LEGO EV3 Robotics: A Guide for Educators

As an elementary school educator I am always looking for ways to connect curriculum with meaningful activities and project based learning methods. Robotics engages and excites students in multiple subject areas. Several years ago I had the privilege of being trained in the methods of teaching robotics under the direction of Dr. Jawa's (REAL) program at Cal Poly, I was forever changed as an educator and how I present my lessons. This book has grown out of Dr. Jawa's program and the years he has taught teachers how to teach using robotics. This manual will provide you with all the information needed to start and/or strengthen a robotics program. Each chapter clearly lays out student outcomes and progressively develops deeper programming knowledge as the student completes each chapter. Having no experience with robotics to undertake teaching the subject could be intimidating, however by compiling his teaching strategies and methods in this book, Dr. Jawa has created a very thorough yet simple to follow teaching manual for educators, parents, or individuals to use as they bring robotics into the classroom, homeschool, or after school program. This book will strengthen student knowledge of building and programming robots using an EV3 kit. This is an excellent starting point for understanding computer programming.

This is a perfect book for any parent, coach or teacher to introduce robotics to elementary or middle school students. It is a great book to highlight how to be a facilitator. I have been teaching VEX IQ the same way and it is just a validation that it does not matter what type of robotics you teach. This is an engaging and approachable way to being a facilitator. Mom's Guide to Robotics is a nonprofit enabling this way of teaching in Lake County Florida. I recommend this to anyone already teaching or anyone thinking about teaching robotics.

Good

Very easy to follow.

Great book for learning Lego EV3.

I have been involved in introducing students of various ages from elementary-high school to robotics using lego kits. One area where I have seen a deficiency is a guide to help the teacher plan a curriculum that is interesting and age appropriate. Another limitation was that instructors new to lego robots needed to attend a training session in order to become proficient enough to teach the material. This is a problem if you are not near a location where you can get training. This guide begins by how to manage and organize the class in teams. In addition, many, many tips that have been tested and experiences (“Don’t use your teeth to take parts apart: you may break your teeth”). The guide includes tried and true step by step instruction on how to introduce the robot and use of appropriate technical language. It has basic ‘experiments’ by which the student learns through curiosity and by DOING things, not just listening to the teacher. The various sensors and motors are introduced this way. There are also more advanced exercises for older kids or for situations where more time is available. The robot build guide is step by step high quality pictures that is very easy to follow. Typical assembly problems are also mentioned as a warning of what to watch out for. The programming environment is also described with clear and pertinent images. The description of the various programming tasks is also very clear. Overall, I consider this a very good guide to teach robotics using the EV3 Lego System.

This book is by far the best book on Lego robotics education kit. Even though the book is a guide for teachers, anyone can learn from this book. There are things like student learning outcomes and tips for teachers but that does not mean students can’t learn. This book will give you a solid foundation. It is based on the Education edition of Lego Mindstorms robot kit but is equally valid for Home edition as well. Keep in mind home edition may not have ultrasonic sensor and some parts. This book far surpasses the curriculum sold by CMU for $499. Parents can follow this book and help their children to learn robotics from beginner level to become an advanced user. It has advanced programming such as proportional control and line following with two sensors. I would recommend this to any Lego robotics enthusiast, from beginner to expert.

This book is based on a very successful robotics outreach program organized by the California State Polytechnic University. While building and programming robots sound fun, it does require certain efforts. The documentation that comes with the Lego education set, or other books give instructions for creating many robots. This is lot of fun but most students do not gain any serious skills or transferable knowledge. For that to happen you need to present the material to the students in a different way. This book does that. It shows how to use the brick, conduct experiments with sensors, and get the students ready & motivated to build robots. It also teaches programming very systematically reinforcing each concept through various missions and challenges. I highly recommend this book.

Well written with clear instructions. Very helpfull for teachers who wish to start using robotics!