Here Comes GORT

No, I'm not talking about the reading test. I'm talking about the robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Robotics is seen by many experts in technology as the next major technological field to experience explosive growth. Bill Gates even predicts one day we will even have our own personal robots.

What does that have to do with teaching? Plenty. Right now there are tremendous resources available for teaching robotics in the classroom and/or as an extra curricular activity. Though there are several robot products out there, I prefer the Lego Mindstorms NXT. They can be built in enormous ways without using any tools, they use a sophisticated software program, and there are quite a few high quality resources to assist you in teaching them. However, they are quite an investment. But after using them for over two years, I believe they are still well worth it.

Not only have I used them in teaching, but I am also developing tools to help teachers be able to learn more about robots and use robots in the classroom. Right now I am working on a Web Quest for using robots.

For more infomation on materials for teaching robotics visit the Robot Academy website.