Take me to your leader! In a few short decades, robots have gone from menacing Earth in old movies to helping humans explore space, conduct surgery, even make friends. Expect to see lots of battling 'bots and other cool creatures when National Robotics Week rolls out April 9. But tie their shoes? See if your robonauts can conquer that feat in this week' s high-touch engineering design lesson.
Craving more robotics? Check out these robotics articles from our blog, plus last year's newsletter.
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Lesson: How Handy is my Robot?
 In this activity, students 6 - 18 will explore how sensing is part of robotic design by tying their shoes with different constraints. After lacing their shoes normally, have them try it wearing thick gloves or with popsicle sticks taped to fingers so they can't bend. How many can tie their shoes now?
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Your robo-techies might also enjoy this past lesson in constructing a "robotic arm."
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Feature: Make Friends with Robots
 Cynthia Breazeal, an electrical and computer engineer, has dedicated her career to making robots more sociable. She is currently the director of the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab, where she researches and develops machines that can teach, learn, talk, and mimic human emotions.
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K-12 News: Layoff Ripple Effects
 School districts nationwide are bracing for potentially deep cuts in their teaching ranks. While many may fare better than projected, each layoff causes a chaotic ripple of reshuffling as senior educators "bump" more junior teachers from their classrooms, forcing thousands to change schools, grades, or subjects. Such "teacher churn" only compounds the devastating effect of sweeping layoffs, experts contend.
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Ohio's Anti-Union Law Tougher Than Wisconsin's
To follow the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's overhaul, visit ESEA Watch.
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Coming in June: ASEE's K-12 Teachers' Workshop  Saturday, June 25, 2011 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. This day-long program for teachers and engineering educators from Canada and the United States offers a fast-paced and exciting overview of engineering education resources for the classroom. You'll discover valuable best practices, new contacts for collaboration, and the latest take-away tools for effective teaching about engineering education. Count on a full, fun and motivating day!
Registration is complimentary for K-12 teachers who register by June 10. Register Now!
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Our Facebook page for teachers is a great way to learn about contests, web resources, K-12 education news and lesson plans. It also offers a great way to interact with other STEM teachers across the nation--and around the world. Whether you're looking for a cool activity to engage your students or wrestling with rubrics, our Facebook community can help.
So, become a fan now!
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