Photo by Chris Kowalczyk, Luddy School Communications
Kids want fun when learning, and if it comes through robots, who knows what kind of cool stuff can result?
Griffin Murphy, Candace Stephenson and the rest of their Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering Teach IT teammates know as they work with third through fifth graders at the Bloomington Boys and Girls Clubs as part of Teach IT’s new robotics initiative with the Lincoln Street club.
“Seeing the kids have fun with the robots and learn new things and applying it to the robots makes it rewarding,” said Stephenson, a sophomore informatics major in her second semester in the program.
Added Murphy, a sophomore cybersecurity and global policy major in his first semester teaching robotics: “We’re there every week and that makes it fun, especially with the kids who come pretty much every week. That’s when we get to keep tacking on to what we’ve built and presented. They are learning and getting more creative with their programming and ability.”
Teach IT is part of the Luddy School’s Laurie Burnes McRobbie Serve IT Clinic, which connects students with local government agencies and nonprofit organizations through real-world technology projects.
Una Thacker, community engaged learning director, said the robotics program aims to close the digital divide, engage youth in hands-on STEM learning, and build workforce-ready skills using Edison robots – a programmable robot technology designed to be a complete STEM teaching resource for coding and robotics education. Adding to the fun element – Edison robots integrate with LEGO components.
Thacker said the robotics program uses Teach IT’s “proven instructional model of recurring, engaging sessions.” She said students have repeated exposure to problem-solving challenges and get comfortable with the technology to create a solid foundation for continued interest in technology and STEM careers.
Led by Teach IT team lead Jeffrey Ogouyemi, a senior informatics major, the initiative has a robust curriculum focused on engineering design, physical science concepts such as speed and motion, and data collection through sensors.
Students help with lesson planning, Murphy said.
“We ask them, what would you like to do next week or what about trying it his way or that way? We put that into a cohesive lesson plan so it doesn’t repeat every week.”
Some club students have significant robotics experience, some do not. All are as eager to learn as Teach IT volunteers are to teach it.
“It’s exciting stuff,” Stephenson said.
Classes focus on “elementary-level programming,” Murphy said.
“It’s all of the major concepts and ideas,” he added, “but at a third-to-fifth-grade level. We do a lot of visual code. Not everything is typed out. We look for ways to make it easier.”
Teach IT instructors use Scratch, a visual programming language developed by MIT and designed for beginners. It uses a drag-and-drop, block-based interface to create games, animations, and interactive stories.
“It’s easy to understand,” Stephenson said.
It’s well suited for Edison Robots, which are two-wheeled, LED-compatible orange cubes that can move forward and background, make noise and flash lights.
“We had to learn how to use them ourselves,” Murphy said. “That was part of the fun in doing this. Mostly, the robots just move around a lot. Kids want to see them move and make sounds.
“In our last lesson, we had it program music. In the interface, they could play every note. It was all broken down into things that are taught in classrooms and then applied to robot use in whatever fun and imaginative ways we can.”
The Lincoln Street club site had previously tried to run a robotics program, but struggled with curriculum and lesson planning because of a lack of robotics expertise.
Teach IT instantly changed the dynamics even while continuing its coding and digital literacy programs at the other club sites.
Bloomington Boys and Girls Clubs Operations Specialist Phil Engel said the robotics program “has become much more successful and well-attended by having individuals knowledgeable about the subject matter in the room. Teach IT’s presence benefits the individual kids as well as the staff.”
Bloomington Boys and Girls Clubs purchased 30 Edison robots with ten each going to its Lincoln, Ellettsville and Crestmont locations.
Engel and clubs Executive Director Leslie Abshier praised Luddy students’ “enthusiasm” and willingness to “train volunteers on the robots and the curriculum a semester in advance to ensure they were well-prepared.”
Thacker said Teach IT has plans to potentially expand the robotics program to the additional club sites in future semesters.
“This initiative reflects the deep and trusted relationship we’ve built with the Boys and Girls Club over the years,” she said. “It gives us the flexibility to experiment, iterate, and support the needs of local youth in meaningful ways, while simultaneously allowing our students to witness the real-world impact of their contributions.”
Teach IT has previously used tech toys in other programs with the clubs. Thacker said its toy collection was originally funded by Jack Tyndall, a former Teach IT Team lead and IU student congress member who will graduate in May with a Luddy School master’s degree in cybersecurity risk management.
“Teach IT students have remarked on how much it changes the room when they bring in a tech toy from our collection,” Thacker said. “They said that the kids get excited and can’t wait to work with the items and explore them.”
Beyond the robotics program, Teach IT has taught more than 100 youth during the past school year in its weekly programs across the different club sites.
Engel and Abshier said Luddy students engage with Boys and Girls Clubs youth to build relationships that foster a do-your-best atmosphere while encouraging curiosity and creativity.
Engel and Abshier called Serve IT “a wonderful volunteer group to work with. They are communicative and responsive on an administrative level.”
Club officials have nominated Serve IT and Teach IT for the city of Bloomington’s Be More Awards, which honors outstanding volunteers in Bloomington and Monroe County.
“Not only is Serve IT a wonderful resource in the nonprofit community,” Engel said, “but the youth at the Boys & Girls Clubs love Teach IT’s volunteers and programming!”
Luddy students share that love. Murphy’s Teach IT interest comes after doing a lot of service-based activities in high school and wanting “to find a way to continue to do that in college.” For Stephenson, it was a “great way to get to know teammates and take on a leadership role.”
Or, as Murphy put it, “If you’re at the Luddy School, you should do Teach IT. Involve yourself.”
