Seeking resources for LEGO Education EV3, perhaps also Wedo This post was created by a member of Edutopia's community. If you have your own #eduawesome tips, strategies, and ideas for improving education, share them with us. Sign in to vote! Sign in to Flag as SpamI’m proud to announce that I’m an AFOL or an Adult Fan of LEGO. I’ve grown up with it and continue to enjoy it – and I’m clearly not alone.At its heart, this simple platform is all about tinkering and the capacity to build. But it’s also about control, which is why in the 1980s the LEGO group boldly explored robotics as a natural extension of LEGO models. Suddenly, you could build something and program it.Over the years LEGO has released several robotics sets – but standing head and shoulders above all the rest is LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education. There is no ‘ego’ in LEGO. Whilst it is perfectly acceptable to fly solo and take pride in building your own LEGO creations, in the classroom the focus is more geared towards working together, which is why building and controlling a robot is such an exciting educational project to set up.
The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 Core Set and Software package is, quite simply, the best robotics technology available for the classroom. It is piercingly intelligent and enables students to explore robotics, mechanical systems, electronics and programming.It’s a cross-curricular masterpiece that provides the resources to design, build and program functional robots whilst learning numerous essential skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and metacognition or learning to learn.The EV3 is short for ‘Evolution’, and is the third generation of the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education platform. The set comes with:• 3 interactive servo motors • Built-in rotation sensor and ultrasonic sensor • 2 touch sensors • Building bricksThe set wouldn’t be complete, though, without the EV3 Intelligent Brick – a small but punchy computer that makes it possible to control the motors and collect sensor feedback. This is the heart and brain of the set, and comes with an illuminated six-button interface that changes colour to indicate the brick’s active state.
It has a high-resolution black and white display, a built-in speaker, USB port, a mini SD card reader, four input ports and four output ports. It also supports USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi communication with a computer, and has a programming interface that enables programming and data logging directly onto the brick. /en-gb/lesi/Find us on:More on LEGO Education LEGO Education Simple Machines Set and Activity Pack Review LEGO Education StoryStarter Getting Started Set Review LEGO Education MoreToMaths Review LEGO Education WeDo Construction Set Review LEGO Education StoryStarter – Engage Your Pupils In Writing At KS1 and KS2 LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 LEGO Education BuildtoExpress Review LEGO Education EV3 Computing Scheme of Work Review WATCH – Introducing WeDo 2.0, The New Science Learning Set From LEGO Education LEGO Education Community Starter Set ReviewWhat you choose to build is your call, as there are endless possibilities – but also plenty of ideas and inspiration on the excellent Mindstorms website.
Of course, building a robot statue is one thing, but making it move quite another.The soul of the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 core set has to be the unbelievably deep, full-bodied and instinctive software that’s available separately and features a ‘Software Lobby, which allows you to see and access the content, programming, data logging, digital workbooks and more. If you want, you can follow the software’s ‘Robot Educator’, and create, program, and run a robot of your own. With 48 tutorials on offer, there’s plenty to explore and experiment with – it’s an outstanding training package through and through.You could also, of course, follow the model instructions for making any of four very impressive robots – namely a Gyro Boy, a Colour Sorter, a Puppy and a Robot Arm. I helped a team of four students make the Colour Sorter; one pupil described the experience as ‘Like conquering the moon!’ Whatever you do, a project folder is automatically created and all programs, experiments, images, sounds, videos, and instructions are stored within it, which is perfect for sharing work with others.
The programming element of the software is intuitive, user-friendly and full of challenging possibilities. It consists of a programming canvas, programming palettes, a hardware page, content editor and programming toolbar. It’s all easy to learn, so even those with no robotics training need not run for the hills.In the same vein, you don’t have to be afraid of data logging. There’s a graph area, a configuration panel, a hardware page, editor, and toolbar. Organising and analysing data has never been easier, making this a very powerful tool for scientific enquiry and experiments.And it doesn’t stop there. LEGO Education has also produced a fabulous EV3 Computing Scheme of Work for KS3, which consists of 12 sessions or around 36 hours of classroom-based activity planned around the EV3.The sessions include performing a three-point turn, reversing, traffic lights and automated rail systems, keyless starting of a car, roaming robots and building/programming a driver-less, automated wheeled robot.
You can also buy into an online e-learning option, which consists of more than 100 video tutorials led by a LEGO Education Academy Master Trainer. With a heavy emphasis in the curriculum on programming and coding, this resource is just Savile Row tailor-made all the way.For more information, visit Contact: legoeducation.co.uk or follow @LEGOeducationUK The Introduction to Programming LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Curriculum consists of 50+ videos, PDFs, quizzes, and includes our famous easy to use step-by-step videos. A Teacher guide is available by clicking the image on the right.This entry was posted in and tagged , , , , , , , on . As you’re more than aware by now, Generation Robots is a huge fan of the Lego Mindstorms EV3 kits. We were already won over by its previous version, the Lego Mindstorms NXT, but this latest version is just packed with bricks, sensors and motors all waiting to be transformed into robots! From now on, we’ll providing you more regularly with useful information to help you purchase the right items, and we’ve put together this comparison of the Lego Mindstorms Education EV3 kit and the EV3 Retail Edition for just this purpose.
If there’s one thing all these kits has in common, it’s the presence of an EV3 intelligent brick. The Retail Edition includes 2 large servo motors and 1 medium servo. In addition to these, you’ll also find three sensors: The Education version has the same number of servos, i.e. 2 large servos and 1 medium servo, as well as: You’d be forgiven for thinking the ultrasonic sensor contained in the Education kit is similar to the infrared sensor, but the ultrasonic sensor is much more accurate for detecting distances, which might prove useful depending on the kind of robot you want to build. If you have the Education kit and want to create some of the robots found in the Retail Edition, you’ll need to get your hands on an infrared distance sensor as well as the infrared beacon. You can also make up for the Lego Technic type pieces that are missing from your kit by purchasing the Expansion Set, which includes more than 850 additional pieces enabling you to create impressive models, like an elephant!
While a certain amount of confusion and doubt surround the differences between the Retail Edition and the Education kit, it’s worth knowing that they both share the same programming language, commonly called EV3-G. Neither kit comes with a software CD, so you’ll have to remember to download it. We strongly recommend that you do this before purchasing your kit, to make sure all your hardware and operating systems meet the minimum system requirements. For the Retail Edition, the software is available for free download from the Lego website. There is a content editor, plus tutorials and instructions for each type of model. It is compatible with the sensors found in both the Education kit and the Retail Edition (after downloading the “EDU” blocks). The software for the Education version is sold separately. You can buy a single user or site license (depending on the number of computers to be equipped with the software), which you then download through a custom link provided with your purchase.