Sample IT Activities (Secondary Schools)

Robotic Challenge - Robot Wrestling

Objective:
The programme aims to train up students' computer programming abilities as well as engineering problem solving method through a 3-session robotic course followed by an internal robotic wrestling competition among the groups of students.

Description:
Students will first learn to assemble and programme their robots with building blocks and robotics kits, and design the structure and mechanical gestures of the robot for a wrestling game in 3 session. Each workshop will cover both theoretical and practical elements.

Upon the completion of the 3-session training and practice, groups with about 3-4 students each will have designed and built a robot with wheels and arms for a wrestling competition in the 4th session. Students will also be encouraged to discover and solve the problems of their robot according to its performance.

Hardware	Programmable robotics kits & sensors Building blocks like LEGO, VEX PC / laptop / tablet computer with Internet connection
Software	Robotics SDK / APIs Common programming languages like Scratch / Javascript / C# / Python / Java / C++
Major Activities	Practical workshops (3 sessions; 2 hours each) Students will learn the basics of the robot's sensors and motors, programming the robot, and mechanical principles for a better engineering design of their robots. Programming Use the light sensor, ultrasonic sensor, touch sensor, etc. as signal input Movement of the motors of wheels and robotic arms Mechanical principles Structure of the whole robot Mechanism of robotic arms Usage of motors Competition (1 session; 2 hours) Students in groups of 3-4 will use their robots to play a wrestling game. They will have chance to modify their robots between each round in order to train up their observation skills and problem solving skills.
Learning Objective(s)	Acquire a knowledge of programming Become competent in computation thinking Application of physics and mechanical principles Gain an understanding of engineering design Strengthen problem-solving skills Enhance the ability to collaborate with peers
Duration	3 sessions of Training in separate classes (2 hours each) and 2-hour competition for all groups
Difficulty	Medium
Target Level	S1 - S4
Target No. of Students	About 20 students per class (the scale of Competition will depends on the number of hardware that the school would purchase; 3-4 students per group with 1 robot is preferred)