Good Shepherd students turn LEGO into robotics
Apr 18, 2008 - 08:24 AM
By Chris Hall
PORT PERRY -- Bill Holtby just shakes his head.
It's hard to believe, he says, how far students can go these days with a few LEGO blocks, a couple of gears and motors, some computer knowledge and plenty of imagination.
Watching over the work of three groups of students at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Port Perry one lunch hour earlier this spring, Mr. Holtby explains that in a matter of weeks he observed a handful of grades 6, 7 and 8 students -- separated into two boys and one girls teams -- piece together sophisticated robots as a pilot project leading up to the Reach Street school's first entry into a competitive LEGO league later this year.
For one hour a week since early January, usually during lunch breaks on Mondays, the students have focussed their attention on constructing the small, pre-designed robots, complete with moving parts and a remote to control it. The challenge, however, doesn't end there as the students must then program the contraption to carry out a series of small tasks, such as moving certain distances and turning.
And, much to Mr. Holtby's surprise, and delight, the students carry out their jobs quickly and skillfully.
"The amazing part of the program is that it's fun and they're actually learning," he says.
Mr. Holtby, now retired from General Motors, got his start with student robotics about six years ago when he joined up with Port Perry High School's entry into the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program. That effort was later simplified for younger students with the creation of the FIRST LEGO League, which now sees students from R.H. Cornish and S.A. Cawker public schools take part. Port Perry's Good Shepherd is the first Catholic school in Durham to participate.
"To me, working with the kids is the ultimate thrill. These are kids who have not been educated yet to think within the box. They think outside of the box so for them nothing is impossible," says Mr. Holtby. "They have a way to bring it all together... some of the discoveries they make along the way, some of the innovations they come up with, you and I would sit down and we could sit there and scratch our heads for ages and for them it's just 'bing', it's there.
"It's the ultimate moment for a teacher... when that light goes on."
Edward Canning agrees. The school's Grade 8 teacher helps oversee the effort but concedes that in some cases he's just along for the ride.
"I pride myself on being technological savvy, but you put these kids on computers and it blows you away," he says.
Crouched down on the classroom floor with his teammates, surrounding a four-wheeled contraption that somewhat resembles one of the rovers ambling across Mars, Cody Sturgess releases his team's robot and excitedly watches it spin across the floor.
It was last year around this time when Cody created his first LEGO robot and presented it to his classmates in an attempt to woo them into participating. It worked.
"It's fun and Bill helps us a lot with building them and giving us instructions," he says. "It's a lot of fun."
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