Students Build Robotic Cars in Tech Ed Elective

Students in sixth through eighth grades at The Learning Center Charter School have a wide variety of electives to choose from each week. This semester one such elective is called “Tech Ed” and involves all things technology, engineering, and making.

Under the supervision of Franklin Shook, Instructional Technology Director for the school, students in this elective have been building robotic cars. They first learned about internal computer hardware components. Then the students spent time dismantling old computer technology to see the similarities in basic components including power supply, control boards and switches.  They have been spending most of their weekly meeting time assembling robotic cars that they will eventually program to perform tasks like driving, object avoidance, responding to a TV remote and line tracing.

Shook plans to teach the group the basic function of everyday items via this hands-on STEM approach through building video games from old computers, 3D printing and additional robotics work.  STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

Shook said, “I’m excited to be able to share technology skills with my students. It is fun to be able to watch their excitement as they learn something new.”