Hello everyone! Welcome to an exciting chat about building robots. My name is Pat Youngpraddit, and I work at Code.org. Today, we have two special guests, Anna and Ava from iRobot. Let’s get to know them and learn about their cool jobs!
Anna and Ava are here to share their experiences with us. But first, let’s have some fun with a game called “Would You Rather.” It’s a surprise for them!
So, Anna and Ava, would you rather dance like a robot or sing a song you recently heard?
Ava: I want to hear Pat sing!
Okay! Here’s a little rap from one of my favorite 90s songs, “Air Force Ones” by Nelly. Just a few words, kids!
Now, Anna, your turn! Dance or sing?
Anna: I’ll show off my robot dance moves!
Ava: Let’s dance together!
On the count of three, ready? One, two, three!
Anna and Ava: iRobot does the robot!
Let’s find out what Anna and Ava do at iRobot and how their work helps people.
Ava: I spend my days in meetings with amazing people. We solve tough problems, like creating a robot that can avoid pet accidents in the house.
Pat: That’s super important!
Ava: Yes! The robot can avoid spreading messes around the house.
Pat: Sounds cool! Anna, what about you?
Anna: I design fun learning activities, almost like being a teacher. I work with a robot called Root that can sense light, touch, and even draw!
Anna: iRobot makes robots that help with chores like vacuuming and mopping. We also have a STEM program to connect what students learn in school with what we do at iRobot.
Pat: That’s awesome! Ava, how long did it take to program the robot to detect pet accidents?
Ava: It took about a year and a lot of teamwork!
Anna: I love working with creative people and turning ideas into reality. We even designed a piece for our robot to build fun projects.
Ava: I enjoy building robots and seeing how different engineering skills come together. It’s great to create robots that give people more free time.
Ava: I collect sneakers!
Anna: I love making art, dancing, and spending time with my dog.
Ava: Coding lets you build amazing things. It can be tough, but with support, you can do it!
Anna: Stay curious and follow your interests. Your journey might have twists, but as long as you’re learning, you’re doing great!
Thank you, Anna and Ava from iRobot! That wraps up our chat today. Visit the CS Journeys website for more resources and to join other fun chats. Thank you, everyone!
Get ready to show off your best robot dance moves! Just like Anna and Ava, you can create your own robot dance routine. Practice your moves and then perform them for your classmates. This activity will help you understand the concept of movement and coordination, just like programming a robot.
Imagine you are an engineer at iRobot. Draw a design of a robot that could help with a household chore. Think about what sensors and features it might need. Share your design with the class and explain how it would work. This will help you think creatively and understand the design process.
Work in small groups to come up with solutions to a common household problem, like a robot that can sort laundry. Discuss the challenges and brainstorm ideas on how a robot could help. Present your solutions to the class. This activity will enhance your problem-solving skills and teamwork.
Research a STEM topic that interests you and find out how it relates to robotics. Create a short presentation or poster to share with the class. This will help you connect what you learn in school with real-world applications, just like iRobot’s STEM program.
Using a basic coding platform, try to code a simple program that makes a virtual robot perform a task, like moving in a square. Share your program with classmates and discuss the challenges you faced. This activity will introduce you to coding and the logic behind programming robots.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello everyone! Welcome to Code.org’s CS Journeys class chat. My name is Pat Youngpraddit, and I’m Code.org’s Chief Academic Officer. I’m here in Maryland, and I want to welcome our panelists today, Anna and Ava from iRobot. Anna, Ava, why don’t you say hi?
**Anna and Ava:** Hello! Hi! Good morning, everyone!
We’re going to start with a fun icebreaker. Our panelists don’t know what the icebreaker is, so this is totally impromptu. We’re going to play a game of “Would You Rather.”
So, Anna and Ava, would you rather dance the robot for us or sing some lyrics from a recent song you played or heard?
**Ava:** I want to hear Pat sing!
Okay! One of my favorite songs from the 90s is “Air Force Ones” by Nelly. I’m going to rap just the first few words. This is the clean version, kids!
*“Give me two pur-”* (continues rapping)
Alright! Now, Anna, would you rather do the robot or sing lyrics from a recent song?
**Anna:** I think I’m going to embrace my dance moves and do the robot!
**Ava:** We should coordinate that dance!
Alright, on the count of three, ready? One, two, three!
**Anna and Ava:** iRobot does the robot!
Great job! Now, let’s start off with Anna and Ava telling us about their work. What do you do, and how does your work help your community? Ava, let’s start with you.
**Ava:** Sure! On a day-to-day basis, I’m in a lot of meetings with cool people where we collaborate to solve some of the hard problems the company is facing. For example, we discussed features for our last robot, including a feature for detecting pet accidents.
**Pat:** That’s important!
**Ava:** Yes! The robot can navigate around any mess instead of spreading it around the house.
**Pat:** Sounds cool! Anna, what do you do?
**Anna:** I’m also in a lot of meetings, but my job as a learning designer feels like I’m still a teacher. I help design fun activities to help students learn different things. One of the robots I work with is called Root, which has lots of sensors and features. It can detect light, touch, and even draw!
**Pat:** Wow, that’s fascinating! Can you give us a brief summary of what iRobot does?
**Anna:** Sure! iRobot creates robots that help around the home, like vacuuming and mopping. We also care about what students are learning in classrooms and have a STEM outreach program to connect what you’re learning in school to what we do at iRobot.
**Pat:** That’s great! Ava, how long did it take to program the robot to detect pet accidents?
**Ava:** It took about a year and involved a lot of teamwork with different skill sets to make it happen.
**Pat:** That’s impressive! What’s awesome about your job? Anna, let’s start with you.
**Anna:** I get to work with an incredible group of people. We come up with amazing ideas and turn them into reality. For example, we designed a piece that goes on top of our robot to build fun projects.
**Ava:** I love building robots and seeing the different types of engineering involved. It’s rewarding to create robots that help people have more free time.
**Pat:** What do you both do outside of work?
**Ava:** I collect sneakers!
**Anna:** I love making art and inviting people to create together. I also enjoy dancing and spending time with my dog.
**Pat:** That’s wonderful! Any final thoughts for the kids?
**Ava:** Coding allows you to build amazing things. It can be challenging, but with a support system, you can get through it.
**Anna:** Stay curious and follow your interests. Your path may have twists and turns, but as long as you’re learning, you’re doing great!
Thank you, Anna and Ava from iRobot! That ends our class chat today. Please visit the CS Journeys website for more resources and to sign up for other class chats. Thank you, everyone!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Robots – Machines that can be programmed to do tasks automatically. – Example sentence: In our computer class, we learned how robots can help with chores like cleaning and organizing.
Coding – The process of writing instructions for computers to follow. – Example sentence: We used coding to create a simple game in our computer lab.
Design – The plan or blueprint for how something will look and function. – Example sentence: Our project involved the design of a new app to help students with their homework.
Program – A set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task. – Example sentence: We wrote a program to make a virtual pet that responds to our commands.
Teamwork – Working together with others to achieve a common goal. – Example sentence: Teamwork was essential when we collaborated to build a robot in our class.
Engineering – The application of science and math to solve problems and create new things. – Example sentence: We learned about engineering by building bridges with popsicle sticks in our STEM class.
Learning – The process of gaining knowledge or skills through study or experience. – Example sentence: Learning to code was fun because we got to create our own animations.
Activities – Tasks or actions that are done for a particular purpose. – Example sentence: Our teacher planned activities that helped us understand how computers work.
Vacuuming – The act of using a machine to clean floors by sucking up dirt and dust. – Example sentence: We programmed our robot to help with vacuuming the classroom.
iRobot – A company known for creating robots that help with household tasks. – Example sentence: The iRobot vacuum can clean the floors while we focus on our homework.
