BMG 2021 Grammarian Issue 2

8 ROBOTICS AT BMG (PREP-6) When people think of robots, they imagine computers, human-like robots, large manufacturing factories, satellites, rovers on Mars and other sophisticated, high-tech machinery. At BMG, students learn about some of the fundamentals of robotics – particularly some of the basic programming that helps them to function–right from Grade Prep. Students are immersed in online activities such as Code. org, ScratchJr and Scratch to help build algorithms, which utilise their logical/computational thinking skills to program characters or robots to undertake certain tasks. Students also enjoy the opportunity to undertake numerous hands-on Robotics activities to further deepen their understanding. At Prep/Year 1, students love working with Beebots where they learn basic commands and can then see their Beebot operate right in front of their eyes. At Year 4, students are introduced to the Lego WeDo2.0 program which incorporates building and writing simple programs for basic Lego robots. In Year 6, students take this one step further by working with a partner to follow a series of detailed instructions to successfully build, and then program, some complex Lego Mindstorms EV3 robots. (Students in Year 2 will also be introduced to a brand-new unit called Ozobots that is coming soon). At Bacchus Marsh Grammar, we see this as an integral part of the students’ learning, particularly in an ever-changing and developing technological world. Who knows what opportunities these students will have in the future? Mr Matthew La Franchi Head of Information Technology P-6