Public high schools enter the new frontier via robot

The best educators in the world are one in saying that learning while playing is the most effective pedagogical tool, particularly when students are having fun!

Using this strategy to promote robotics to the youth and eventually entice them to pursue careers in science and technology, is thus the next best tool for the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute (DoST-SEI) to use.

SEI director Dr. Filma Brawner says learning doesn’t have to mean taking away the children’s love for games. In fact, SEI has embarked on several programs and interschool competitions that provide the youth the chance to play, learn and develop their skills at the same time.

“Incorporating learning in games will enable the children to be the best of themselves,’’ Brawner explains.

Robotics in public schools

SEI together with the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center is also organizing the Tagisang Robotics, the country’s first varsity type of robotics competition for public students of 24 public and private high schools in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

"Pagyabang ng kalinangan at pagkakaisa sa gitna ng pakikipag tunggali. This is what Tagisang Robotics is all about. We seek to give the participants the opportunity to harness their skills by learning and cooperating with others, despite being in a highly competitive environment. We want our students to think out of the box and execute their ideas in fields they have not ventured in before,” says Brawner during the game launch/reveal held recently.

“Sikaran 2011” is a major component of Tagisang Robotics where the objective is to score the most milon and pakwan balls to the opponent’s goal with the use of robots. The game is actually a combination of football and basketball, the hottest games in the country today. Participants may form alliances with the other teams. Teams, composed of three groups per alliance will be divided into the Red and Blue alliances. Two students from each alliance will play at each match. One will be tasked to drive the robot while the other will play either as a shooter or alliance commander.

“Each shooter is given five milon balls, each worth two points, which they shoot to the opponent’s goal upon commencement of the game. Robots of each alliance also try to score by pushing the milon balls to the opponent’s goal. The commander is the chief strategist of each alliance, guiding the drivers and the shooters in the match. An alliance must capture an opponent’s milon ball, bring it to their shooter who then exchanges it for a pakwan ball. An alliance who scores a pakwan ball gets 10 points,” Brawner explains.

The Best Alliance will win P150,000 plus P30,000 for the coaches, trophies and silver medals. Meanwhile, the Best Team or the school that garners the highest seed at the end of the qualifying matches will receive P100,000, a trophy and gold medals. Their coach will also win P30,000.

The new frontier

DoST Undersecretary for S&T Services Prof. Fortunato dela Peña says there is a need for more students to venture into robotics especially now that it has become a vital and most useful tool in society.

 

“From the complicated handling of industrial equipment to the simple lawnmower in our gardens, robotics has a great use to our society. When an earthquake hit Japan, robots were sent into the devastated nuclear power plants of Fukushima to move through the rubble and send back radiation readings.

No human would venture into that, but a robot can do it safely and more accurately. In the country, its applications can be seen in the robotic car parks, sensor driven malls, car assemblers, and even in providing live video feeds and recording date of the seabed,” points out Dela Peña, chairperson of the 2011 National Science and Technology Week.

However, he adds that the challenge of making its use more popular in the country, still remain. He hopes that the Tagisang Robotics will serve as the spark that will start the wildfire in the hearts of the students and keep it ablaze until they reach college and eventually a science career.

First-time robotics contestant Sergius Angelo Santos of Parañaque Science High School says it is important for them to study robotics because it has many uses and makes the job of humans easier.

Moreover, Ardonuel Bautista of Las Piñas Science High School, believes that robotics technology can be used to boost the country’s economy.

Both of them are newbies in the contest who will be pitted against seasoned contestants that regularly join robotics tilts and have a deeper knowledge of the technology through a specialized training in their schools. But they are not bothered.

“While we do not have a background on robotics, I believe our team’s strength is the cooperation of each other. Our goal in the competition is not directly to win but to enjoy ourselves, learn and gain experience. In the process, bonus na lang kung manalo kami,” reveals Santos.

Grace Christian College’s Karlson Cheng and Paolo Calalang, who belong to one of the teams to beat, may already be experienced in robotics and in joining such tilts but like other teams, they too are bracing for an uncertain and extremely challenging fight in the Tagisang Robotics.

“This is the next level in robotics. Most of our competitions are on Lego and Mindstar, but this is more of programming and Megatronics, the more advanced kind of robotics using metals,” Calalang says.

Ramon Florentino Santos of Quezon City Science High School adds that the teams must really have a lot of creativity and teamwork to be able to hurdle the Tagisang Robotics.

“Robotics is one of the new frontiers where the Philippines can make it big. Learning it in school (and in such competitions) enables the students to get a feel of the challenges in real life early on and exposes them to opportunities bigger than what they can imagine,” concludes Brawner.

Reposted from: Manila Bulletin 08/05/2011 RACHEL C. BARAWID

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