Robocamp
About the Teacher
Mr. Calderon is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelors degree in Psychology (Pre-Med) and a Masters degree in counseling from St. Edwards University. He has been a middle school teacher for Pflugerville I.S.D. at Westview Middle School for 7 years. He has taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math and science. He has also been a cheerleading coach and a boys soccer coach for at Westview for 4 years. The Westview Middle School Cheerleading team achieved a National Championship in 2010 and a Regional Championship in 2012. The boys soccer team also recently won the district championship for P.I.S.D. in May of 2012. Mr. Calderon is also a GED instructor for Austin Community College where he has personally achieved over 120 graduates from program. Mr. Calderon’s philosophy in teaching and coaching is to create a positive, comfortable environment where students have the ability to learn and excel. He is an avid chess player and always enjoys a quick game to keep his students engaged. During his off time, Mr. Calderon enjoys spending time with his daughters (Victoria -15 and Isabella-7) bike riding, swimming and golfing. As an ongoing project of 6 years, Mr. Calderon has volunteered time to collect blankets and clothing for Austin’s homeless as well as donations for the Boys Scouts Club #2 in his home town of Chihuahua, Mexico. He is excited to join this wonderful organization and looks forward to spending time this summer with his new students.
Some of the things the campers learned while in camp
“One of the favorite parts of the camp was learning how to make the robot move and play music”
RoboCamp Itinerary
1. Team Roles (Roles will change each day)
- Project Manager
- Programmer
- Engineer
- Communications Specialist
- Materials Specialist
2. Skills covered/learned throughout the camp
- Technology Literacy
- Computer Programming
- Project Management
- Teamwork
- Problem Solving
- Time Management
3. What is a ROBOT?
- How Robots Work
- Part Identification
- RCX
- The Chassis
- Connecting Leads
- Sensors
- RCX Major Components
4. What is a System?
- What is Programming?
- Problem & Solution
- Requires Teamwork with the Programmer and Robot
- Role of Programmer – The human is responsible for identifying the task, planning out a solution, and then explaining to the robot what it needs to do to reach the goal.
- Role of Robot – The machine is responsible for following the instructions it is given, and thereby carrying out the plan.
- Because Humans and Robots Do Not Speak the Same Language We Must Use a Special Language.
- Finally, take note: the robot only follows the program, it does not think for itself. Just as it can be no stronger than it is built, the robot can be no smarter than the program that the human programmer gave it. You, as programmer, will be responsible for planning and describing to the robot exactly what it needs to do to accomplish its task.
- Problem Solving Techniques
- Brainstorming
- Generic Problem Solving Practices
- Define the Problem
- Brainstorm Solutions
- Evaluate Solutions – Pick One
- Try (implement) Best Solution
- Evaluate Results
