Along with my friends, I began to understand and learn more about robotics as it is one of the most interesting and upcoming fields currently. The Robotics Club is an initiative that helped us take on our knowledge and pass it on to our juniors who seek interest in the same field. I described the computer science and coding that is applied in robotics majorly in the field of science for example Arduino and Raspberry Pi. These are the main applications of computer science and coding in robotics (used in programming). I am currently coding my own programs for making simulations in my IB Internal Assessments, which are very helpful. Hence, I thought passing on this knowledge to my fellow juniors would be a great boon to them as well.
My main purpose to begin this club with my friends was to help younger students have that spark of innovation and creativity, and present them with an opportunity to learn something new and easy, so we started teaching them about sensors and how to build robots that work with sensors. After which we went into depth about coding languages and their implications in robotics.
LO1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
A huge part of the project is critical evaluation, as we have to constantly reflect on how we did in the meetings and how we will deliver content. So identifying strengths and weaknesses was the first step for the team and I. I was able to understand that some members are good with compiling content in a flow that students can understand, some could communicate well, some could come up with great analogies and discussion starters, etc. So it was a big relief that we could outline our strengths and weaknesses. It helps a lot, as it decreases room for failure, we get more time to brainstorm how we can work upon our cons and increase our pros, in the context of a team effort. On a personal level, identifying my own strengths and weaknesses, I can be helpful by being articulate. I can help my team members by being clear about how well I can give inputs to the team. I did work on overcoming a weakness I had, which was interrupting teammates and being a single-oriented thinker.
LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
As discussed earlier, discussions would not be like a team effort, as I would be the one trying to just get my ideas in the way. I understood that I had to be a better team member if I wanted the project to have optimum ideas and maximum output in terms of content as well. I couldn’t single-handedly manage the whole club. So, I developed the habit of working in a team and I developed my coordination with team members, which was very beneficial for the progress of the Robotics Club overall. I overcame this obstacle by talking to all my teammates individually once by asking them for advice, and then I approached our Robotics Club in charge to understand better how I can become an excellent team player. Undertaking this challenge was a huge task for me, but I managed it. And our future holds the same pattern of challenges, so I have to start developing and changing myself as this is going to be the same scenario in real society. Also, I did not know that I could teach kids so well. I knew I had good communication, however, I was doubtful if I could teach younger kids. But it went amazing and everyone liked it, which helped me understand that learning new skills is always important to create all better kinds of networks.
LO3 – Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
I organized myself by making a schedule and creating notes with reminders about the Robotics Club. I planned and organized well for my CAS project as it is a crucial element. The initiation was more difficult than planning because following deadlines got more superficial every time a deadline would pass, so the work would keep pilling up. After making a schedule for this club, I am certain that planning and executing activities in the future will get easier for me because I will get into the habit of following deadlines and doing work on time. It is important to know how to plan and initiate any goal we have because planning brings us one step closer to achieving it. The most important part of any idea is its planning, so the planning has to be impeccable for the future.
LO4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
It was hard to follow up on all the meetings from time to time because I was caught up in academics and extra-curricular activities like writing for the school newspaper, sports, music, etc. The project demanded a lot as we had to work long-term in a team, meet deadlines, and focus on academics and other extra things. It is not easy for me to show persistence as I’m a procrastinator and I like to do things at the last moment, but the nature of this club was such that I had to own up to my responsibility and adapt accordingly. Although I was not consistent, I developed a habit of working well. Being committed is really helpful right now, as our habits right now are our stepping stones for the future. So it is important to be committed.
LO5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
As stated above, generally teamwork is not easy for me. However, over the course of this, I have developed an understanding of working collaboratively. In particular, there was nobody who was difficult to communicate with, just that we had to communicate with a lot of people. Like with our project mentor, CAS advisor, individual teammates, and Robotics Club members. So, it was important to work collaboratively as it eases our task and we can be better team players in the future. Moreover, it is important to be able to work collaboratively as it prepares us for all kinds of future situations. The importance of teamwork and leadership was that someone from our team had to step up to lead the Robotics Club. That decision wasn’t based on individuals, but for the whole team to collectively decide on one person.
LO6 – Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
A global problem I identified while starting this club was the lack of scope of knowledge students don’t discover. It is less in the case of IB, but other than the IB board, it can be seen that students just learn and practice the content of their syllabus and don’t inquire or move beyond their curriculum in school which is concerning to some extent. This is why we wanted to begin a club at a small level to see if it actually made a change or not and then take it to a larger scale. There’s a time in our life when we should be aware of things that happen around us, which helps us form an opinion of things. This helps us develop a lot as a person, as it is up to us as global citizens to act upon any problems we can identify around us. My work about this global issue might be a method school students can adopt for their juniors, which could be beneficial in the near future as even a small initiative can create a big drive. So, there’s hope for something huge and good to happen in this line if the concept of clubs is worked upon by students themselves in India.
LO7 – Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions
There were no ethical issues involved in this project, as it was just based on the education of a new and upcoming field. My view on this issue is still the same, as it is still prevalent in many parts of the world wherein students don’t get an opportunity to learn new things which are helpful in life. Something should be done about the environment of education and the approach students have towards education.
Learner Profiles:
Over the course of this project I have identified that I’ve employed many learner profiles, like being reflective, a communicator, knowledgeble, and an inquirer. I was reflective as I had to go back to each step I took in the team activities and try and improve my communication skills. Communication is one of the most important learner profile as I have started to communicate better with team members now, after this Robotics Club. I was an inquirer in terms of adding more content and making the content more fun for the students participating and I was knowledgeable in the same context; of learning about robotics in depth myself.
The CAS project has been a really helpful medium for me to learn and communicate in a better way.
Evidence:
Planning and execution of meetings
