1 Product Guide Product Guide This is an introduction and general overview of ideas, methods, and concepts that you will need to become familiar with in order to use the lessons with your students. Introduction Welcome to with the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT! We hope you will find the NXT s Data Logging capabilities fun, exciting, and informative; and we hope that the lessons and materials in this product help to make working with them a natural and enjoyable process. In this Product Guide, you will find several introductory articles that will help you to lay the groundwork for a successful lesson implementation using the NXT. Science and STEM Goals is a brief reminder of the Big Idea goals of science and STEM education for the 21st Century Planning Your Lessons (2 sections) gives some ideas that you might use to organize the units in the product to best fit the needs of your students, and progressively build and challenge their skill level Classroom Logistics (2 sections) lays out some of the important logistical issues that you will need to consider before and during lessons, such as charging batteries, turning in data logs, and how to run the robots with limited space around the computers Science and STEM Goals The study of Science is about both knowledge and reasoning. Students must gain an understanding of the world around them, but also be able to apply scientific reasoning and inquiry skills to answer questions in their own lives. To that end, all of the lessons in are designed to support open-endedness and exploration in pursuit of answers to scientific questions. At the same time, each lesson is structured to channel students toward a sound and supported answer. There are a few central concepts that you will find repeated frequently throughout the (SDL) lessons in support of the goal of furthering student inquiry skills. Chief among these is the idea of a scientific experiment as a fair test between different candidate answers. Inherent in the concept of fairness is the need for controlled conditions, lest an unfair advantage be given in some way to one of the candidates. Is that fair? is a valid and powerful check on the soundness of a comparison. A second key idea in the SDL s handling of scientific inquiry is that data constitutes evidence, and evidence is a requirement in order for an argument to claim legitimacy. An explanation is just a claim until it has support from fairly gathered evidence. Data is evidence from such a fair test. The NXT can provide support in the task of gathering data, by recording the data faster and more accurately than a human observer. Data Logging, as this process is called, allows for better data to be collected for use as evidence. Finally, it is important to acknowledge that Science does not operate alone, independently of other disciplines. In fact, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are all tightly interwoven. Mathematics provides critical tools for the analysis of data; Technology is both a product and a tool used in the pursuit of science; Engineering is the application of scientific knowledge and tools in order to construct, advance, and understand the human-made world. Lessons in will draw heavily upon the full breadth of these related disciplines in order to expose students to a more unified understanding of all four; it also places great emphasis on Communication and Teamwork skills, which are equally essential in the modern practice of science.
2 Product Guide Planning Your Lessons: How will you use the materials? is designed to allow as much flexibility as possible for the teacher. You will therefore find that there are many choices open to you. Do not let this be an impediment to you the first time you use the lessons; when in doubt, you will find that the material is designed to be self-supporting and you should be able to refer students back to a concretely defined section of lesson material whenever needed. Nevertheless, every lesson can be made better by your knowledgeable support and guidance, and as you gain experience with the lesson format, you will find that the lesson materials will provide students one form of support, as you provide another. One important distinction to make early on is between the style of instruction and the flow of each lesson. Flow is the natural progression of evidence and ideas in each lesson from concept to conclusion, and is defined somewhat rigidly for each lesson. This is by design, in order to prevent students from wandering too far from the original topic a perfectly natural tendency for curious students, but one that can be counterproductive in the classroom. Style however, is highly flexible, and concerns the way in which lesson materials are used within the investigation. The videos and worksheets in each lesson can be followed to the letter, or referenced as a general guide. Newer students and instructors will typically benefit more from a stricter adherence to the steps as written. The video steps cover nearly every step in every lesson down to individual mouse clicks; as you and your students learn how to use the software the very first time, this will be an invaluable resource. As you progress in your understanding and comfort level with the software, however, you may find that you do not need this level of explicit guidance. By then treating the lesson materials as guides in the exploration of the answer, you can free up students to think more about the nature of their investigations and reasoning, rather than the details of gathering the data. Potentially, the use or non-use of the videos can also serve a differentiation function in class it allows advanced students to enrich their experience with more experimental design activity, while giving less experienced students a solid, explicit foundation of instructions to follow. On a related note, it is important to remember that the videos are only one tool, and not always the most important one. As students begin to wrestle with the difficult questions in an investigation, it can be advantageous to pull them away from the screen momentarily and discuss the issues as a class. Often, this will open up new, clearer avenues for progress toward the goal. Thus, the videos can handle the step-to-step details of the experimental procedure, while discussions are used to flesh out important concepts. Planning Your Lessons: Which lessons? One final area where SDL offers a choice is in the combination of lesson that will make up the unit. The product includes a tutorial lesson, four lessons on specific science topics, and an open-ended project. You can use any combination of these, but as a general rule, it is recommended that you start with the Tutorial, gain experience with the four Investigations, and finally take on the Project; alternatively, you can start at the Project and backtrack to other lessons and resources when you find that they might provide relevant information (usually this will be the Tutorial and Light & Color Investigation). Also note that you do not need to tackle the investigations in the order they appear on the page; in fact, Motion at the top of the page may be one of the more difficult investigations because it involves programming the robot to move in addition to gathering data. It also targets higher-level math skills (pre-algebra). The Heat Investigation is perhaps the most traditional investigation. In this investigation, students use the NXT to log data over an extended period of time to see which shell material keeps a robot coolest in the sun.
3 Product Guide Sound is a logistically involved but rewarding lesson, as students play sounds through their computer speakers to see how the Sound Sensor reacts to them, then choose music that the robot can hear with the sensor to make a robot dance. The Light & Color Investigation is the most relevant to the Project, and is almost prerequisite to beginning the Project. In Light & Color, students investigate the way the Light Sensor responds to different colored strips of paper in the NXT User Guide instruction booklet. Finally, the Bridge Investigation Project is an open-ended STEM activity in which students are challenged to implement a robotic solution to potentially ease the task of inspecting the many bridges of Tri-State Confluence, PA. Many levels of optional scaffolding are provided to help you customize the experience for your students. Classroom Logistics: Setting Up Setup Checklist Logistics/Installation Acquired/reserved computers one per group of 2-4 students Acquired one LEGO MINDSTORMS Education Base Set (9797) for each group of students Installed LEGO MINDSTORMS Education NXT 2.0 Software on each computer Installed (student material) on each computer, or on shared server with shortcuts placed on student computers Purchased chargers for included NXT rechargeable batteries, or purchased 6x AA batteries for each NXT (plus spares!) Pre-Lesson Assigned students to teams of 2-4 Established rules regarding the modification of robots and other resources that are shared among multiple groups/class periods Have robots built by student volunteers if whole-class time is limited (most builds take 15-45 minutes, depending on complexity and student experience) Install the latest firmware onto the NXT. See instructions below Print/copy student worksheets Teacher Preparation Lesson Scope and sequence of Robotics activities chosen Read through Teacher Notes for each lesson in the sequence Step through the student steps for each activity if possible, or even do the activity yourself if you have time See individual lesson guides for suggestions on how the lesson will unfold When students reach a Worksheet question in the videos, make sure they answer them on their printed worksheets Use Checkpoints in the lesson guide to ensure that all groups have gathered critical data and made important predictions before proceeding
4 Product Guide Monitor and adjust to the level of direct support needed by students some classes will work better with more oversight, while others will work better with more freedom All groups should have an opportunity to work on the Continue challenges, as they are an important part of the lesson; groups that finish more quickly, however will be able to spend more time polishing their designs and creations in this phase End of Class (each period) Return the robot to the original state (remove attachments; undo any changes you made to the gears, wheels, etc.) Clean up loose LEGO parts (use the sorting trays and maps) SAVE ALL PROGRAMS AND DATA Assign homework questions End of Lesson Project Collect worksheets to correct Hold final discussion to answer any student questions Administer Quiz Move on to next lesson The Project contains a mixture of tasks that can be done in the class and at home; ensure that students are working on the proposal and reporting aspects outside class time, because they will need their robot time to gather data and refine their procedures Prepare classroom or venue for final demonstration Hold final demonstration Installing Firmware on your NXT The LEGO MINDSTORMS Edu NXT 2.0 software requires firmware version 1.26 or higher to be loaded on the NXT. Once you have installed the NXT Programming and Data Logging software on your computer, you should install the latest firmware onto each NXT by following these steps: Start the LEGO MINDSTORMS Edu NXT 2.0 Programming Software. Make sure that your NXT is turned on. If it is not, press the orange button. Connect your NXT to your computer via the USB cable. In the NXT Programming Software, open the Tools menu and select Update NXT Firmware... You can check for additional firmware updates by clicking the Check button in Online Updates. Choose LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Firmware V1.26 from the list (or, if you downloaded a newer version from the Online Updates page, use that instead). Press Download to begin downloading firmware. You will notice the Progress area indicators letting you know the status of the download. If an error occurs during the Firmware update, remove the NXT s battery for a few seconds, reattach it, and press Download again. If this does not work, consult the User Guide on the LEGO MINDSTORMS
5 Product Guide Edu NXT 2.0 Software CD for additional troubleshooting steps. Once the firmware is done downloading, you can press the Close button to finish the process. Batteries and Power Management The 9797 Base Set includes one rechargeable Lithium-Ion ( Li-Ion ) battery per set You may elect not to use the rechargeable battery, and use six AA batteries per NXT instead. These will need to be replaced (or recharged, if you are using rechargeable AA cells) periodically as they are used up. Use of the rechargeable battery is recommended for several reasons: The NXT Li-Ion battery can typically be used (under normal conditions) for an entire school day without recharging. Lower-capacity AA batteries may not last as long. The Li-Ion battery will generally provide the same amount of power to the NXT motors the whole time until they run out. Alkaline AA batteries are less consistent. If you get one charger for each battery, you can simply plug them all in to charge overnight The batteries will monitor their own power levels and prevent overcharging. This may require the use of power strips to get enough plugs for all the chargers, depending on the layout of your room and the number of robots you have. Check with your facility s management to make sure that your room is able to handle the electrical current from a number of batteries charging simultaneously. Classroom Logistics: During Lessons Have a standard method for students to store and hand in their Data Logging files. This might, for instance, involve e-mail, a shared network folder, or a USB flash memory drive. Two and a Half Softwares Using the data logging capabilities of the NXT will require some multitasking. You will need to keep this lesson software open in order to view the video steps. You will also need to run the LEGO software which controls the NXT. The NXT software itself is split into two parts: the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education NXT Programming Software and the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education NXT Data Logging Software. If you only need to do simple data logging without turning on motors, you will only need to use the Science & Data Logging (SDL) and NXT Data Logging softwares. However, the Programming software will also open automatically, and cannot be closed without also closing down the Data Logging software. If you are doing an activity that involves turning on motors or employing advanced sensor logic, you will need the Programming software in addition to the lesson software and the Data Logging software! See the Dual Mode Operation guide for more information on specific rules and procedures on the handling of data files when using both Programming and Data Logging modes together.
6 Product Guide Some general techniques may prove helpful: The Alt-Tab or Command-Tab commands on Windows or Macintosh computers, respectively, allow for quick switching between windows The title bar at the top of a window is a good way to tell which application you re looking at. Since the SDL lesson software shows pictures of the other two softwares as part of the lessons, this can be important! If you have two computers per team, consider running the SDL lesson software on one computer and the Data Logging and Programming softwares on the other. If you have two monitors attached to one machine, consider putting SDL on one monitor and the NXT Data Logging and Programming softwares on the other. Finally, it is important to remember that the lesson software is separate from the built-in help files in the NXT Programming and Data Logging softwares. The NXT softwares have their own help systems and lesson examples built in; do not use them if you are using the SDL lessons, because they address different subjects and experience levels, and will therefore not match up. To help clear up confusion, you can close the right-hand part of the NXT software window (called the Robot Educator) by clicking the smaller X symbol in the upper-right part of the window. Don t click the big X in the far corner, though; click the smaller one below it! Remote Logging The NXT can gather data while attached to a computer, or not attached. Each has advantages and disadvantages. See the Remote Logging Guide for details on the procedure required to log data with the NXT not attached to the computer. Updates and Additional Support Additional Teacher information, hints, tips, suggestions, and related materials can be found online. Please visit the site at http://www.nxteacher.com for updates and bonus material!