How to Teach Students to Program

If you participate in workshops and learn how to program a robot, you are ready to teach your students to program or code. You do not need to know how to do it all. Once the students get going, allow them some time to experiment and be creative. Pretty soon they will be teaching you a thing or two. Some students will be able to assist others on your team as well. Begin teaching your students the basic moves. Teach them what each part of the robot is for an what it does. I have provided link to the MINDSTORMS EV3 User Guide below.

MINDSTORMS EV3 User Guide

Once students start to learn how to program or code, let them know what the roles are as part of a robotics team. One student should not do it all. Each student should know each role, but they should not be the only one that does everything. That approach will not be good for competition especially if the team is interviewed during competition. I have provided Team Roles below I borrowed from the ERIC website.

Team Roles

Builders

Your builders need to be aware of where parts can be found and should know what different parts are called. Most roboteers lose parts and with robots costing $270 a good builder who can stay neat and organized can save you big bucks. You can obtain free chapters from a couple of NXT Books that cover NXT pieces and building instructions for a Dinobot available on the documents page. It is a good idea to assign one to two dependable builders per team, just in case someone is sick during competitions.

Programmers

Programmers are like the quarterback on a football team. If you have a good programmer on your team you have an excellent chance of doing well during competition. Programmers need to be present whenever your robot is put through its rounds so they can see if and where they need to make adjustments. Computer expertise is not a pre-requisite, but familiarity with the laptop is helpful. While it is a good idea to train someone else to program on every team, it is usually not a good idea to put two programmers on the same team. Too many chiefs...

Placers/Drivers

Your placer plays the second most important role on the team. The placer needs to have a keen eye for details, a good sense of direction and to excel at tedium. So what does a placer do? They place and aim the bot when it begins it's rounds. They touch the bot more than any other team member. A placer and programmer who can communicate well are on a winning team every time. If you are running short on team members builders make good placers as well. Placers like programmers are usually one of a kind and if absent during competition usually spell disaster.

Reporters/Recorders

These team members used to be overlooked on most teams prior to 2011, but no longer. Reporters need to be creative thinkers and writers. Reporters write the Essay or Engineering Notebook for the competition, which contribute points to the all-around title. Reporters also carry a camera and write articles to be posted on the campus website. Reporters make everyone look good. Along with their writing duties reporters make probably the most noticeable contribution to the team. They get to create the team theme. Theme involves costumes, hair styles, make up and your team's attitude during competition. The other job which can help make a big difference is the Recorder. Recorders, like Reporters need to have good writing skills or quick with a voice recorder. The more social the recorder the better. Recorders spend much of their time at competition talking with other teams and learning from their designs and taking pictures. Photographers make good reporter/recorders but photo composition skills can be taught. Contact your Public Information Department. Reporters/Recorders, like positive people, are always the more, the better.

Webmasters

Your webmasters need to be quick with a mouse, because often times websites can time out if information is not entered in a timely manner. This job is usually best done by a quiet and focused student. Webmasters work closely with the Reporters and often get credit for what the reporter does. Webmasters also contribute points toward the all-around title. Two or three webmasters are usually a must to help drive donations.

Robotics

How to start a Robotics Club

What Robots are available for Students and what Competitions are out there to compete in?

How to Program using Software

How to Teach Students to Program

How to Build a Competition Board

How to Create your own Robotics Game to Host a Competition

How to Hold your own Competition

How to Promote your Competition