‘Battle of the Bots’
Robotics competition preps teachers for school year
Several Broward County Public School teachers from elementary, middle and high schools across the district recently gathered for a “Battle of the Bots.”
The competition among the instructors was the culmination of a professional development workshop at Discovery Elementary School in Sunrise, where they got to learn about new VEX robots that will be introduced to students in the 2017-2018 school year.
Dr. Lisa Milenkovic, curriculum supervisor for STEM and computer science at the BCPS Applied Learning Department, said the new robotics equipment and materials are being provided through a grant by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation and NASA. Milenkovic said the funding will help push further the STEM+C initiative established in Broward Schools.
“We have teachers that are implementing this in different ways to try to reach as many students as possible,” Milenkovic said. “Computer science and STEM is really for all students.”
BCPS was selected for the grant, which is valued at about $227,000. The plan is to implement the grant over four consecutive
years, starting with the 2017-2018 school session. This first year will see a total of 55 schools across the district receive the new robotics equipment and materials, with additional schools to be added every year.
Discovery Elementary is among the 55 that will start off the new school session with the robotics equipment and resources specifically catered to its grade levels.
Principal Julie DeGreeff said the elementary school has always had a focus on technology but not to this degree until now. She said that this will hopefully spark an interest in STEM+C for the students.
“This kind of is a fun way to introduce to them that their programming has a real action in the physical world outside of just their computer screens,” DeGreeff said. “We are so happy to be part of this program and to partner with Dr. Milenkovic and the STEM + Computer Science department and just really see our kids benefit from it.”
After their training through the workshop, the instructors will now be able to incorporate the robots into their curriculum. This will in turn prepare the students for district competitions later in the school year.
Fifth grade science teacher, Robin Solano, said he is especially excited to walk students through the applied science behind the robotics equipment and how it ties in to various subjects.
“This is actually one of the few ways that I feel students can learn what they need to learn for the 21st century and beyond,” said Solano. “it starts with a simple problem in class and it extends to life problems and our kids being able to work collaboratively.”
“This kind of is a fun way to introduce to them that their programming has a real action in the physical world outside of just their computer screens.” — Discovery Elementary Principal Julie DeGreeff