that everything worked properly.
“A lot of the VEX stuff is very fragile,” he said. “We just got to make sure that we do everything right.”
At a table nearby, teacher Kim Swarm tried to help 17-year-old Peter Kouevi solve a problem with his robot.
The team from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas was having trouble with the microcontroller or “brain” of their robot. The program was timing out before the end of the match, so the robot just stopped dead in its tracks, essentially causing them to lose a game. The two found a quick fix they hoped would do the trick.
Swarm said that beyond the thrill of competition, students build character through these events. They learn to work under pressure and solve problems under pressure.
“They’re learning when things don’t go right to not give up,” she said.
Bybee said the event was a great success.
“They are learning a lot,” he said about the John Tyler teams. “Each time, they made more and more improvements.”
