February 8, 2018 | Vol. 2 No. 14         

The Winterim Master Class Experience

Throughout Winterim we enhanced curriculum with robot documentaries and movies.  We learned about the importance of robots now and in the future cleanup of the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan.  How robots are helping humans in dangerous or repetitive jobs.  It was interesting to learn how different cultures in the world view robots, from being very wary to fully embracing them.  We were very lucky to see some of the early robots being designed at the MIT museum in person.

We were lucky to travel in style to Boston to visit the MIT Museum and to take a Beginning and Advanced Robotics class with staff there. The day was very full, the challenges much harder (follow the edge of a table without falling off, and following a complex line!). We learned that the solution could be solved several different ways and some strategies are better for different problems. The Mindstorm robots used there have more functionality in programming, motors and sensors so it was great to expand our experience.

Our last days were spent preparing for and competing in a Robot Olympics. Events included: dash, ball movement, autonomous back/forth, soccer penalty kicks and ended with a Robot Combat Competition. The final challenge had a build time limit and some worked to the very end. Prizes were won for placement, and fun was had by all.  Finishing up, we were proud of how much ground we were able to cover in robotics, both from a hardware/software build perspective, but also we have a deep understanding of the history and importance in solving problems with robots. 

Students also enjoyed the beach, amazing shopping, local food, tours of the homes of the rich and famous in Hollywood, took in an off-Broadway play- RENT, sat in on the taping of the Conan O'Brien show and detoured for a trip to the exotic Catalina Island. Within the next week, the student documentaries will be uploaded and a link provided so you can experience a little of their Hollywood Adventure.

To do so, students read and discussed many immigrants' stories from a variety of genres and media. We studied several of the larger waves of immigration to the US and the way that immigrant groups were treated when they arrived. We also hosted guest speakers and visited an Irish pub filled with many Irish artifacts. We learned about the the unique foci and goals of different genealogy websites and how to use them. We learned to do interviews using podcasts as a model and watched episodes of "Finding Your Roots" a PBS show where professional genealogists research the heritage of celebrities—often making startling discoveries. The product is always a story called "A Book of Life" that weaves together a family's story and places it within the history of the time—demonstrating that history as we know it is made up of the social histories of millions of individuals who experienced it along the way.

Armed with the learned skills and knowledge, students set out to research and develop their own "Books of Life." They started by interviewing family members. They took what they learned and did research using the techniques of professional genealogists. They learned to think like historians, digging through and critically evaluating primary and secondary sources like censuses and immigration documents. Each student told their story by weaving together what they learned about their families and placing those people within the larger historical context. Some students created a story complete with old photos, others wrote poems from the perspective of ancestors, some dug extensively into the history of a place and one made a pop-up book. The end products, presented last Friday, were wonderful examples of each students' work and growth over the entirety of the Master class.

The physical trip to Iceland gave the students a hands-on opportunity to explore the majestic island they had leaned so much about.  Their adventures included exploring the towns of Hafnarfjordur and Reykajavik where they went to the viking hotel for breakfast, saw statues of some of the Icelandic gods, saw a show at the Harpa Opera House, viewed beautiful architecture and learned more about geothermic energy.  We ven had the opportunity to ride Icelandic horses!

They all loved the Blue Lagoon, which is a geothermal spa.  They spent almost three hours relaxing in the lagoon, trying on face masks and enjoying smoothies made with Icelandic skyr! The following day,  students spent the day at the Golden Circle, exploring the Geysir Hot Springs area, Thingvellir National Park rift valley and Gullfoss waterfall amongst many other things.  What a tremendous opportunity for our students!

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