CREATE Lab Satellite Network

Gilbert, W.Va. - The June Harless Center for Rural Educational Research and Development, part of the College of Education at Marshall University, offered “Camp Create” at the Larry Joe Harless Community Center in Gilbert, W.Va., July 14-17^th. “Camp Create” – which was held in memory of James H. “Buck” Harless - focused on engaging children with real technology and creative robotics while integrating the arts. This year’s theme was Jurassic World; the children created dinosaur robots.

Arts & Bots is a program created by the Carnegie Mellon Create Lab at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. The children used the visual programming software to program their robots to move, light up, and audio voice-overs. Each child created his or her own robot, which was displayed at the community center. A showcase of the creative robots was held for the families and community. 

Tytus Endicott works during Camp Create using Visual Programming software to program his tetradactyl robot.

Madelyn Billups uses the visual programming software to program the tree in the dinosaurs environment to rotate 360 degrees.

During the showcase, Jaelyn Blofsky, demonstrated the program she created for her dinosaur robot to move.

Family and community members watch as Eli Hagy programs his tyrannosaurus rex.

Left to right clockwise: Issac Jewell, Jonah Mahon, and Ben Wilson work during Camp Create to build and program their robots.

Grace Ellis created an environment for her dinosaur robot. Community members observe and interact with camp participants during the showcase.

Jaeden Osborne created a sequence on the visual programming software to go along with her dinosaur robot.

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Dr. Harold Blanco's CI 350 (instructional technology) class is made up of Pre-K - 12 pre-service teachers. The class spent 3 weeks building robots as apart of Marshall University's satellite work. The training included using the equipment, programing the software, and integrating the technology into their unit plans. View some of the highlights below and check out all their bots here.

The CREATE Lab Satellite team at Marshall University's June Harless Center is running the first of three summer Arts & Bots camps this week in Mingo County, WV. Watch the full TV story here!

This week--more than three dozen students in southern West Virginia are exploring the fields of science, technology, and art. Empty juice containers, shoe boxes, and toilet paper rolls aren't the most technical objects, but these recycled materials are exactly what students are using to build robots at "Camp Create" this week in Gilbert. "It's really just about engaging children in something fun and exciting that's technology based," said Tarabeth Brumfield, program development office for the Harless Center of Marshall University. Students are using computer programs to tell their robots how to perform different functions. "We learned what everything does and how to wire it," said student Dylan Glasscock. And students are loving every minute of the design process. "I'm really into this stuff and I love science in school," said Skyler Mounts, Camp Create student. Mounts has already gotten her robot's eyes to blink and the arms to move. She's even working on getting it to talk! "I think that this will help me a lot in science because I'm moving up to middle school, and I'm sure that they have a lot of projects like this," said Mounts. Camp Create organizers hope students are energized by what they're learning to help them excel in the fields of science and math.. "The great thing about children is they're not intimidated at all. So to put real tools, real robotics components in the hands of them at 7, 8, 9, 10, then that just gets them prepared for the content that they're going to need, gets them excited about what they want to do for the future," said Brumfield. And that goes beyond school and into the hundreds of career opportunities open to kids who go into technology-related fields. "I've had children this week say they're an engineer or they're an artist, but how do you combine those skills to make a job for the 21st century? So that's what these programs are all about," said Brumfield. If you'd like to check out to finished robots these kids are making for yourself, Camp Create students will showcase their work Friday, July 11th from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Harless Center in Gilbert.

A group of teachers from Putnam County took their teaching expertise to a new dimension Tuesday afternoon during a training session at the Huntington Museum of Art. (article from the Herald-Dispatch)

The June Harless Center held an Arts and Bots training in Mingo County at Mingo Central High School on November 5, 2012.  Twelve elementary and middle school science and art teachers from Burch Elementary, Gilbert Middle, Matewan Middle, Williamson Middle, Burch Middle and Mingo Central High School took part in the training, which was funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

The Arts and Bots project integrates technology, robotics and art through the use of familiar arts and crafts supplies, circuit boards, lights, motors and sensors.  Students design, build and program robots that tell stories of literary and historical characters and events while promoting technological literacy and informal learning.  

Arts and Bots is one of several projects implemented by the Harless CREATE Satellite, a branch of Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab at the June Harless Center.  The satellite provides robotics and technology initiatives to West Virginia schools including Marshall University Professional Development Schools.

Due to its success Arts and Bots, originally designed to encourage middle school girls’ interest in STEM topics, was expanded to include both genders and a larger age group.  The Harless CREATE Satellite enables educators and rural communities in West Virginia a real-time portal to the flow of cutting edge technologies and programs being developed at the lab in Pittsburgh.

Doug Force's, math teacher at Barboursville Middle School in Barboursville, West Virginia accepted the challenge to inject robotics into his curriculum first semester of the 2012-2013 school year. His students used everyday household items to make robots. Once their robots were created, their challenge was to find what they did that pertained to mathematics. Other questions asked were as follows :

1. How do I make something happen on my robot when I get close to it?

2. How do I make a purple strobe light?

3. How do I make something move on my robot?

4.  What is unique about my robot? 

5.  What have I learned from this experience?

Students and their parents brought their robots to teachers' Arts and Bots follow- up meeting this week on Marshall's campus to share them with pre-service and in-service teachers. 

Next semester, Doug will continue to use Arts and Bots with a new group of students and we look forward to seeing more creative robots!

The waterbot pilot team of Rick Sharpe (Huntingtin High School) and Brian McNeal (Cabell Midland High School) went out Sunday October 7th, 2012 and installed 2 waterbots along fourpole creek in Huntington.  Fourpole creek is a large creek that runs through the center of Huntington including through Ritter Park. Rick and Brian will be utilizing the data captured by the waterbot and incorporating it into their science classes where they already teach water quality. The waterbot will be a great addition to their curriculum and plans to install a third in Martinsbug, West Virginia with a local science teacher there are in the works. 

A summer waterbot pilot was held with two science teachers from Huntington High School and another teacher from Cabell Midland High School on July 24th, 2012. Pat McKee, Rich Sharpe and Brian McNeal already teach about water quality in their classrooms and will be using waterbot throughout the year to monitor local watersheds in several different areas. A blog has been created to record findings and share results with others (http://cabellwaterbot.blogspot.com/).  Once established, future plans include training additional teachers in multiple areas. 

Teachers from Ona Elementary, Beverly Elementary, Cornerstone Academy, Kellogg Elementary, and Barboursville Middle took part in a 2-day training on arts and bots on July 10th and 11th on Marshall University's campus.  The 8 teachers agreed to pilot the project and integrate it into existing classroom curriculum and will be using it in a variety of subjects including physics, math, reading and career exploration.  Allen Perry Physics and Chemistry teacher from South Point High School in South Point, Ohio was on hand to help train the teachers on equipment use while the Harless CREATE Satellite team assisted with curriculum. The project has expanded to include additional schools and teachers since the initial training last fall.  We look forward to seeing what the teachers and students come up with this year!

The June Harless Center held a weeklong summer camp June 4^th -7^th, 2012 for children entering 2nd-5th grade on Marshall University's campus.  Allen Perry, a Physics and Chemistry teacher from South Point High School (Ohio), lead the camp with the Harless staff assisting.  Allen participated in the roll out which involved 4 local schools this past school year. Children gained inspiration for their designs from a virtual tour on the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s website and used the engineering design process to create their robots with the goal being to learn how to create and program a robot.

ASK:          What do you want your robot to look like?

                   What do you want your robot to be able to do?

IMAGINE:   Research

                   Brainstorm ideas

                   Choose the best one!

PLAN:        Draw a diagram

                   Make a list of materials you will need

CREATE:   Follow your plan and create it!

                   Test it out!

IMPROVE:  Talk about what works, what doesn’t, and what could  work better!     

                    Modify your design to make it better

                  Test it out! 

On Thursday, a showcase of the student’s work was held and parents, friends and family were invited to attend.  Some of the robot designs included an alligator, truck, Sacajawea, wooly mammoth, and recycle bots. The children enjoyed the experience and the parents were impressed with the designs that their children made and the creativity that was used