GORE BAY—On Thursday, August 3 the Manitoulin Secondary School robotics team, Manitoulin Metal, hosted a free coding workshop in Gore Bay.
This event was targeted towards kids in Grades 1 to 9. The workshop’s curriculum was tailored to different age groups and skill levels with the day being divided up into two sessions: one for the younger group and one for the older. Manitoulin Metal offered interactive activities, demonstrations and challenges to engage every child effectively throughout the workshop. Members of the robotics team served as guides, helping participants grasp coding concepts through hands-on activities.
During the morning session participants used the LEGO Education program and LEGO Spike Prime robots. Using a program on the provided computers, kids were able to discover how to program the robot to move certain distances, turn, adjust speed and stop. “We can’t talk to robots like we do our human friends. There’s a special language they understand…code!” members from Manitoulin Metal told participants. “Code is like translating a recipe for a robot.” The session closed after the children had designed their own mazes and coded their robots to go through them. They left with big smiles on their faces, ready to learn more.
The evening session included kids from Grades 5 to 9. Using Manitoulin Metal’s FIRST Tech bots and the programs VRS and OnBot. Participants learned about Java, a popular coding language, and its many applications before beginning. Using a more advanced coding program than the earlier session, skills like how to turn, move forwards and backwards for different amounts of time, spinning, and making an arch were shown to participants. All of this was demonstrated with virtual robots that VRS generated to show the students how the robots would move based on their code. Using OnBot the group was able to transfer their new knowledge to program the FIRST Tech bots. After a little while there were robots zooming around the floors of the Gore Bay Community Hall.
This coding workshop was one of many put on by Manitoulin Metal across the Island. The World Champion Finalists want to equip Manitoulin’s children with essential coding skills and foster a passion for robotics. Manitoulin Metal wants to sow the seeds for a brighter and more innovative future, starting with Manitoulin’s youth.
