Another idea in the Survival Guide - programming orientated online courses

The third lesson in the “Survive the Lockdown - guide for STEM & robotics clubs” is published.

In the new idea for survival we’re turning our focus on moving our courses online and the different approaches that we could take. The lesson is called “Programming orientated online courses“.

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It’s easy to say that you have to turn a new page and conduct more programming orientated courses online. But you want to do it in a fun, engaging and interactive way. The fun in robotics is in the interaction with an actual robot. Where is the fun in online programming classes? How to keep students interested?

We present you three possible ways to accomplish this and what’s even better - we provide you with proven and ready to use “Scratch” solution - our brand new “Keep ‘em clean course”.

In the lesson you’ll learn more about “Blockly” -  the web-based, visual programming editor - and Python, which is one of the most popular programming languages in the world.

Why did we prefer to use “Scratch“? See the answer in the lesson.

Pssst! The course is free for registration! All you need to do is click and grab an idea from the Survival Guide.

If you’ve missed it, here is the previous lesson - “Create a community hub with Discord”, where we’re explaining why is important to have a communication channel for your community and how to set it up.

Introduce students 12+ to the popular programming language Python while using LEGO Mindstorms EV3

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If you’re a teacher and you are trying to integrate STEM and Robotics in your classroom, you’ve probably heard of LEGO Mindstorms EV3. Or you may have bought a set or two. You may even have a great experience with LEGO educational robotics and now you’re thinking that we’re wasting your time. But if you are a person, a teacher with a need of structured course for working with students above 12 years with robots and you want to make a step to a popular programming language, we’re here to say that we’ve got your back.

We’ve prepared the first two lessons of the course

Python with LEGO Mindstorms EV3

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https://www.fllcasts.com/courses/134-python-with-lego-mindstorms-ev3-level-1

The course is here to “fill the gap” between the familiar hardware for robotics with LEGO and the unfamiliar for the students programming language Python. This course is the first step of making your students fall in love with STEM and think about future career in programming. Why? Because it’s easy, it’s fun and you can teach teenagers how to create a simple robot that serves them… water, for example.

If you are having LEGO Mindstorms EV3 set, it would even cost you nothing to try this, because Python comes for free.

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Photo by Shahadat Rahman on Unsplash

The

programming language Python

could be used for introducing students to programming, for academic studies, for developing machine learning algorithms and as a general purpose language.

During the course students learn how to read and how to develop Python programs. They use an Integradate Development Environment called Visual Studio Code. Robots are programmed to perform interesting and funny tasks like “bringing you water”.

We’re starting from “A, B, C”, so no previous experience is needed. We’re explaining everything, including how to set up your working station (Lesson 1).

If this sounds interesting and you want to make your first steps in programming and robotics with Python, check the following link –> https://www.fllcasts.com/courses/134-python-with-lego-mindstorms-ev3-level-1