(KNZA)--Robots will soon be used in the classroom of a local high school, implemented for the next school year at Royal Valley, in Hoyt, as envisioned by Audio Visual Communication Pathway Instructor Teri Griffiths. “[I'm] very excited,” Griffiths tells MSC News, saying the purchase of the robots would not be possible if not for a $5,000 grant provided by communications company Century Link, and presented to the school last week. “It's just such a great new opportunity for us to be able to have these robots and learn programming beyond HTML. We've already received the check, so we'll be ready to go when school starts.”
Griffiths says the small computer controlled robots, which look nothing like R2-D2, or others portrayed by Hollywood, are known as a Finch and a Hummingbird. “It would be really interesting for us to incorporate [the robots] in my audio video classes, because sometimes students don't want to be the actors and I though the robots, then, could kind of be our actors, but we would have to program them to tell them what moves to make and what to do. We also could get some interesting angles with the robots if we used them to put our cameras on. The science teachers and the math teachers will also be able to get involved so it gives us a chance to partner in ways that we haven't before.”
Griffiths says among the goals and benefits of using the robots in the classroom is to place Royal Valley on the cutting edge of preparing for the future. “It is a field with a huge gap between the projected expectation for the number of jobs and the number of people who are currently thinking about getting into that field. Hopefully, this will give some students a way to experience computers and programming and they might decide that that's something that they want to do for a career.”
Griffiths will attend a conference in Philadelphia this summer focused on use of the robots, while in-house training will be provided to high school staff , involved with their use, in the future.
© Many Signals Communications
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Wanted felon arrested in Hiawatha
St. Joseph teacher arrested for student sex crimes
Revised flood predictions along the MO River
Valuation change notices coming soon for Nebraska residents
Lancaster shooting, threats, land man in jail
Four injured in Richardson Co rollover crash
Ozawkie man facing multiple child sex charges
Public health advisory issued for local lake
Holton woman killed in Jackson Co car-deer accident
Case dismissed in charity fraud allegations
Sabetha man arrested on drug charges
4th candidate files for local KS House seat
KHP pursuit ends in Jackson Co
Three injured in Thursday Jeff Co collision
Atchison Police probe car wash thefts
Jeff Co North USD 339 bond issue defeated
Atchison's Amelia fireworks voted 3rd in nation
Atchison Co's Laurie seeks another term as Sheriff
LATEST STORIES
Holton woman killed in Jackson Co car-deer accident
Atchison Co vets to honor comrades Monday
Richardson County Board receives organization updates
Only minor flooding continues along Missouri River
Three injured in Thursday Jeff Co collision
Atchison Police probe car wash thefts
KS DCF provides dollars for youth lunch