Sam Pangelinan, left, and Arnel Gruspe demonstrate the robot “pet” that Sam programed in class. The robot will follow someone when it is placed at a specific distance, and stop when it gets too close to a person.
Nineteen students from Saipan Community School demonstrated the robotics and coding skills they learned after nine weeks of study in a special robotics unit of their computer classes.
AT a special presentation on Wednesday, 19 students from Saipan Community School demonstrated the robotics and coding skills they learned after nine weeks of study in the special robotics unit of their computer classes.
The presentation held at their school was also a closing activity of their semester. Presenting were sixth graders Jina Chun, Hiyori Okuma, Sam Pangelinan and Micaela Tenorio; seventh graders Vivian Chung, Karis Park Han, Dayeon Ko, Jun Hyuk Louis Moon, Jason Christopher J. Sablan, Nicole Williams, Ming Xuan Xiao; and eight graders Oliver Sen Huang, Soo Ho Jin, Elin Kim, Ray Patrick McDonald, Soo Han Daniel Nae, Emma Sablan and Mickaella Yang.
Sixth grader Alexander Diaz completed the course but was absent for the presentation.
At the event, students took turns conducting live coding demonstrations, which were projected on a screen for the audience to see. Students then spoke about the commands their robots would follow after the codes were readied.
For example, Sam Pangelinan input a code that enabled his robot car to follow him “like a pet,” meaning that if he was at a particular distance the robot would follow where he walked. And if he stopped, the robot’s sensor would command the robot to stop automatically.
Other students demonstrated how to make robots follow the commands from a remote control. They also input commands to make robots turn.
Robotics coach Arnel Gruspe said the students wired and assembled the robots themselves.
Following the demonstration, the students received certificates of completion.
Gruspe said for the past nine weeks his 7th and 8th grade students had been learning C++, a type of coding language.
As for his 6th graders, they used the Google Blockly program, which is more appropriate for their development level, Gruspe added.
He said as students advance, he may begin teaching them Python, a high-level programming language.
Gruspe said this is only the second iteration of robotics that he’s offered at SCS. He said the curriculum has been flexible.
“I did the curriculum two weeks prior to them starting it and then as we went along and the [robot] parts came in the mail, and depending on what their competence level was, I gave them different lesson options,” he said.
School principal Amanda Dunn was amazed by her students’ abilities.
“As a previous computer teacher and someone who loves learning it’s very exciting for me to see them come alive when they do something that they love,” she said.
