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After-school program blends arts and robotics to spark students' interest in STEAM education

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Category: research Video duration: After-school program blends arts and robotics to spark students' interest in STEAM education
Virginia Tech researchers Koeun Choi and Myounghoon Jeon are introducing students at Eastern Montgomery Elementary School to various robotics theories through creative outlets such as music and dance. The thirteen week after-school program will culminate in a theater performance featuring robots programmed by the students.
We're at Eastern Montgomery Elementary School and we are working with children as part of this after-school program focusing on child robot theater. And today we're covering a module focusing on sound and music. We create sound effects and music that will be used for a performance involving social robots. So we have our music and sound module, we have drawing module, we have dance module and acting module. So when they learn about this, making of theater, they also learn about different types of robots and robotics theory and human robot interaction. So they learn about robotics, but also learn about different aarts. (Sounds pretty good, right? Sounds pretty good.) So we want our children to learn about computer science and robotics, but also in a fun and engaging and child-friendly way. So we combined the forms of different arts, music, sounds, and dancing. There are enjoyable for young children, but apply that to social robots and robotics so they have a better understanding and also increase their interests in those topics. When we have them exposed to this type of interesting robots and STEM in their early career, then we hope they can maybe develop this interest and have some ideas and then maybe choose their career in STEM education. So the first goal is have them enjoy this time, right? So they can learn about robot, but also they can play with robots freely It's free time that's most important. So based on that joyful experience, they're not really overwhelmed by STEM or robotics, but they can, based on this exposure, they can develop more interest in STEM or STEAM education. (See you next time!)