Materials
Any LEGO bricks that you already have can be used, but many of the activities in the lesson plans require the LEGO RCX (the brain and heart of the robot) and LEGO Technic system bricks like gears, beams, axels, bushings, hubs and wheels. You can buy these parts individually, but it is more cost effective to buy a kit that includes the RCX and the other necessary pieces. Purchasing the larger set also supports a more open-ended experience. Once students become comfortable with the LEGO materials and concepts of robotics, you can encourage them to bring in and add materials of their choice that they wish to explore applying to their creations.
:: rationale
:: materials
:: lesson plans
:: lesson 1
:: lesson 2
:: lesson 3
:: lesson 4
:: student work
:: resources
Computer
A computer is necessary for creating and sending the program to the LEGO RCX that will power the student's robotic creation. At least one computer in the learning setting is required. Students can take turns downloading their programs, and they can save and upload past programs from one main computer. If students are encouraged to plan their programming ahead of time on paper, there will be limited computer time needed, which allows for more hands-on physical interaction with their robotic experiments. The ideal situation is a wireless laptop lab in the classroom with each cooperative work group having their own computer to program with.
LEGO Mindstorms - Team Challenge Set
$199.00 Available for purchase from LEGO Education.com http://www.legoeducation.com
These Mindstorms sets are designed for use in classrooms and carry much less parts that the RIS 2.0, but the advantage of these sets is that the LEGO Robolab software is bundled together with the kit, they come in sturdy storage containers, and they provide a book of building instructions.
$69.00 Available for purchase from the LEGO Education website: http://www.LEGOeducation.com
This icon-based software developed from the same technology that landed and navigates the Mars rovers on Mars. It can be installed on a Mac or PC, and has beginner (Pilot) to advanced (Inventor) levels of programming. As this curriculum is an introduction to robotics, I only outline using Pilot level programming in the lesson plans, but I would not deter curious students from investigating inventor programming if they wish.