“Getting to Know Robots” Workshop
Date:
December 4, 2023 – December 11, 2023
University:
Pamukkale University (PAU)
Workshop Title:
Getting to Know Robots
Instructor:
Dr. Merve Canbeldek, Research Assistant
Pamukkale University
Target Audience:
Preschool children aged 5–6 years (15 children)
Venue:
Zübeyde Hanım Kindergarten – Classroom of Hatice Erten Sarıkaya
Date & Time:
May 30, 2023 – 10:00 AM
Purpose
It is emphasized that skills identified as 21st-century competencies, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, collaboration, communication, creativity, and innovation, should be fostered starting from early childhood (Uyanık-Balat & Günşen, 2017; Partnership for 21st Century Skills Early Learning, 2019). Over the last decade, it has been widely suggested that these competencies can be developed through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education (Akgündüz & Akpınar, 2018; Bybee, 2010; Sallinger & Zuga, 2009; Yaşar-Ekici, Bardak & Yousef-Zadeh, 2018).
These developments have encouraged national curricula and private initiatives to focus on STEM education and have led to increased opportunities for introducing coding and robotics education to young children within the technological dimension of STEM (Alade, Lauricella, Beaudoin-Ryan & Wartella, 2016; Karadeniz, Samur & Özden, 2014; Kim et al., 2015; Koç, 2019; Metin, 2020; Siper-Kabadayı, 2019; Turan & Aydoğdu, 2020; Xia & Zhong, 2018).
Within this context, the aim of this activity is to enable children to gain their first experiences with coding and robotics activities by directly interacting with robots.
Content
In line with the stated objective, the workshop will first encourage children to develop curiosity about how electronic devices work. Subsequently, children will have the opportunity to experience and interact with Bee-Bot, Matatalab, and Doc robots, allowing them to explore basic robotics concepts through hands-on activities.