Abstract

Learning & Legos: A Catalyst for Creativity, Collaboration, and Community

Conference: TechEd 2007
Date: March 2007
Location: Ontario, CA
Audience: mostly community college faculty and staff involved in distance education.

Description (30 words):

Legos in college? Absolutely! Lego Robotics has become the catalyst that engages students in hands-on science, technology, math, and engineering while fostering a social network engaging students in active learning.

Abstract (500-700 words):

LEGO robotics is the catalyst that blends academic and social learning theory in a way that fosters an energetic, self-motivated community of learners. It brings together people from all ages in a learning environment that makes it ok to experiment, ok to make mistakes, and ok to share what they know. Fifteen year old students mentor re-entry students. Students who have always considered computer science something for "smart, geeky people" discover that it is something they also can do. Students not only solve the challenges presented to them, they go on to create their own interesting problems to solve and work on those as well. There is solid constructivist educational theory behind LEGO Robotics, something that Seymour Papert would call "hard fun".

Cerro Coso Community College students will share their experiences with the audience in this interactive session. They will tell you this is one of the hardest things they've ever done, but that they are having tons of fun doing it. They are actively engaged in their own learning process. We've got science, math, technology, and engineering all wrapped up in a little yellow brick. Shouldn't all learning be this fun?

Presentation outline:

• Introduction – how the program began at Cerro Coso Community College and the outcomes we expected.
• Constructivist Learning – what it is and why it works
• Lego activity – working together in small groups, workshop participants will collaborate on a hands-on project that demonstrates the active learning that takes place in our classroom.
• How robotics is being used at Cerro Coso
  • Intro to Computer Information Systems course
  • LEGO Robotics course
  • Tech Prep outreach
• Outcomes
  • Generates interest in CIS program at the college
  • Feeder classes for higher level programming courses
  • Highly visible marketing tool for college in general
• Audience panel discussion
• Resources and funding ideas for robotics programs
• Conclusions

Presenter Credentials:

Debby Kilburn has been using technology to engage her on-campus and online students since 1997. She holds a Masters degree in educational technology from Pepperdine University, has an advanced online teaching certificate from UCLA, and an online faculty teaching certificate from Cerro Coso Community College.

Debby is currently one of 55 educators nationwide to participate in a grant program with LEGO Education and Carnegie Mellon University, pilot testing their new Robotic Engineering curriculum. She is an professor of computer information systems at Cerro Coso Community College.