Question:

The VEX Testbed is boring; do you know of another way to make learning RobotC programming more appealing to high school students?

Answer:

Well, in my classroom we build clawbots, then add all of the sensors to them. we then get to program the sensors on a real, mobile robot!  Kids love it and the culminating activity is a game where they get to drive the robots around; just like a real VEX competition.  In the meantime, they are learning how to program inputs and outputs, the difference between analog and digital, and the how closed and open loop systems work.

Clawbot TestBed

In the zipped folder above you will find the following documents:

1. Clawbot Sensor Install: This document shows you how to install the sensors on the clawbot to complete some activities.
2. Clawbot Checklist: This is a document that the students do screen captures of their RobotC programs on so that you can keep track of their progress as they go.
3.  Cortex Wiring Diagram: An example of the Cortex wiring. I like to use a template in my class so each robot is the same; it makes troubleshooting easier. It looks like this:

If you make any changes for the better, please share them back with us so we can pass them along. Thanks for making it better!