eMedia_Educational_Robotics.pdf

Educational Robotics
eMedia
eMedia (MEdia literacy and DIgital citizenship for All)
is an Erasmus+ project (2018-1-FR01-KA201-048117)

The European Commission’s support for
the production of this publication does
not constitute an endorsement of the
contents, which reflect the views only
of the authors, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use
which may be made of the information
contained therein.”
Contributors:
Martina AGNOLETTI
Arci
Daniele BIANCHINI
Arci
Linda DANIELA
University of Latvia
Santa DREIMANE
University of Latvia
Aurélie GAUDIN
Ligue de l’enseignement
Pia GROENEWOLT
ALL DIGITAL
Shandra LOURIDO
SOS Racismo Arrazakeria
Laira MANZANI
SOS Racismo Arrazakeria
Emanuele MICHELI
Scuola di Robotica
Gianluca PEDEMONTE
Scuola di Robotica
Julie STEIN
Daniele VALLI

INTRODUCTION 4
WHAT IS ROBOTICS? 5
Robotics in the history 6
Ethics for robotics: roboethics 8
Interactions between humans and robots 9
HOW ROBOTICS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN EDUCATION? 10
Robots as facilitators for learning 10
The importance of implementing robotics in a classroom 11
What is Computational Thinking and why is it important? 12
Inclusive education and educational robotics 14
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS 16
What do you need to start in educational robotics and what you can use? 16
Some technological solutions available today 17
• The free software and open source solution 18
• Open source hardware platforms 19
• Open source software and programming environments 21
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF ROBOTICS ACTIVITIES IN CLASSROOMS 22
Activity 1 — Robotics without robots 23
Activity 2 — The rocket on the moon 24
Activity 3 — Basic electronics concepts 25
Activity 4 — The brain impact simulator 26
Activity 5 — Tangible computing with Makey Makey 27
Activity 6 — Build a driverless car robot 28
Activity 7 — The underwater robots 29
Activity 8 — Robotics arm: towards the humanoid robots 30
Activity 9 — Artificial Intelligence and robotics 31
Activity 10 — Humanoid robots 32
Bonus — Robotics contests to challenge and to motivate the students 33
SOME EUROPEAN GOOD PRACTICES 34
Coding for Inclusion 34
D-clics numériques: robotics educational path 34
Digital Welcome 34
Driverless car 35
Erasmus+ project RoboESL 35
Litera-robot: blending robot and literature 35
Poppy Station 36
Robo Hub 36
CONCLUSION 37
APPENDIXES 38
Pedagogical concept of digital skills 38
The constructivism of Seymour Papert 40
References 42
TABLE OF CONTENTS

4
Today’s world is facing more rapid technological
progress than ever and this change continues to
accelerate. In this rapidly changing world, adapta-
tion and developing new competences and skills are
essential. The development of digital technologies
and digitalisation affects all citizens, young and old.
Mobile phones, computers, tablets and other tech-
nologies that provide both social and entertainment
functions are an integral part of everyday life. Every-
one must adapt to the changing world, learn and
develop their digital competences to be able to inter-
est the digital generation in the educational process.
Digital competence involves the confident and crit-
ical use of electronic media for work, leisure and
communication. Those competences are related to
logical and critical thinking, high-level information
management skills, and well-developed communica-
tion skills (Ranieri, 2009). Digital competence is one
of the eight key competences for lifelong learning
developed by the European Commission in 2005.
The European Digital Competence Framework
(DigComp) offers a matrix to understand the essen-
tial competences needed for all citizens to adapt
in the digital world. Understanding where one is
located on the DigComp index can provide guid-
ance to improve citizen’s digital competence and
to achieve goals related to work, employability,
learning, leisure and participation in society. (Euro-
pean Commission, 2019; European Union, 2016). It
describes 21 learning outcomes in 5 areas:
1) Information and data literacy;
2) Communication and collaboration;
3) Digital content creation;
4) Safety;
5) Problem-solving.
Beyond the DigComp framework, there is also a
European Framework for Digital Competence of
Educators (DigCompEdu). This framework gives
guidance to educators and teachers on what it
means to be digitally competent. It describes six
areas of core digital competences for educators,
professional engagement, digital resources, teach-
ing and learning, assessment, empowering learners
and facilitating learner’s digital competencies. (ec.
europa.eu/jrc/digcompedu)
The eMedia project aims to promote education for
all by producing educational guidelines related to
digital practices which consists of three handbooks.
These handbooks support possibilities for a new
and innovative way of teaching different subjects
at school. They address teachers who are interested
in developing their digital competence and improv-
ing their understanding of educational robotics as
a pedagogical approach in formal or non-formal
education.
The handbooks are devoted to three aspects of dig-
ital competence:
1)
Educational robotics: to develop computational
thinking with hands-on activities.
2)
Media literacy: to understand the power and the
risks of online social media.
3)
Online expression: to promote a more responsible
use of social media, blogs, web radios and web
TVs.
In addition to the printed manuals, their electronic
versions are also available, with additional informa-
tion on the topic in question. Free online courses
have been created on a moodle platform. It is free.
INTRODUCTION

5
WHAT IS ROBOTICS?
It is easy to find a definition of robotics on the internet: robotics is an interdisciplinary
branch of engineering and science that includes mechanical engineering, electronic
engineering, information engineering, computer science, and others. Robotics deals
with the design, construction, operation, and use of robots, as well as computer sys-
tems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.
This operational definition allows the reader to see the relationship between robot-
ics and the education of STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics).
At the moment, there are three possible ways to classify robots depending on the
sector of application:
1) industrial robots
2) service robots
3)
educational robots, which are divided in two subcategories:
- educational robotics
- robotics for education
This material will be devoted to how educational robotics can be incorporated
in the learning process, which competences can be developed, what pedagogical
principles should be followed.

6
6
Robotics is the result of evolution, the curiosity, the
efforts and the creativity of human thought on how
to create tools and machines able to solve problems
and do specific tasks autonomously.
The process of modernisation through technical and
material conquests, has made the creation of tools
endowed with autonomy and skills possible.
The water clock clepsydra introduced by the Bab-
ylonians in 1400 BC was one of the first known
automated mechanical artefacts. In the following
centuries, human creativity gave rise to a series of
mechanical devices such as the automatic theatre of
Hero of Alexandria (c. 10 BC – c. 70 BC), the hydro-
electric machines for collecting water, the humanoid
machines of Al-Jazari (13th century) and the ingen-
ious drawings of Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), for
instance the flapping ornithopter and the machine
with a helical rotor. The development of automa-
tons continued to flourish in the 18th century in both
Europe and Asia with the creations of the watch-
maker Pierre Jaquet-Droz and the Karakuri-Ningyo
mechanical dolls.
Catlin (2019) states that the term robot was intro-
duced for the first time in 1920 to refer organisms
that perform heavy manual work, entities treated
as servants. In the opera RUR (Rossum’s Universal
Robots), by Karel Capek, robots are not automatic
machines but multiple machines made of meat. It
was Joseph Capek, the brother of Karel, a painter
(who died in the Bergen Belsen concentration
camp) who coined the term robot, for entities
more similar to Frankenstein’s creature and Philip
Dick’s replicants than to mechanical robots.
The scientist and writer Isaac Asimov anticipated
the ethical and social implications that would arise
from the introduction of robots in society. In 1940, he
tried to codify the ethics of the interaction between
robots and humans by introducing the three basic
laws of robotics in the novel Runaroud (for more
information refer to the Social considerations chap-
ter of this handbook).
A fast technological progress since the 1950s
allowed to start researches into the interactions
between human beings and machines.
The virtuous circle triggered by these phenomena
over time has produced the knowledge and the
understanding necessary to give life to the area of
robotics that is the science and technology of robots.
The first robots made in the ‘60s were born from the
union of different needs that led to the creation of
numerical control machines for precision production
Robotics in the history

7
7
and teleoperators for the handling of radioactive
materials at a distance.
Subsequently, the development of integrated
circuits, digital computers and miniaturized com-
ponents allowed the design and programming of
robots through the use of dedicated software. These
robots, called industrial robots, became essential
components for the automation of flexible manu-
facturing systems in the late 1970s.
In the 1980s, robotics was defined as the science
that studies the intelligent connection between per-
ception and action. The action of a robotic system is
entrusted to a locomotion apparatus to move in the
environment, where appropriate actuators animate
the mechanical components of the robot. Perception
is extracted from sensors that provide information on
the state of the robot (position and speed) and the
surrounding environment (force and touch, range
and vision). The intelligent connection is entrusted
to an architecture of programming, planning and
control that is based on the perception and avail-
able models of the robot and the environment and
exploits the learning and acquisition of skills.
In the 1990s, research was driven by the need to use
robots to address human safety in hazardous envi-
ronments, to improve the capabilities of the human
operator and reduce fatigue, or by the desire to
develop products with large potential markets to
improve quality of life. More recently, robots have
found new applications outside factories, in areas
such as cleaning, search and rescue, underwater,
space and medical applications.
With the arrival of the 2000s, robotics underwent a
major transformation in scope and size. This expan-
sion was determined by the maturity of the sectors
and the progress of related technologies.
Robotics, from a widely dominant industrial per-
spective, is expanding rapidly towards the new
challenges of the human world. The new generation
of robots should live safely and reliably with humans
in homes, workplaces and communities, providing
support in services, entertainment, education, care,
production and care.

8
Robots are already assisting humans in various dan-
gerous, difficult, repetitive tasks, and also service
tasks such as supporting the professional and care
support needed in hospitals, schools, retirement and
leisure centres (Siciliano, Khatib, 2016).
Not all of these robotic applications are destined
to raise serious ethical, legal and social issues. How-
ever, as in any other field of science and technology,
the impact that robots will have on our lives will
have to be assessed against the recommendations
of roboethics developed over several years.
It is the first time in human history that we find
ourselves collaborating on different fields with an
artificial intelligence (AI). The convergence of robot-
ics, AI, networks and big data, without counting the
developments in neurosciences, represent today
an extraordinary melting pot, where the synergy
between these technologies is giving an exponen-
tial rhythm to the technological progress and to the
possible applications. (Veruggio, 2018). And with
so many opportunities and benefits, all this is rais-
ing new ethical issues. Some fields of application of
robotics have already posed serious problems in the
field of human rights: military robotics, or robotic
systems applied to weapon systems (mobile robots
and armed drones). And the field of bionics, with the
design and use of hybrid systems and Brain-Com-
puter systems. (Tamburrini, 2009).
In addition, the fact that robots can connect to the
Internet or other networks, allows the development
of distributed robotic systems, aggregates of robots
whose connected processors form a parallel proces-
sor whose power would allow to address complex
problems, process data from the entire network of
robots and thus monitor, for example, from the sin-
gle cell to complex organisms (Dezhen Song, et al,
2016). Sooner or later it will be as common as using
a smartphone today to employ a robot. In about ten
years we will see people buying robots like today we
buy digital gadgets, the market will offer standard
robots and the user will customize them with apps,
sensors and other digital technologies like today we
download apps for our smartphones, updating the
standard format for the desired functions.
The robots so conformed, equipped with Machine
Learning, will coexist with us, and will learn and
memorize the patterns of our environments, our
profile (health status, habits, preferences, routines)
and any other pattern enabled to make them more
intelligent.
In addition to humans, these advanced robots will
exchange data and software among themselves,
and between databases, without direct human inter-
vention, with the aim of storing, for example, data
and solutions already found to complex problems. In
these cases, compared to robots with learning capa-
bilities, the problems called Ethical Legal System
will be greater, involving issues of privacy, personal
identity, dignity, discrimination and accessibility.
(Operto, 2008).
In reality, the key element of roboethics is not an
artificial ethics, but the discussion and study of the
ethical principles of humans, of those who design,
produce and employ these machines.
We must ensure our commitment to raising public
awareness about the problems of robotics, so that
society can take an active part in the process of cre-
ating a collective consciousness, able to detect and
prevent misuse of technology. The hope is that we
can achieve an ethic shared by all cultures, nations
and religions, so that the construction and use of
robots against human beings is considered a crime
against humanity (Veruggio, 2011).
As consequence of the robotics technology progress,
ethical concerns become more pressing: should
robots be programmed to follow a code of ethics, if
this is it, how? How might society and ethics change
with robotics?
Ethics for robotics: roboethics

9
Robots will be more and more present in homes,
hospitals and schools.
Precisely because we are beginning to see robots
operating in our work environments, the discourse
on the socio-philosophy of robots and their duplic-
ity as both technological and totemic avatars of
humans is shifting to social, relational, ethical and
legal aspects.
Robotics is still a new science and it’s far from being
mature. Preparing for this future is challenging.
However, the idea we have of robots is often bor-
rowed from science fiction or industry: the arm that
paints the bodies of cars is now in the collective
imagination. Even more often we think of anthro-
pomorphic robotics, which is only one part of this
science. In many cases it will not make sense to
build humanoids explains Veruggio. For an elec-
tronic butler, human features can be appropriate,
even psychologically. If a robot has to face a hostile
environment, such as the depths of the abyss, it will
never be an android with mask and fins.
What relationship will we have with these machines?
The ability to interact with human beings passes
through the intelligence of the robot. But we must
understand the meaning of intelligence, which in
this field is the ability to synthesize a behaviour
favourable for the survival of an individual in the
real environment or for the execution of a collec-
tive mission. Veruggio marks: I believe that robotic
intelligence is essentially the ability to be useful. It’s
simple: if robots are easy to use and do what they
need to do, they are intelligent, otherwise they won’t.
It is a common practice to attribute to Isaac Asi-
mov the merit of having posed the first question
of robot-human interaction in a social context. Asi-
mov introduced this set of rules in his 1942 short
story Runaround (included in the 1950 collection I,
Robot), although they had been foreshadowed in a
few earlier stories.
The Three Laws, quoted as being from the Hand-
book of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D., are:
1) First Law: A robot may not injure a human being
or through inaction, allow a human being to be
harmed.
2) Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given
to it by human beings except where such orders
would conflict with the First Law.
3) Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence
as long as such protection does not conflict with the
First or Second Laws.
About 80 years later after these theoretical laws
we live today with more than two million industrial
robots, a few million domestic robots (mainly vacuum
cleaners and lawnmowers) and specialised robots
(surgery, drones), and perhaps twenty thousand
humanoid robots (mostly Nao and Pepper robots).
Today, in most fields, research in robotics is focus-
sing on finding new forms of complementarity with
humans (cobotics) rather than their replacement.
Interactions between humans and robots

10
Robots are physical three-dimensional objects that
move in space and time and that can emulate
human/animal behaviour. According to important
educational experiences, it has been observed that
the use of robots in teaching offers many interesting
advantages:
• Young people learn more quickly and easily if they
are dealing with concrete and physical objects than
only by working on formulas and abstractions, as it
would be if young people simply committed them-
selves to programming a computer.
• To make an intelligent machine work improves
motivation during the learning process.
The fascination that robots evoke in children means
that even the youngest ones can explore the field of
engineering and the exact sciences from an enter-
taining perspective through these sophisticated
intelligent toys. Robots are used quite widely since
primary school, with interesting results, to illustrate
fundamental concepts of engineering, physics, elec-
tronics, programming and automation. In particular,
great success has been achieved when robots have
been used for teaching in classes composed of
young girls or children belonging to cultural minor-
ities or cultural enclaves. According to this research
(Mills, 1996, Greenfield, 1997), young girls and stu-
dents belonging to minorities tend to lose interest
in science subjects during middle school: the work
on robots, in this case, has kept the scientific inter-
est alive by associating it with a development of
manual skills and cooperative work. Moreover, these
same students have often developed an interest in
subjects such as biology and zoology, through exper-
iments on artificial creatures, an activity that can be
compared to the works of synthetic ethology.
Today robotics is one of the keys to the current industrial and cultural revolution with a strong im-
pact on economics in the near future.
According to the digital economy and society index, 90% of jobs today need some level of digital
skills. Not only coding or tech jobs will need them. With Artificial Intelligence and Robotics taking
over simple tasks, more and more employees will be needed with creative and problem-solving
skills (ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/desi).
However, the introduction of robotics in schools cannot only be the result of economic considerations.
HOW ROBOTICS CAN PLAY
AN IMPORTANT ROLE
IN EDUCATION?
Robots as facilitators for learning

11
Besides the use of robots in schools, the study of
robotics science is a rich experience for children. It is
very important to note, before the technical aspects,
the interdisciplinary character of robotic science. It
is easy to see that to build and program a robot
requires several skills and competences coming from
different disciplines.
There are multiple benefits of studying robotics in
school: the most obvious includes the development
of technical skills related to the ICT world and the
development of the computational thinking. The
new educational approach to STEAM disciplines
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math),
where part of creativity is added by adding the
concept of Art, allows to use robotics in school as
practical activity to encourage the students to learn
and apply theoretical knowledge in science, technol-
ogy, engineering, art (creativity) and mathematics.
A combination of robotics using STEAM and DIY
(do-it-yourself) approaches can be very effective to
help students improve basic skills like logic and com-
munication. A crossed-path can be created through
the classical subjects taught in classroom increasing
the understanding of the different subjects while
decreasing the learning time.
The importance of implementing robotics
in a classroom

12
The term was coined by Jeanette Wing in 2006,
at the Carnegie Mellon University, to describe
an approach to problem solving. Computational
Thinking is an approach to problem solving.
Computational thinking is not a skill, but a range of
concepts, applications, tools and thinking strategies
that are used to solve problems. You can practice
Computational Thinking without using a computer.
Jeannette Wing defines four major facets to compu-
tational thinking:
1) Decomposition: breaking a problem down into
smaller parts;
2) Pattern recognition: finding similarities and dif-
ferences between the different parts, to be able to
make predictions;
3) Abstraction: the ability to find the general prin-
ciples behind the parts and patterns in problems;
4) Algorithm Design: developing the step by step
instructions to solve different problems.
As technology continues to change our society, it is
imperative for pupils and students to learn to think
critically as well as to be able to control and create
their own digital experience. Rather than be con-
sumers of digital technologies, we want pupils to
become the producers of it.
Teaching young people computational thinking and
enabling them to understand how digital technolo-
gies work, is important to ensure they can become
empowered by digital technologies, and not merely
be users of digital technologies.
What is Computational Thinking
and why is it important?

13
An advantage is that early contact with compu-
tational thinking challenges can inspire pupils to
choose more STEAM-related fields of study. How-
ever, it is important to note that not all the children
will become programmers, engineers, architects or
experts in other fields where we assume that compu-
tational thinking is needed. It is important to support
the development of computational thinking to teach
how the world is constructed, how digital technolo-
gies are working but it shouldn’t be narrowed down
to programming.
The skill of creative thinking is challenging to define:
what is creativity? In the essay on ‘Systematic Crea-
tivity in the Digital Realm’ (Ackermann et al., 2009),
being creative is split up into three main activities:
• Combining - coming up with new, surprising and
valuable ideas and artefacts through combining
existing ideas and objects.
• Exploring - expanding our understanding of an
area or creative domain by coming up with new,
surprising and valuable ideas and artefacts.
• Transforming - transforming the way we see or
understand the world through coming up with new,
surprising and valuable ideas and artefacts.
There are many ways to develop 21st century skills;
specifically, computational thinking and creativity.
However, we believe that teaching pupils and stu-
dents to code is one of the best paths to follow. This
is because it stimulates their capacities to identify,
extrapolate and create patterns. Pupils who learn
to code have an increased understanding of sys-
tems and how they are designed. They continuously
analyse problems and come up with novel solutions
for them. Coding also offers pupils the tools to start
creating on their own.
Instead of consuming technology on a daily basis
with an uncritical attitude, pupils can now start
building their own digital future. Instead of app-con-
sumers they become app-developers. Whether it is
vocational or just for fun, learning to code provides
a great advantage.

14
Robotics incorporates a range of skills, and thus
promotes a learning environment for people with dif-
ferent talents. If properly harnessed, it also promotes
a culture of teamwork. It can even be used to help
students who might struggle to learn in traditional
classroom settings. For example, the ASK NAO robot
was developed to help autistic students. Its main goal
is to bring everyone on board through modern edu-
cational-technology approaches in academia.
The reader can find more information on the follow-
ing internet links:
-
blog.robotiq.com/how-to-get-your-team-on-board-
with-robotics
- www.botstem.eu/it/robotics-for-inclusion
- link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10758-018-
9397-5
In an inclusive education system, educational robot-
ics can help provide a better education for all
children by interacting on four different levels. These
four dimensions are:
It should also be taken in consideration that by ensur-
ing specific support the problems can arise that can
lead to social exclusion. This can occur on different
levels: exclusion from education systems or from par-
ticular fields of education, such as technology.
Some examples on how educational robotic activi-
ties can lead to the risks of social exclusion are given
below (Daniela, Lytras, 2018):
•
Special needs can both reduce access to education
in general and limit access to learning in particu-
lar areas. For example, children who have colour
blindness or discoloration problems can be con-
fronted with the programming of LEGO robots
with a high emphasis on colours; therefore, in the
context of inclusive education, not only diagnosed
and apparent disabilities but also all special needs
that can affect learning should be met.
•
The SES (Socioeconomic status) can influence
access to education if the learning materials, sup-
port materials, and the possibility of participating
in non-formal activities have to be financed by
the student’s family. If educational robotics is not
used in compulsory education, then families with
low SES will not have the possibility to provide
these innovative learning activities for their chil-
dren, and this means that the positive outcomes
of educational robotics are unavailable for these
students.
•
The Cultural diversity dimension includes children
of nomadic families, first-generation migrant fam-
ilies, Roma children and so forth. Religious beliefs
about innovation, about the involvement of girls in
science and so on can also play an important role.
•
Gender balance addresses the fact that equal
opportunities should be provided for all. In some
countries, access to education for girls is still a
problem, and in some countries research results
show that learning outcomes in particular fields
are higher for girls than for boys (for example,
reading literacy).
Inclusive education and educational robotics
Graph 1: Concept of interrelations among
inclusive education and educational robotics
(Daniela, Lytras, 2018).
Inclusive education
Educational robotics
Special
needs
Cultural
diversity Gender
Socio-
economical
status

15
It is important to understand that these dimensions
are not separated from each other; for example, a
student might be a girl with special needs from a
migrant family that has a low socioeconomic back-
ground, and this can make the barriers even higher.
The dimensions of inclusive education defined in
this conceptual model have only illustrative pur-
poses, and other dimensions can be added as well.
Educational robotics (ER) can serve as a tool for
knowledge construction and as an assistive tool for
students with problems in specific fields; or ER may
be used to change students’ attitudes to learning –
class culture – allowing everyone to be accepted
and involved. While analysing the outcomes of such
a process, it is often said that educational robot-
ics have not provided much impact on knowledge
improvement, but ER can play an important role in
other aspects that are important for keeping stu-
dents engaged and motivated. This, in turn, reduces
the risk of social exclusion and dropping out (Dan-
iela Strods, 2018; Alimisis, 2014; Moro, Agatolio,
Menegatti, 2018; Karkazis et al., 2018; Karamp-
inis, 2018), hence providing inclusive education for
everyone.
Educational robotics also shouldn’t be taken as pro-
viding a panacea for all the problems that exist in
education. However, an important principle of inclu-
sive education is ‘no child left behind’, and everyone
should remember the principles of zone, of proximal
development (Vygotski, 1978), principles of moti-
vation (Bandura, 1997; Migdley Urdan, 2001),
and previous knowledge. On one hand, educational
robotics is a tool to support reaching outcomes, but
on the other hand it also brings challenges that
can cause opposite effects if the task is too com-
plicated and pedagogical support is not provided.
Another challenge is the assumption that ER sup-
ports knowledge building, forgetting about other
possible outcomes that play an important role in
helping students to become active learning actors.
Also, challenges can be raised if ER activities are
provided as non-formal educational activities that
are available for a special group of students – those
whose families can pay for these activities or those
who are labelled as the focus group of activities (for
example, children at risk, Muslim girls, etc.). Chil-
dren don’t want to be labelled. If ER activities are
provided at a time when the school bus can’t take
students home, this again provides the possibility to
participate for those who live close to the educa-
tional setting or whose families can take them home
by car. Students who are labelled can feel satisfied
and encouraged inside such groups, but they can
feel excluded from the compulsory education envi-
ronment because of feeling labelled. This risk can
be observed not only in countries of low gross pri-
vate domestic investment (GPDI), where formally
the possibility is provided, but hidden factors are
not met.
For further information, refer to: link.springer.com/
journal/10758
For further information, refer to: link.springer.com/
journal/10758

16
It is possible to start robotics in the classroom in
different ways depending primarily on what kind of
skills the educators want to teach, how deep in the
study and comprehension of these skills they want
to go and, of course, what budget they can devote
to the project. Many possibilities are available
today on the market: from a ready to use robot, to
a robotics kit, until the possibility to create a robot
from scratch and few components.
What are the differences between these possibili-
ties?
• A robot ready-to-use can be expensive but an
time saving solution. Frequently it is not a scalable
solution so it can allow to work on a specific compe-
tence but it can be more challenging to apply it in
an interdisciplinary project.
• A kit to build a robot is a good solution if you
want to realize a workshop with a makers approach.
Assembling a robot allows students to apply
hands-on work, but also engage in skills such as
reading comprehension of technical document and
communication. It’s an excellent practical exercise
with an affordable cost.
• Making a robot from scratch can be an econom-
ical but time-consuming solution. Learning how
to make a robot is a challenge. It involves several
skills, a clear process to choose all components, to
design the robot, to code the main program. It can
be a great experience if you follow a pedagogical
approach based on trials and errors.
Use the following questions to help determine the
best fit for introducing robotics in your classroom.
1) How much time do you have for the project?
2) Do you have a specific budget?
3) What do you want to work in terms of skills and
competences?
Preliminary knowledge in electronics, like the Ohm
law, are suitable but the educator can always
include this knowledge as part of educational path.
In that case, students will discover the law during
the activity. For instance, let’s think about the possi-
bility to create their own robot using an open source
hardware platform, like Arduino (refer to the next
paragraph). In order to understand how this plat-
form works it is a common exercise to use at first
the board to control an LED light. This exercise
can be used to introduce the Ohm law to students
and basic circuit laws, at the same time it allows
the students to understand how the Arduino board
works, how to connect an external component to
the board, how to communicate with the Arduino
board through a specific software (please refer to
the next paragraph for more information about the
Arduino IDE).
In a more advanced workshop the teacher can add
to this first experience the study of the Joule effect
then to shift to thermodynamics laws and landing
on a discussion about energy production, environ-
mental impact of the technology.
Here are some useful links:
• Europe Code Week: codeweek.eu
• klascement: www.klascement.net/?hl=en
• eTwinning: www.etwinning.net/en/pub/index.htm
• Scientix: scientix.eu/live
What do you need to start in educational
robotics and what you can use?
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

17
What kind of technological solution should be adapted in a robotics project in
a classroom? It all depends on the purpose of the project. In order to make the
correct technical choice it could be important to answer the following questions:
1) What technical skills should the students learn in the project?
2) How many lesson hours can be devoted to the construction of the robots?
3) Do you want to make the robots evolve?
For instance, an educator would like to realize a basic introductory robotics pro-
ject. The goals are to focus on computational thinking, on creativity and on the
construction of a robot. Finally the educator would like to reuse the robot in other,
more advanced, projects. In this case an open source solution it is a good choice.
If the educator wants the students to focus on a specific aspect of computational
thinking without spending time in assembly task and without the intention to
create a more advanced project, in that case a proprietary solution can be more
convenient.
Some technological solutions
available today

18
The free software and open source solution
This handbook on Educational Robotics focuses on
free software and open source solutions.
Free software is featured by four main qualities:
1) The freedom to run the software
2) The freedom to change it
3) The freedom to redistribute it
4) The freedom to redistribute it with change
Not all four foundational freedoms are granted
by all software, some are only granted to a certain
degree. For example, you may be able to only run a
software on your computer, but not to change it or
to redistribute it.
Free software differentiates by open source. Open
source refers to ensuring the source code is trans-
parent, allowing it to be seen publicly. Be careful,
not all open source codes are free. Many programs
are open source, the source code is transparent, but
users do not have access to modify the code, redis-
tribute it or change it.
Since the 1990s, the definition of open source has
become increasingly widespread in the IT context. In
the case of open source, the source code is public,
encouraging its free study and allowing independ-
ent programmers to make changes and extensions.
Closed source or proprietary software experienced
its golden age at the turn of the millenium when
companies like Microsoft declared themselves ene-
mies of open source systems. At that time, the main
focus was on computer operating systems such
as Windows. Recently, thanks to the introduction
of new devices and services such as smartphones,
cloud services and service robotics to the market,
the trend has been reversed in favour of the free
and open source world. The peak of this process was
reached with the purchase of GitHub by Microsoft
in June 2018 (for more information: news.microsoft.
com/2018/06/04/microsoft-to-acquire-github-for-7-
5-billion)
GitHub is the world’s largest open code sharing
platform and location. Within Github there are
more than 57 million code repositories, of which
28 million are public, used by more than 40 mil-
lion users. In addition, over time it has also become
an increasingly popular tool for enterprise software
development (for more information:
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-03/
microsoft-is-said-to-have-agreed-to-acquire-coding-
site-github).
Over the last decade, other large companies in
the industry have also begun to invest in the open
source world. Google has developed the operat-
ing system for Android smartphones on Linux and
Apple has also developed macOS and iOS soft-
ware on open code. (For more information: www.
wired.it/gadget/computer/2018/06/25/microsoft-
github-open-source)
The fact that the world’s leading proprietary soft-
ware companies have decided to invest in the Free
and open source world demonstrates the potential
benefits of this solution in order to develop new
opportunities for business and education.
In the context of robotics context it would be more
correct to use the term Open Source Hardware.

19
Open source hardware platforms
To build a robot using a maker and do-it-yourself
(DYI) approach a mechanical structure, like a chassis
or a skeleton, and the electronic components (sensors,
actuators, control unit, power supply) are necessary.
The mechanical parts and components can be
bought on the market, printed on a 3D printer or
they can be developed by using recycled materials.
The electronic components have to be bought on the
market. The most important electronic component
of a robot is the control unit, the microcontroller, the
brain of the robot. The choice of the microcontrol-
ler determines the choice of the other components
(sensors, actuators and power supply). The sensors
and actuators have to be fully compatible with the
microcontroller. In other terms, the microcontroller
has to recognize the components and to know how
to drive the external component using a specific
library. In this section we focus on the most popular
open source control units (microcontrollers) availa-
ble today on the market.
Arduino
Arduino is an italian company that produces an
open-source low cost single-board microcontroller
family for building digital devices and interactive
objects that can sense and control both physically
and digitally. Arduino boards are available com-
mercially in preassembled form or as do-it-yourself
(DIY) kits or single components.
The board works with a free integrated develop-
ment environment, called Arduino IDE, that has to
be installed on the computer. There is also an online
version of the Arduino IDE.
Recently Arduino introduced to the general public
Arduino Education, a dedicated team formed by
education experts, content developers, engineers
and interaction designers from all around the world.
Arduino Education is focused on developing the
next generation of STEAM systems and supporting
the needs of educators and students throughout the
educational journey.
Arduino has a large global community of users who
share open-source projects, suggestions and tutori-
als for new and experienced users.
Useful links:
• www.arduino.cc
• www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Education
Elegoo
ELEGOO is a Chinese technology company
dedicated to open-source hardware research, devel-
opment, production, and marketing. Elegoo kits and
components are well known to be fully compatible
with Arduino platform.
Useful links:
• www.elegoo.com
Makey Makey
MakeyMakey is a device based on simplicity and
fun. It allows the user to to connect everyday objects
to a computer with the aim of exploiting the electri-
cal conductivity. The kit consists of a few crocodile
clips, a USB cable and a printed circuit board.
The card can replace the computer keyboard so
when connected through the USB input, the four
arrows, the mouse click, the space bar and even
some letters respond to the device and, in this way,
the user can take advantage of the characteristics
of electrical conductivity of many elements such as
fruit, vegetables, plasticine, foil, coins, etc.
Fruit is an excellent compromise, as it is very rich in
water, so using vegetables for waste can be a good
idea. Obviously the user needs to use a graphical
interface. For example, can be used Scratch.
Useful links:
• makeymakey.com
• makeymakey.com/pages/educators#resources
•
roboable.scuoladirobotica.it/it/
newsroboable/1022/Robotica_creativa_e_disa-
bilit____intervista_a_Elena_Parodi.html

20
Micro:bit
The Micro:bit open source hardware platform is a
small device (5 cm by 4 cm) fully equipped for elec-
tronics experiences with bluetooth for connectivity,
an accelerometer and compass on board.
It was created in 2015 by the British Broadcast
Company (BBC) in association with 29 other part-
ners with the aim of donating 1 million devices to
students in the United Kingdom.
Useful links:
•
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/micro-
bit/specs
• microbit.org/teach
•
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/07/
bbc-microbit-a-free-single-board-pc-for-every-
year-7-kid-in-the-uk
Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is a British built low cost com-
puter that enables everybody to learn computing,
start programming and explore basic electronics
and robotics. With Raspberry Pi you install your
own operating system, connect all your devices and
create your own programs using languages like
Scratch and Python.
Like for the Arduino plateform, Raspberry Pi has
a large world wide community users ready to help
and share very interesting projects.
Useful links:
• www.raspberrypi.org
• projects.raspberrypi.org/en

21
Open source software and
programming environments
A robot is an autonomous electro-mechanical system.
The electronic components work together executing
a main program installed in the microcontroller’s
internal memory. In order to create this program
and upload it into the robot, a software interface
and a programming environment, able to communi-
cate with the microcontroller have to be used. In this
section we focus on the most popular open source
software platforms that can be used with the micro-
controllers presented in the previous section.
IDE-Arduino
The Arduino integrated development environment
(IDE) is an application for Windows, macOS and
Linux. It allows communication with your Arduino
board. It includes a code editor and a message
area, a text console, a toolbar with buttons for com-
mon functions and a hierarchy of operation menus.
It also includes general libraries to drive different
kind of sensors and actuators.
The Arduino IDE supports the languages C and
C++ using special rules of code structuring.
Some useful links:
• www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
Open Roberta
The programming environment Open Roberta
Lab developed by Frauenhofer IAIS enables chil-
dren and adolescents to program robots. A variety
of different programming blocks are provided to
program the motors and sensors of the robot. Open
Roberta Lab uses an approach of graphical pro-
gramming so that beginners can seamlessly start
coding.
Some useful links:
• lab.open-roberta.org
• github.com/OpenRoberta
Scratch 3
Scratch is the most popular block-based visual pro-
gramming language environnement developed by
the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media
Lab.
It allows the users to create interactive stories,
games, and animations, to learn to think creatively,
reason systematically, and work collaboratively
through an online and offline plateforme.
Specific plugins can be created and added to
Scratch 3 in order to allow the platform to com-
municate with a specific microcontroller. That’s the
case, for Makey Makey or Raspberry Pi.
Some useful links:
• scratch.mit.edu
• scratch.mit.edu/educators
Snap4Arduino
Snap4Arduino is a modification of Snap!, a visual
programming language that allows to interact with
almost all versions of the Arduino/Elegoo boards.
Snap4Arduino is an offline platform, so the user
needs to install it on his or her computer.
To start working with Snap4Arduino environment,
a firmware (Firmata) has to be uploaded in the
Arduino/Elegoo microcontroller. Firmata allows the
microcontroller to communicate with the different
sensors and actuators. Once this firmware has been
installed in the Arduino Snap4arduino, it is possi-
ble to code the robot as in Scratch. Please note: to
install the Firmata on the Arduino board, you need
IDE Arduino.
Useful links:
• snap4arduino.rocks

22
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF
ROBOTICS ACTIVITIES
IN CLASSROOMS
This chapter includes 10 time-based activities to
work on educational robotics in classrooms. They
are activities meant to challenge the students with a
time-based approach and makers projects oriented
to study robotics principles and to develop technical
and soft skills. The activities are proposed in a pro-
gressive order, from easy to more challenging. The
discussion on social and environmental impacts of
robotics and technology is part of all the activities, as
well as the consideration on the ethical aspect.
A time based activity pushes the student to focus on
the subject in order to quickly find a first solution.
Following an agile development approach, a solu-
tion can then improve and evolve into a second or
third release, allowing a deeper study of the topic.
Finally and hopefully, the curiosity will motivate the
students to search for more information outside the
classroom context to improve stronger knowledge
on the subject.
In the classroom, every solution proposed by the stu-
dents should be evaluated positively. The main goal
remains the development of the computational and
critical thinking.
According to the DigComp 2.0 (The Digital Com-
petence Framework for Citizens) the activities
proposed below will allow students to develop com-
petences like:
• Browsing, searching and filtering data, information
and digital content
• Evaluating data, information and digital content
• Managing data, information and digital content
• Interacting through digital technologies
• Collaborating through digital technologies
• Programming
• Protecting health and well-being
• Protecting the environment
• Solving technical problems
• Identifying needs and technological responses
• Creatively using digital technologies
• Identifying digital competence gaps
The role of the educator shifts from teacher to pro-
ject manager and moderator, helping the students
to organize the work and to stay focused on the
objective of the project. The educator will guide stu-
dents in the learning process, and learn about it
himself /herself about it at the same time.
According to the European Framework for the
Digital Competence of Educators (DigComEdu),
through these activities the educator can work on:
• Organisational communication improving his/her
professional engagement
• Collaborative and self-regulated learning
• Actively engaging learners
• Facilitating learners’ digital competence

23
Activity 1
Robotics without robots
Activity duration
30 to 45 minutes
What do you need?
A few sheets of paper, post-it, pens or pencils.
Introduction
A robot is an autonomous machine able to interact
with the external environment in order to accomplish
a specific task by executing a program. A program,
an algorithm, is a clear and unambiguous sequence
of instructions used to solve a specific problem.
A common misconception is that robotics is difficult
to explain, hard to understand and an expansive
activity. As multidisciplinary science, robotics needs
the use of a technical terminology and specific knowl-
edge. Sooner or later, it will include some expenses,
such as a robot ready to use, or a kit to build a robot,
or singles components to make it. However, first con-
cepts can be easily introduced with some unplugged
icebreaker activities, used to bypass formal theory
and definitions and to motivate students.
Robots and me and Harold the Robot are two
simple unplugged activities teachers can use in class-
rooms to give an introduction on what is a robot (with
its main components such as the control unit, the sen-
sors and the actuators) and how it works (with some
principles of coding), introducing at the same time
specific terminology and a first definition of robot.
These activities can also be used to establish a dis-
cussion with the students in order to clarify some
stereotypes about robotics and coding or to intro-
duce the ethical in robotics and in technology.
Activity progress
Robots and me
• Divide the class in groups of 2 or 3 students. Each
group elects a group leader in charge of writing and
speaking on behalf of the group. The groups will
have 5 minutes to write on a paper a short definition
of what a robot is (3-4 lines max) and 3 examples of
robots they can see every day. Internet access is not
allowed during this task. Then leaders of every group
stick their definition on the blackboard.
• The teacher provides a general definition of the
main components of a robot.
- Based on this previous definition, the students will
have 5 minutes to draw on a paper a functional
schema of a robot. Internet access is not allowed
during this task. The group leaders stick the sche-
mas on the blackboard.
• The teacher finally provides a formal definition of
a robot and a formal schema then he/she starts the
discussion:
- What are the 3 definitions closest to the formal
one? Why?
- What are the 3 definitions furthest from the formal
one? Why?
Harold the Robot
What can a robot do? Is it intelligent?
The previous activity the students started to famil-
iarize with a first definition of robot and its main
components. This second activity is intended to give
them the idea that a robot, just like a computer,
follows the instructions received in a program.
• The activity can be done as a challenge between
the two groups. Group 1 creates a path in the class-
room, like a labyrinth or a path with obstacles.
Then it defines an instruction set (for instance, step
forward, turn right on place, turn left on place…)
provided to group 2. Meanwhile, the leader of the
Group 2 is placed in the middle of the labyrinth.
• Group 2 now has 3 minutes to write a program
based on the instructions set received, then commu-
nicate it to their leader who has to memorize it and
then follow it in order to escape from the labyrinth,
exactly as a robot would do.
Note: in this version the robot doesn’t have any sen-
sors, he just executes the program. How to modify the
experience in order to allow the robot student to find
automatically the exit way?
At the end of the activity the teacher moderates
a short discussion with the students: Is it possible
to compare the human body to a robot? What is
the definition of intelligence? What is the difference
between the intelligence and artificial intelligence.
This activity also raises the general issue surrounding
communication. How to choose an instructions set:
is it better to have a large basic instruction set, or a
small efficient and complex set?
Some useful links
- d-clicsnumeriques.org - Parcours Robotique
- classic.csunplugged.org/harold-the-robot-2

24
Activity 2
The rocket on the moon
Activity duration
1 hour
What do you need?
An open source microcontroller like Arduino or Ele-
goo, a breadboard, a 100 Ohm resistor, a 3 V and 5
V LED, a button switch module, a computer with an
Internet connection, a few sheets of paper, post-it,
pens or pencils.
Introduction
A robot interacts with the external environment
through its sensors. Sensors cap a specific informa-
tion that they then translate in an electrical signal
to transfer to the robot control unit. Through the
main program, the control unit (the microcontroller)
processes this information and then drives the actu-
ators in a specific way.
The goal of this activity is to simulate a robot behav-
iour with an easy program and to understand the
role of the sensors in a robot. The robot, the rocket,
is simulated with a program using Snap4Arduino.
The button switch module allows the robot to inter-
act with the external environment.
Activity progress
• The students download and install the program
Arduino IDE, then they download the Standard Fir-
mata on the Arduino board. The use of the Internet
to find procedure and information is allowed. The
students have 10 minutes to complete the task.
• The students download and install Snap4Arduino
on their computer, then they create a short program
that simulate the behaviour of a rocket. The rocket
has to interact with the button switch module. The
students can choose the action that the rocket can
do by pushing the button. The students have 40
minutes to complete the task.
One idea for an alternative task: it is possible to
replicate the experience using different types of
sensors. It can be interesting, for example, to use a
humidity or temperature sensor to discuss, for exam-
ple, security systems at home.

25
Activity 3
Basic electronics concepts
Activity duration
1 hour
What do you need?
An open source robot already built and fully opera-
tional (as Arduino or Raspberry based robot), some
resistors, some LED, a mini speaker or headphones
(optional), a breadboard (optional). A few sheets
of paper, post-it, pens or pencils.
Introduction
A robot is an autonomous electro-mechanic sys-
tem able to receive information from the external
environment, to process it in order to realize auton-
omously a predefined task through its actuators.
4 main subsystems or units can be isolated in a
robot: the power supply unit, the control unit, the
sensors and actuators. Every unit accomplishes a
specific task and it cooperates with other units in a
synchronized way.
Every unit, as a subsystem, has at least two ports to
receive and to transfer the information (one input
and one output). Depending on the complexity,
every subsystem can be able to process the infor-
mation received in input to allow this information to
be transferred to another unit.
Starting with the above definition, the goals of this
activity are:
• To observe and to isolate the components of the
robot shown in the classroom defined as subsystems,
to understand how they work separately and how
they work together in the specific robot.
• To reproduce a simple input-output process by
programming an open source microcontroller (for
instance an Arduino or Raspberry) to light on a
LED or to reproduce a sound automatically when
an input is given by keyboard or other input devices.
• To introduce some basics safety procedure in elec-
tronics by blowing up a LED or a resistor.
Activity progress
• The teacher shows the robot to the students
divided into small groups.
• The students observe the robot in action, then they
have 15 minutes to describe on paper the behaviour
of the robot and to identify the main components or
subsystems. For every subsystem identified, students
have to write a short definition and how it works
deducted from the observation. Internet access is
not allowed during this task.
• The groups have now 30 minutes to build a card-
board robot with a real flashing LED antenna, and
use a block program language to create a robot
twin that beeps. The teacher will allow using Internet
access in order to find suggestions after 5 minutes
from the start of the activity.
• The students have 15 minutes to modify the pro-
gram or the circuit already created in order to blow
blow up a LED or a resistor. Basic safety procedures
are then discussed.
Some useful links
-
projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/robot-an-
tenna
- d-clicsnumeriques.org - Robotics educational path
- Parcours Robotique

26
Activity 4
The brain impact simulator
Activity duration
2 hours
What do you need?
1 printed brain hat template; 5 strips of cardstock 3
cm x 12 cm; 10 strips of copper tape 2.5 cm x 5.5 cm;
10 strips of Velostat 3 cm x 6 cm; 17 male-to-male
jumper wires; 10 female-to-female jumper wires;
5100-ohm resistors; 1 tennis ball; 50+ metal washers
string paper plate; 1 30,5 cm (12 in) balloon.
Reusables: 1 microcontroller (Arduino or micro:bit);
1 edge connector if you are using micro:bit; 1 USB
cable A-to-B for Arduino; 1 USB cable micro for
micro:bit; 1 breadboard
Introduction
A robot interacts with the external environment
through its sensors. The role of the sensors is to
catch a specific information from the environment,
to translate it into an electrical signal and to transfer
it to the control unit. The control unit (the microcon-
troller) processes this information and then drives
the actuators to solve a task.
The goal of this activity is to understand the role
of the sensors in a robot and more generally in an
electronic system. Following the instructions availa-
ble on the link below, the students will build pressure
sensors by using simple materials. Then they will con-
nect them to Arduino or a Micro:bit board. Finally,
they will simulate the sensors through a ready to use
graphical model (what happens the brain collides
with the skull).
This activity allows also to work on: Physical science,
Life science, Health, Engineering and Data science.
Activity progress
• The students are divided in small groups.
• They have 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete
the experience. Using the internet to search for
information is allowed. The students can follow the
procedure described at the link below.
• The last 30 minutes are dedicated to writing a
short report on the experience.
Some useful links
www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/educa-
tion-workshop/brain-impact-simulator.aspx

27
Activity 5
Tangible computing with Makey Makey
Activity duration
60 minutes
What do you need?
Computers/laptops; Makey Makey kits; Assortment
of materials that conduct electricity, for example:
bananas, apples, oranges…; Tin foil, aluminium or
copper tape; Plasticine or modelling clay; Metal
spoons and forks.
Introduction
Makey Makey ignites curiosity, challenges prob-
lem-solving ability, and fosters creativity. With
this device everyday objects are transformed into
touchpads empowering students to interact with
computers as creative tools. The computer becomes
an extension of their creativity, fostering imagina-
tive play and discovery.
This activity allows to interact with innovative game
controllers out of fruits, cutlery, tin foil and so on. For
instance, it will be possible to play the classic Pac-
Man with a set of spoons or a piano made out of
bananas and apples. This exercise will help teachers
to introduce the principles of electrical conductivity
and is a good example that can help understand-
ing the connection between reality and the digital
coding world.
Activity progress
• Introduce MakeyMakey controller with a short
video. A well explained video on YouTube is pro-
posed at this link: bit.ly/intro-makey
• Set up your computers, each with a (different)
app on it that is compatible with the Makey Makey.
You can also use retro games, that you can find
online, such as PacMan or Super Mario, or most
Scratch games.
With each computer, there is a Makey Makey set
(not yet connected), an instruction sheet on how to
connect it and some objects that conduct electricity.
• The students split up, spreading out across the
different computers, so they can set up the Makey
Makey devices and test the first game or applica-
tion. After about 15 minutes, they rotate to the next
game. From now on, every 10 minutes, they move up
again one activity.
Here, you can see the classic Banana Piano, but
there are many more ideas and existing games.
Take a look at https://labz.makeymakey.com/d/ for
inspiration and choose the ones you like best.
Warning: the game will only work if the player is
holding the grounding cable (and touching the
metal end). This is because Makey Makey uses an
electrical circuit for transferring information and
those circuits always need to be closed. Don’t tell
your students in advance: let them figure it out while
experimenting.
Further information
• More extensive videos, explaining how to use a
Makey Makey, are available at this link here: www.
youtube.com/watch?v=-X3hb__YynM
• For tools and resources for teachers, such as their
Educators Guide (makeymakey.com/education)
and Lesson Plans (makeymakey.com/lessons/les-
son-plans.pdf)
• Looking for more inspiration? Take a look here
labz.makeymakey.com.

28
Activity 6
Build a driverless car robot
Activity duration
1 hour and 30 minutes + 1 hour and 30 minutes for
the bonus activity.
What do you need?
A kit to build the ROSA or BYOR robot, a set of
screwdrivers, a computer with an Internet connec-
tion, recycling materials (plastic bottles, cardboard),
glue, papers and pencils.
Introduction
A robot is an autonomous system programmed to
accomplish a specific task by interacting with the
external environment. Actuators are the subsystems
the robot uses to accomplish its task.
An open source robot, like ROSA robot, is simple
to manufacture and scalable. It allows to introduce
open source robotics and basic knowledge in robot-
ics to young people and general citizens. ROSA is
the acronym of Robot Open Source Arduino. This
robot has been designed by the french non profit
organisation Maison du Libre for the French pro-
ject D-Clics Numériques. ROSA is composed by a
microcontroller Arduino One, a single sensor (ultra-
sonic sensor), two motors and a motor controller
unit. All these components can be assembled to cre-
ate a driverless car that can avoid obstacles.
A similar robot is proposed by Scuola di Robotica
and it is called BYOR robot which is the acronym of
Build Your Own Robot.
In this activity the students will face the task of
assembling a simple driverless robot/car, coding the
main program that allows the robot to move and to
avoid obstacles using an ultrasonic sensor. Because
of the choice to use an open source robot mixed
with the DIY approach, the students will face some
mechanical, electrical and software issues to solve.
This activity emphasizes the approach situated
learning and the trial and error problem solving
method.
Activity progress
• The students will build the entire robot ROSA in
30 minutes without the instruction manual but start-
ing with the simple observation of a photo of the
robot already assembled.
• They will simulate the ROSA behaviour with
OpenRoberta Simulator.
• They will code ROSA main program to avoid
obstacles OpenRoberta then with Snap4Arduino.
Activities bonus to go forward
• Modify the chassis of the robot ROSA by using
recycling materials and to create the ECO-ROSA
or modify the chassis in a funny way in order to cre-
ate the UGLY-ROSA.
• Discover Arduino IDE and improve knowledge in
coding by modifying the main program already cre-
ated.
Some useful links
- d-clicsnumeriques.org - Parcours Robotique
- byor.scuoladirobotica.it

29
Activity 7
The underwater robots
Activity duration
2 hours
What do you need?
To create the robot, students are provided with the
necessary kit that consists of pipes and connectors
for gardening in reused PVC, cable ties readjusted
by the electrician, parts of floating pipe, propellers
printed in 3D with recycled plastic, motors and con-
trollers. It is possible to reuse the ROSA or BYOR
kit for electronic components.
Introduction
This activity’s aim is to realize an underwater mini
robot, using recovered materials.
This activity allow to introduce the students to
- the marine ecosystem and its plastic pollution
- the importance of recycling and reusing plastic
materials.
Activity progress
• To simplify the activity and to encourage group
work, students are divided into groups of 2 or 3
participants.
• The project begins with the drawing of an idea for
a robot that each group wants to create on paper,
which is the result of each group’s creativity. After
first creating the robot’s skeleton, then the mini-rov
equipped with motors and controllers, the students
move on to the practical test in water.
• Each group will try the mini robot in a large tank
full of water and will be able to see the hydrody-
namics of the robot and if it has reached a neutral
attitude (principle of Archimedes). Once they have
reached their ideal shape and performance, they
will tele-drive their robot in the water.
The pedagogical objectives of this activity are the
transmission of love and respect for the environment
and the sea, the communication of the important
extent of plastic pollution and teaching of the con-
cept of recycling and reuse of materials. The activity
also explains and demonstrates to children the prin-
ciple of Archimedes and hydrodynamics.

30
Activity 8
Robotics arm: toward the humanoid robots
Activity duration
1 hour + 30 minutes extra if the students need to
assemble the robot
What do you need?
A Poppy Ergo Jr kit, a computer with an internet
connection, some paper sheets and pencils.
Introduction
A robot is able of performing a specific task with
unimaginable precision and without ever getting
tired.
Robotics has multiple applications in several sec-
tors. In automotive and healthcare industries robotic
arms are used to build cars in an assembly chain or
to assist a doctor during a surgery. Precision and
accuracy in time are essentials skills to avoid acci-
dents for humans.
This activity allows the students to start to familiar-
ize with robotic arms using the Poppy Ergo Jr robot
by testing and modifying the demo programs.
Ergo Jr is a robotic arm, controlled with a Raspberry
Pi board. It consists of 6 motors allowing life-like
movements and 3D printed elements. A camera can
be integrated to help the robot to interact with the
world.
Ergo Jr is used to promote an educative approach,
an interactive technology and as introduction to
humanoid robots.
Activity progress
• The students work in teams.
• Using the demo programs already existing, the
students will have 1 hour to create a program that
allows the robotic arm to throw a ball.
Some useful links
- www.poppy-project.org/en/robots/poppy-ergo-jr
-
drive.google.com/uc?export=downloadid=0B-
2jV8VX-lQHwTUxXZjF3OGxHVGM
- www.generationrobots.com

31
Activity 9
Artificial Intelligence and robotics
Activity duration
1 hour + 45 minutes extra if the students need to
assembly the robot and install the software to drive
the robot
What do you need?
A Poppy robot kit with a set of screwdrivers. A com-
puter with Internet connection. A router to create a
Wifi Lan. Paper and pencil.
Introduction
According to A. Kaplan and M. Haenlein, Artificial
Intelligence (AI) is defined as a system’s ability to
correctly interpret external data, to learn from such
data, and to use those learnings to achieve specific
goals.
Robotics and artificial intelligence are deeply con-
nected. Artificial intelligence is a highly sensitive
subject nowadays. It’s important to start a prag-
matic discussion on this subject in schools in order
to push the students to learn more about it and to
think more deeply on the social impact of technol-
ogy and its responsible use in daily life.
The purpose of this experience is to familiarize the
students with the concept of AI and its social impact.
How does a robot distinguish between objects and
then takes a decision?
The object detection algorithm used is both AI and
machine learning. Machine learning is a subset of
AI that involves statistical learning, which is the case
here. The algorithm was learned using hand-anno-
tated reference data. The even more specific term
here would be deep learning applied to the vision
(deep learning is a particular type of statistical
learning and very fashionable at the moment).
The students have to test all the demo programs
created for the robot and deduct what programs
use an algorithm close to an AI algorithm. The stu-
dents will list 5 points for and 5 points against AI in
daily life starting from what they learned during the
demo with the robot, than they will discuss about
the social impact of AI in our daily life.
Activity progress
• Assemble the robot.
• Install the Python environment (Anaconda) on the
computer in order to communicate with the robot
• Configure the robot in order to recognize the LAN
and to communicate with the computer.
• Find and test all the demo programs. Deduct the
goals of each program observing the behaviour of
the robot. Select the programs that use an algo-
rithm close to an AI algorithm.
• List 5 points for and 5 points against AI in daily
life inspired by the observation of the robot.
• Start a discussion about AI moderated by the
teacher.
Some useful links
- github.com/pollen-robotics/rosa

32
Activity 10
Humanoid robots
Activity duration
1 hour and 30 minutes + 1 hour and 30 minutes for
the bonus activity
What do you need?
NAO robot
Introduction
Nao Actor Studio is a teaching activity that can
last from one and a half to three hours. The dura-
tion depends on the complexity of the exercises the
teacher proposes his or her students.
The teaching activity involves the use of at least one
Nao humanoid robot present in the classroom and
aims to introduce humanoid robotics as a tool.
One of the most important teaching phases aims
to teach the importance of relationships through
the use of humanoid robotics. Thanks to human-
oid robots it is possible to create a relationship
or engagement using the movements of the robot
and put them in relation with the human being.
Activity progress
Nao Actor Studio aims to synchronize the move-
ments of the humanoid robot to an audio file with
the aim of replicating a scene from a film chosen by
the students. To teach how to develop movements
with humanoid robots it is important to get inspi-
ration and the best method is to already have an
example of movement.
The world of cinema offers a lot of inspiration for
this work, in fact it is possible to have dialogues,
soundtracks and movements without the need to
invent them.
There are many films that lend themselves to this
purpose: Rocky, Titanic, Superman, 007, Indiana
Jones, Harry Potter, Star Wars etc.
• Ideally, groups of 3-4 people should be formed,
but you can also work with just one humanoid robot
per class.
• The goal of the unit is to make the humanoid
robot Nao move by replicating the movements and
sounds of a given scene, so each working group will
have to choose one. After that they will have to
create a storyboard to decide which are the move-
ments to reproduce with the robot.
At this point the robot Nao comes into play. You
can work with two different methodologies:
• Without the robot using the simulation software
Coregraphe to move the joints;
• With the robot showing the class the movements;
• After having realized the scheme of the movements,
the groupswill go to program the robot to repro-
duce them, using one of the two methods described
above. In addition, the teacher can develop parallel
skills such as multimedia using software for editing
audio files to be used in the replication of the scene.
At the end of the activity there will be a moment of
sharing of the work done and each working group
will show the chosen film and the representation
with the robot.
Further information
www.softbankrobotics.com
www.naochallenge.it

33
Bonus • Robotics contests to challenge
and to motivate the students
Nao Challenge NAO
The Nao Challenge is an annual contest organized
by Scuola di Robotica, in collaboration with Soft-
Bank Robotics, launched for the first time in France
in 2014 and in Italy in 2015.
The main objective of the competition is to raise stu-
dents’ awareness, motivate them and train them in
the use of humanoid robotics through the develop-
ment of multi-technological and innovative projects.
This competition is one of the educational activi-
ties aimed at developing the spirit of initiative and
innovation in the students, as well as scientific and
technological skills.
The tests are changed at each edition with the aim
of stimulating students to explore the potential of
humanoid robots in different areas of everyday life.
First contest
The FIRST® LEGO® League is a worldwide robotics
and science competition for 9-16 year olds. It was
created in 1998 as a result of a synergy between
FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science
and Technology), a US association that promotes
science and technology, and LEGO. From 2015, the
FIRST® LEGO® League Junior was added, reserved
for children aged 6 to 10 years. Operational partner
for Italy, national referent, is since 2012 the Fondazi-
one Museo Civico di Rovereto.
Each year the theme changes, and remains the
same throughout the world during the season. The
teams that qualify for the regional stages, arrive at
the event of the national final. Once this phase is
over, they are projected into a reality that sees them
competing with other teams from around the world
in different international events.
Robocup
RoboCup is an annual international competition
with the goal to promote robotics and AI research,
by offering a publicly appealing, but formida-
ble challenge. The contest currently has six major
competition domains (RoboCup Soccer, RoboCup
Rescue Leagues Homepage, RoboCup@Home,
RoboCup@Work, RoboCup Logistics League and
RoboCup Junior). For further information:
www.robocup.org/
Schools can participate in the competition by
enrolling groups of students in the RoboCup Jun-
ior. RoboCupJunior is a project-oriented educational
initiative that sponsors local, regional and inter-
national robotic events for young students. It is
designed to introduce RoboCup to primary and sec-
ondary school children, as well as undergraduates
who do not have the resources to get involved in the
senior leagues yet.
For further information: junior.robocup.org

34
SOME EUROPEAN GOOD
PRACTICES
Coding for Inclusion
Belgium
Coding for Inclusion is a peer-to-peer methodology. Teenagers in schools are
trained in a 15 hour methodology based on computational thinking, Scratch,
Makey makey, Micro: bit and robotics. The teenagers than go on to teach their
young peers, kids in elementary schools the methodology. The coding project thus
empowers the older students to see themselves as teachers and offers them their
first working opportunity. The methodology is very good for promoting inclusion
for schools in disadvantaged areas to adopt.
For further information: robohub.lv
D-clics numériques:
robotics educational path
France
D-Clics numériques is a French project lead by La Ligue de l’enseignement. It aims
to help young people to become actors of the digital revolution by promoting and
developing digital culture and critical thinking. Robotic education path propose
an initiation to the robotic science through the discovery of a ROSA (robot open
source Arduino). A ready to use education path divided in 12 lessons with several
offline education games proposed. All technical files and documents are available
under Creative Commons license (BY-NC-SA).
For further information: d-clicsnumeriques.org
Digital Welcome
Belgium
The Digital Welcome program aims to mentor young people, particularly from
refugee or third country backgrounds, to be empowered and educated with digital
and soft skills to be better integrated into society and have more capacity to be
employed in the long term. The programme involved a peer-to-peer mentoring
methodology. The core programme is based on four modules on: coding with
scratch, digital storytelling, digital journalism, and soft skills.
For further information: digitalwelcome.eu

35
Driverless car
Italy
This activity is focused on the ethical issues linked to the rise of driverless car.
During the lesson, students can build a mobile robot that can avoid obstacles with
the help of a robotic platform. After that, they can understand some ethical issues
with practice examples. This activity offers the possibility to translate ethical issues
into action. Scuola di Robotica used this lesson on different school levels: from 12
to 30 years old.
For further information: byor.scuoladirobotica.it
Erasmus+ project RoboESL
Latvia
10 projects on robotic activities were developed (using Lego Mindstorm platform)
for students who are at risk of early school leaving.
For further information: roboesl.eu
Litera-robot:
blending robot and literature
Italy
A seven-lesson program dedicated to boosting appreciation in young people and
high school students for international literature throughout the use of robots. The
program will incorporate certain pertinent texts, combining them with the introduc-
tion of simple robotics using the Lego Ev3 educational kits. The didactic approach
adopted will enable participants to develop a strong appreciation for literature
and master the basics of educational robotics and the related ethical aspects.
This activity allows to boost the student’s capacity to interpret and appreciate
literature and the ethical consequences of using robots and new technologies, and
rise awareness for the importance of educational robotics in the society of both
today and tomorrow. In spite of learning difficulties of many participants as well
as being culturally disadvantaged, all students succeeded in obtaining satisfactory
results and thoroughly enjoyed the innovative didactic approach and tools utilized
throughout the course.

36
Poppy Station
France
Poppy Station is the result of a transfer of Inria research from its open-source
Poppy robot ecosystem to a multi-partner external structure. The Poppy ecosystem
includes software and hardware tools for creating and programming robots, as
well as educational content for education and training, and a large interdiscipli-
nary community of users. This ecosystem was created and developed by the Inria
Flowers team, with the aim of facilitating experimentation and the creation of
innovative robotic tools in the fields of education, research and the arts.
Poppy Station is dedicated to the development and preservation of robotics eco-
systems and associated open source or free technologies, in all areas where their
use can allow this development and preservation, in a spirit of transparency and
openness.
For further information: www.poppystation.org
Robo Hub
Latvia
It is a robotics training for 3 to 12 year old children after a training program devel-
oped by Lego Education. Robo Hub in the form of games provides knowledge
of the technique. By modelling and constructing, children learn to think logically
and creatively. Basic programming knowledge provides confidence in the ability to
solve problems without adult help. Robotics training is integrated into curricula for
preschools, schools and youth centres on initiative of these educational institutions.
For further information: robohub.lv

37
CONCLUSION
Mobile phones, computers, tablets and other technologies provide
both social and entertainment functions for people of the digital era,
especially for the younger generation. It is wrong to assume that using
different technologies is harmful for the development of a person and
that those technologies have to be taken away. The thoughtful use
of technologies can enhance the learning in the classroom, develop
learning motivation, support the development of computational think-
ing, support new generations by preparing them for the interaction
with different technologies, not only as the users of the possibilities
provided by technologies, but also as the creators of new, innovative
solutions.
At the moment the use of technological solutions in educational
settings can be described as fear and fascination. In some cases
technologies are left out of educational setting and only basic knowl-
edge on the use of computers are accepted. This supports the idea
that we should keep children safe from harm caused by technologies.
On the other hand, the belief that new technologies will help all chil-
dren to engage with the learning process and make them enthusiastic
about it creates a kind of fascination. Both of the concepts are inac-
ceptable. We should support the new generation’s interest in digital
world and support their learning.
This handbook on Educational Robotics gives an insight in robotics
and its implementation in education. It be used as a guideline and
source for inspiration for teachers that are willing to expand their
knowledge and skills and learn together with children in creative envi-
ronment.

38
Appendix 1
Pedagogical concept of digital skills
People cannot ignore the impact of technological
development on every aspect of their lives. The
rapid growth of technologies has provided different
conditions of growing up for new generations from
those generations before the digital era. That has
an impact on people’s interests, values, needs and
world perception because technologies are an inte-
gral part of their lives that provide both social and
entertainment functions.
In 1999 Edgar Morin wrote that the task of edu-
cation is to prepare an individual to be a part of
society and to prepare individuals for the future
(Morin, 1999). This hasn’t changed, the task of
education is not only to educate the students. An
essential purpose of education in the 21 century is
lifelong learning through voluntary and self-mo-
tivated acquisition of knowledge. As mentioned
before, one of the essential skills today is digital
competence. The process of teaching and learning
is a form of mutual understanding through com-
munication by sharing the same specific knowledge
and language system (Fernandes, et.al., 2018).
Therefore, for teachers development of digital com-
petence it’s essential to find common ground with
their students and be able to implement these skills
into the educational process.
As well as the world and society are continuously
changing, pedagogy as a science is constantly
evolving as well and looking for new and better
ways to teach and involve students in the edu-
cational process. In 1956, there was a significant
turning point in pedagogical science when the first
educational taxonomy, known as Bloom’s Taxonomy,
was developed under the leadership of educational
psychologist Benjamin Bloom (Bloom et al., 1956).
It determines not just remembering facts, but ways
to promote higher forms of thinking. The original
Bloom’s Taxonomy explains educational objectives
and cognitive processes starting with knowledge,
followed by comprehension, application, analysis,
synthesis and, finally, evaluation. But in 2001 scien-
tists developed a revised Bloom’s Taxonomy that was
based on years of research. The revised taxonomy
is widely known as Anderson’s Taxonomy and was
categorized as follows: remembering, understand-
ing, applying, analysing, evaluating and creating
new knowledge (Anderson et al., 2001).
Today, for the digital generation, a highly modified
version of the original Bloom’s Taxonomy is devel-
oped as a model for digital literacy skills (Phuapan,
et.at., 2016). All six categories form Anderson’s Tax-
onomy in 2007 were adapted to the development of
digital skills accordingly from lowest to the highest
level and called Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy (Churches,
2007). Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy explains activities
with digital tools as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy
(Churches, 2007)

39
Developing digital skills is important for teachers to
be able to implement the use of technologies in the
educational process because it is significant to moti-
vate students. The use of technologies or methods
that could seem interesting and exciting for digi-
tal generation students is essential to increase the
persistence of attention. One more important state-
ment is that learning is an active process and the
learner is an explorer, maker, creator (Saltmarsh,
1996, P.15). That correlates with John Dewey’s idea
of learning by doing. To develop a higher level of
digital skills or to develop cognitive processes, prac-
tical experience and understanding of practical
applications of knowledge is important. Educational
robotics provide both, evolve digital competences
for the students and also for teachers, and motivate
students to get involved in any subject taught by a
teacher with robotics.
A useful URL
The Erasmus+ MENTEP project developed the tool
TET-SAT, an online assessment to evaluate teachers
pedagogical skills with regards to introducing tech-
nology in classrooms: mentep.eun.org

40
Appendix 2
The constructivism of Seymour Papert
The researcher interested in this way of conceiving
digital technology in education is Seymour Papert,
who has taken up Piaget’s constructivist thesis,
according to which knowledge cannot be transmit-
ted ready from one person to another. According to
the scholar, conceptual construction is more effec-
tive if it is supported by the construction of concrete
objects.
Papert worked for a long time at the Piaget Insti-
tute of Genetic Epistemology, so when he joined
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964
he was greatly influenced by Piaget’s theories of
learning. He succeeded in developing computer lan-
guages that were easy to use even for very young
children, and was responsible for the project in which
the Logo language was born, considered the most
famous programming language for educational
purposes. In addition, Papert is the founder of the
working group on epistemology and learning at the
MIT Media Laboratory. Papert then extended the
Logo language to a set of robotics, so as to offer
children not only tools to concretize abstract think-
ing, but also to create artificial creatures.
In 1980, he published the book Mindstorms, in
which he dealt with the relationship between chil-
dren and computers, which changed a lot the
pedagogical culture and the way of thinking about
new technologies for education. Every time a new
technology is invented, says Papert, its use changes
the lives of those who use it, but it takes time for
a new culture of this technology to be established
and for the whole community concerned to adapt
(Papert, 1980).
The onboarding of new technologies in the edu-
cational system lags behind the development and
creation of new technologies. As a consequence,
children attending schools often find themselves
in schools not learning valuable skills with the new
technologies which they have been using from an
increasingly younger age.
In general, education is considered to be a cyclic
process, where the learning process provides the
inclusion of new innovations, modifying the con-
tent of teaching, changing teaching strategies,
developing new teaching materials, planning what
competencies will be needed in the future, which
occupations will be required in the labour market,
and so on. However, technological progress, which is
becoming more rapid with the possibilities provided
by digitization, pose a risk of centrifugal effects
in the educational process making it fragmented,
where actors of educational processes operate inde-
pendently, and the role of pedagogy is diminishing,
which also affects the quality of education. This is
due to several possible causes, and one of them that
the possibilities which are provided by technology
are interesting and exciting and can redirect stu-
dents’ attention away from the educational process,
where these interesting and exciting technologies
are not included. The reason why they are often
excluded is because quite often technology is con-
sidered useless for promoting students’ cognitive
development, since there must be taken in account
the regularities of student development and the
need to support the development of the attention
span. It is undoubtable that it is necessary to let
students acquire the needed knowledge to analyse
information, make informed decisions, and promote
the development of higher-level cognitive processes
in order to create new innovations. The fact that the
learning process should be interesting and exciting
is not new for educators.
However, the fascination of technology makes it nec-
essary to analyse the risks which can be caused by
the concept interesting, as students are constantly
shifting their attention to interesting technologies.
This attention shifting process can lead to the sit-
uation where long-term attention is not developed
which means that fragments of different pieces
of information are stored in memory, but do not
allow being analysed as a whole picture of informa-
tion, with the new information synthesised and new
knowledge being constructed. This may endanger

41
metacognitive development. This does not mean
that to support the development of metacognition
what should be provided is a technology-free learn-
ing environment. On the contrary, it brings a focus
on the pedagogical work, which is where to find
the answers for how to incorporate technology in
the educational process to use the driving force of
the concept of the interesting in such a way as to
direct the students’ attention to reach higher levels
of cognitive development.(Linda Daniela, Smart
Pedagogy, 2019).
Papert has developed a fundamental concept: the
micro-world. He realized that while in the preschool
period everyone acquires the language skills of their
own cultural environment, in a formal context not
everyone is able to acquire new skills. Therefore, he
proposes a school environment in which learning
situations that replicate a natural learning can be
realized. And it is with this aim in mind that the
importance of the robot is underlined as a tool that
allows learning to be carried out free from the rigid
rules imposed by schools. On the basis of all this, the
project Connected Mathematics has been real-
ized, which through the constructivist approach tries
to change the way in which mathematics is consid-
ered and taught. In this project we try to replace
the idea of mathematics as an activity of problem
solving with that of construction in the sense that
through new technologies it is possible to make con-
crete abstract mathematical concepts.
These elements have increased the interest for coop-
erative activities and therefore also for cooperative
learning, which has its roots in constructivism.
For further information: connectedmath.msu.edu

42
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