- Today I wanted to take
some time to go through
some questions we've received from parents
looking to use our
Intro to Robotics course
with their high school students.
Okay, let's dive in, question number one.
How many lessons should
I plan to do a week
and how quickly can we finish a level?
Okay, so for level A I generally
recommend high schoolers
complete two to three lessons per week.
Level A starts at the very
beginning and it teaches
the basic concepts your
student will need to advance.
Now these lessons aren't
particularly difficult
at this level but the information
is important to learn well.
And so it's worth taking their time
and practicing the concepts.
Now once they get to level B and beyond
the lessons do become more
intense and completing
one to two lessons per
week is a better pace.
Your student will be learning
to work with more complex
electrical components and have moved on
to intermediate Python coding.
Alright now there are
18 lessons in each level
so at that pace most
students can plan to complete
levels A and B in a single
semester or levels A through D
over the course of a high school year.
Alright next question.
Can this program be used
independently or do I need
to teach my student anything?
So we specifically wrote this program
to teach directly to the student.
You know assuming your
child has a typical level
of maturity and academic
ability and motivation
for a high school student
odds are very good
that they're gonna be able to tackle
this program independently.
Okay, however, if you're
still working with them
on some of those high school
skills then please note
this is an open and go program.
So even if you sit and learn
beside them there isn't
a need for you to know
anything, you don't have
to do any prep work or
teach any of the concepts.
It's all right there for you.
Alright, question number three.
What does this course cover?
Alright, so our Intro to
Robotics course is comprised
of four levels which
initially teach electronics
and coding and then later
bring those two skills
together along with working with motors
to produce a fully
functional robot in level D
just like my friend here.
Along the way they learn to
work safely with electricity,
how to read electrical schematics
and effective troubleshooting skills.
You know in the end we want
them to not only be able
to not only be able to
control circuits they build
with code they write but to understand how
to assemble all those components
onto a moving platform.
Now if you'd like more
details we have full scopes
and sequences as well as
several sample lessons available
for each level on our website.
You know and one of those
sample lessons for each level
is the final project so you
can easily see what skills
they will have acquired
by the end of that level.
Alright, next question.
Okay, why teach robotics
instead of electronics
or coding course in high school?
Okay, well, robotics is
kind of an amazing subject
because it requires skills
in multiple technology
areas to come together to be successful
in designing and building a robot.
So, for example, to
build a functional robot
you need to be able to build
complex electrical circuits.
You have to fit them on
a platform with wheels
and work with motors.
You also need to be able to
write pretty advanced code
and have some pretty well
honed troubleshooting skills
'cause you're gonna need them.
Finally, if you were
designing your own project
you need to develop some
project management skills.
So your student will need
to articulate what they want
the finished robot to do
and then work backwards
to design the electrical
circuits and the code
necessary to make that happen.
Okay, now that's a good life
skill, isn't it (chuckles)?
But teaching robotics
is not only a great way
to ensure that complimentary
skill set but you're also
giving them a really solid
base in multiple areas,
in coding and electronics that they may
decide to pursue in the future.
Alright, question number four.
Should my high schooler plan
on completing all four levels?
Alright, so that really
depends on your goals.
You know, on one hand we'd
encourage your student
to complete all four levels
so they have a large set
of electrical components to work with,
advanced coding skills and they understand
how to work with motors
and generally have a solid
skill set for tackling
projects they find online
or projects they dream up.
But we realize that that isn't the goal
for every student, right.
So some students are
just looking to establish
maybe an intermediate
electronic and coding skills,
in which case it might be
appropriate to only plan
to complete levels A and B.
But here's the thing, whether
your student completes
only one level or all
four levels please know
that this program is designed
to teach complimentary
electronics and coding skills.
So they can stop after any
level and still have a solid
base of skills to work with.
Alright, next question.
Should my student be
practicing in between lessons?
Yes, okay, but realistically
they'll probably
handle this part on their own.
You know the feedback we get
from parents is that they normally have
to drag their kids away from practicing
with the electrical
components and the code.
So if your kid does end
up looking for ideas
though for practice one option
is constantly experimenting
with the activities
included in the course.
So your student can switch
out the electrical components,
alter the code and create new projects.
Another great option is to
look online for projects
that use both the Raspberry Pi and Python.
Now I'd recommend they wait
until they've completed
level A and, ideally, a
few lessons into level B
before they attempt to
find projects online.
You know that will ensure
that they have a solid
skill base and a set of components
and so they don't get discouraged.
Raspberrypi.org is a great
website to start with.
They have lots of projects.
They use both the Raspberry Pi and Python.
It's also a well
established and safe website
which is a nice bonus for us parents.
Alright, so next question.
As a home schooler how do I
assign high school credits
when my student uses this program?
Alright, so first, assigning
credits will be partially
a function of your state or
your country's home schooling
law so I'm just gonna speak
generally since I can't speak
to your specific situation.
The rule of thumb I often
see is that a high school
credit should be approximately 120
to 150 hours of course work.
So generally speaking,
completing both level A and B
would be about a half credit course.
Completing all four
levels, so A through D,
would be a full credit high school course.
Now if your student only
wants to complete one,
or maybe only three levels,
if you need to get those
course work hours up there
are things you could do.
You could take a full
Python course at someplace
like code.org or you could have them write
a research paper on
someone who has contributed
significantly to the
fields of electronics,
or coding or robotics,
somebody like Alan Turing
or Ada Lovelace or Nikola Tesla,
so one of those people would be great.
Okay, final question (chuckles).
What should I order and how
quickly can we get started?
Alright, so you have a
few options on the website
but for a high school student
you'll want to check out
the level A and level B combination kit.
It's a better deal than
ordering the levels individually
and includes both the curriculum
and the electrical components.
Those two levels together are equivalent
to about a half credit
for a high school course.
And you can find that
at 42electronics.com.
Once you order you'll
get a downloadable link
so you'll be able to access
your curriculum right away
and then the physical
components kit generally
gets mailed out in one to three days.
So you'll get that
shortly and you can start
working on lessons.
Okay, that's it.
A big thank you to everyone
who sent in questions.
If I didn't address something
you have a question about
please visit us at 42electronics.com
or feel free to email us at
support@42electronics.com.
