Blending science, technology, engineering, math and art, the Building an Interactive Friendly Monster course offers both education and recreation. To create their interactive monsters, students start by searching for design inspiration before creating sketches on paper of their monsters until they reach a final design. Students learn about the science of electronics, using electrical circuits to add interactive components to their monsters. They use high-tech technologies, such as computers and e-textiles to make the monsters interactive, learning how to program them with lights, sounds and to respond to touch. They will also discuss how technologies like robots can have an impact on the humans who interact with them.
Topics: Data analysis, crime scene etiquette and gathering evidence
In this course students learn how law enforcement uses science to catch criminals. During the week students will become members of a crime scene unit and learn how to process a crime scene, gather evidence and analyze data. They will learn about fingerprints, fibers, hair, dental impressions, tool marks, blood spatter and much more.
Topics: Block programming, functions, iterative programming and interactive storytelling
Digital Game Design teaches students to use MIT’s Scratch programming environment to create an original video game with custom graphics, sound effects and music. Students begin by developing the basic constructs of a game, gradually gaining skills in game design, storytelling, and computational thinking, while building confidence in Scratch. When they are ready to develop their final project, students will learn how to focus their ideas, integrate player feedback, and refine their games before sharing them with the world. No prior computer programming experience is required.
Topics: programming, mechanical topics, how to build and program a simple robot, design and build a robot to meet a certain goal, sensors, current world of robotics
Robots are around us each and every day, within our homes, stores, schools, and even our cell phones. Through the Robotics I course, students will gain an understanding and appreciation of the wide-ranging topics in modern robotics. With various hands-on projects, students will learn the basics of the two sides of robotics: hardware and software. They will learn how to think logically, like a computer, and learn how programming in software results in the “real world” motion of the hardware. They will learn about the principles of force, torque, velocity, power, and work, and they will use electrical motors to create movement while learning about gear ratios, wheels, and the conversion of rotational to various other types of motion. Students will learn about sensors and begin to build robots that can truly “interact” by sensing their physical worlds, interpreting sensor data, and reacting by moving and completing a given task.
We used our imagination to build things like cars and then program them. You go in with these creative thoughts in your mind and then you use them all up. By the end, you’ve done something that you’ve always wanted to do but never did because you never knew how.
