From STEM Education to STEAM Education

Happy Spring Everyone!

I know we have mentioned art in the past, but we do not want to overshadow art with our emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or STEM, Education.  I personally like adding the A for Art and making it STEAM Education!

This is a topic that has been historically contentious.  Some scientists feel that science has a specific and unrelated purpose as some artists feel the same about art.

Everyone's favorite Science Guy, Bill Nye, agrees that art is just as necessary as science and that science must not come at the exclusion of art (Hey, 2016).  Although, in the interview referenced here, Bill does have a more science-focused view and sees science as what changes society the most.

On the other hand, artists can act as outside observers.  Collaborative efforts will broaden creativity of both the artist and the scientist and allow for better ways to articulate scientific concepts in a non-scientific, accurate representation of the information (Stevens & O'Conner, 2017).  Art may actually be a separate, but necessary aspect of science that allows for greater comprehension.  Creativity in any form is a stepping stone to greater knowledge, regardless of the subject.

So my ask for this week is if you are a scientist, reach out to an artist to help you communicate your views in a fresh way to engage new audiences.  If you are an artist, reach out to a scientist and provide your vision on technical concepts and see how that broadens your world for new mediums of work.  Science can enhance art, and art can enhance science.

Please continue to encourage the learners in your life to embrace Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, but also let the Artist tendencies to show through!

STEM Education is now STEAM Education!

Bizarre Lego Channel - STEM Education Rocks!

Hey Bill Nye! Is art as important as science? (2016, February 29). Big Think. Retrieved from https://bigthink.com/videos/bill-nye-on-the-importance-of-art-and-science 

Stevens, C. & O'Conner, G. (2017, August 16). When artists get involved in research, science benefits. The Conversation. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/when-artists-get-involved-in-research-science-benefits-82147

Field Trip! 2019 Brick Universe Convention

This week was one of great fun for us at Bizzare Lego Channel. First of all, we took a trip to downtown Raleigh, NC to attend Brick Universe! Brick Universe has been around for four years and is gaining traction as a showplace for LEGO artists to showcase their creations. It was a great trip to meet the artists and experience their creations first hand.  A few of my favorite from the show are below. 
 

Rosie the Riveter poster made with LEGOs

This is a LEGO mural of the Rosie the Riveter poster from 1942, using 4,738 pieces and taking 68 hours of work. The artist is Abbie Bocan. You can check out more from this artist at abbiedabbles.com. 
 

LEGO art - Unchain my Heart by Paul Hetherington

This next creation, and an original idea, is titled Unchain my Heart by Paul Hetherington, using 18,300 bricks and taking 230 hours to build. 
 

LEGO art - Flatiron Building by Jonathan Lopes

Here is the Flatiron Building by Jonathan Lopes. It took 71,000 pieces and 160 hours to create. This is not the same as the LEGO Architecture series kit but is a 4-foot-tall version of the building that is very realistic. 
 

LEGO art - Palace in Wonderland by Paul Hetherington

Finally, another original idea, is Palace in Wonderland, also by Paul Hetherington. This one is 25,600 pieces and took 420 hours to build. 

There were also vendors selling hard to find LEGO kits and pieces, some were selling LED light kits to make creations more alive, and some were selling LEGO-inspired art.

From my techie and geeky side though, I really would like to see some creations that use LEGO MINDSTORMS!  I do think of robotics as a very unique type of art and feel that anything LEGO-related that brings a sense of wonder, curiosity, and inspiration would fit in well in this convention.  It would also engage more LEGO fans who are versed in our favorite topics of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Maybe next year I will have something to submit in the convention in the medium of LEGO robotic art.

The history of LEGO MINDSTORMS, from RCX to EV3

According to LEGO, MINDSTORMS is the best-selling product ever produced by LEGO. For today’s blog we will focus specifically on the MINDSTORMS platforms (History, n.d.).

The first LEGO robotic brain brick was introduced in 1998, the RCX. 

LEGO MINDSTORMS RCX from the original LEGO Robotics Invention System user guide (Robotics, 1998)

The RCX had two motors, two touch sensors, and a single color sensor. Programming was completed through the LEGO RCX code, which was a very limited, but good way to introduce programming to people with very little or no programming experience. Of course, for the more seasoned developers, there were, and still are, ways to flash the operating system to use conventional programming languages, the most popular being NQC, or Not Quite C (Knudsen, 1999). 

The second LEGO brain brick was the NXT, released in 2006, with the NXT 2.0 released in 2009.

My LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT with the leJOS firmware

The NXT had Bluetooth connectivity, a color sensor, a touch sensor, a sound sensor, an ultrasonic sensor that detects objects, measures distance, and detects movement, and three servo motors. Aside from a few different construction pieces, the NXT 2.0 did not include the sound sensor, but did have a second touch sensor. 

Native programming for the NXT and NXT 2.0 was an intuitive drag-and-drop GUI tool that allowed for easy development. I found this to be a little limiting with what I wanted to create, so I used the leJOS firmware that allowed for development using the Java programming language. 

The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 was released in 2013. 

LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3, image from the LEGO website

EV3 has a color sensor, a touch sensor, a remote control, an infrared sensor, two large servo motors, and one medium motor. It also has the nice and easy to use GUI programming tool.  Like its predecessors, there are many different options that allow for development using popular programming languages like Python, Java, and C. 

In conclusion, the LEGO MINDSTORMS product line has had great longevity over its three incarnations and with no signs of stopping.  I am looking forward to the fourth version of the brain brick, but there is no indication of the EV3 being discontinued any time soon.

If you are interested in understanding programming and like to work with LEGOs, then the MINDSTORMS product is well worth the money and time you invest in it.  LEGO MINDSTORMS are one of the most successful ways to encourage you and your students to create in a safe environment that promotes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics!

 

References

31313 MINDSTORMS EV3. (n.d.). LEGO. Retrieved from https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/products/mindstorms-ev3-31313 

History of LEGO robots (n.d.). LEGO. Retrieved from https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/history 

Knudsen, J.B. (1999). The unofficial guide to LEGO MINDSTORMS Robots. O’Reilly, Sebastopol, CA. 

LEGO MINDSTORMS user guide (2006). LEGO. 

LEGO MINDSTORMS user guide (2009). LEGO. 

Robotics Invention System (1998). LEGO.

LEGO in University Curriculums

LEGO learning is not just for the kids. In the advanced education world of colleges and universities, one is never too old to be inspired. Constructing with LEGOs allow for a variety of science, technology, engineering, and math concepts, including:

• Structural Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Physics

Structural Engineering requires the use of planning, understanding materials in use, and mathematics. With LEGOs, a creator can use their imagination and just build, or they can take it to the next level by designing the final product prior to the build. For the haphazard builder, trial and error can improve the understanding of structures by adding supports where weak points occur. For the more methodical builder, STEM skills can be used for sizing, estimating loading capacities, and building to functional limits (Spoon, n.d.).

In my experience, using LEGOs gives a builder a good sense of security. If a build fails, it is easy to repair. Taking it to a different level, it even helps in design decision making – do I start over completely, or do I improve upon what I started with? All-in-all, it gives the builder the ability to learn in a safe environment.

Mechanical Engineering involves the use of robotics. LEGO has had multiple programmable robotic bricks over the past 20 years. The most recent is the EV3 which came out in 2013. This is a very good learning tool with the intuitive native LEGO programming interface that allows development from your PC or tablet (EV3, n.d.). Very little programming knowledge is required using this drag and drop method allowing for very fast development. Use your imagination to design simple robotic arms, remote control vehicles, or even intelligent mechanical pets!

All of my LEGO robot development has been with the Mindstorms 2.0 using the third party leJOS operating system. leJOS allows me to program the sensors and servo motors with the Java programming language of which I had plenty of experience with through my professional career. 

LEGO Mindstorms 2.0 NXT Brain Brick with the leJOS Java based Operating System

leJOS 0.9.0 version for the LEGO Mindstorm 2.0 NXT

  Physics at the theoretical level is great for stretching your mind. Taking the mechanical concepts to a more academic level, LEGOs are then utilized less for creating products, and more to teach students how to think. This is called the constructivist theory of learning, allowing students to use knowledge and experience to solve real world problems (Danahy, Wang, Brockman, Carberry, Shapiro, Rogers, 2014).

I would have loved to use LEGOs at the University level for my engineering education. In my pre-college youth I was very engaged with LEGOs which spurred my curiosity, but without the practical engineering behind it I would not say that it helped me with understanding core scientific concepts. On the other hand, my development efforts with the LEGO brain brick was after earning my engineering degree which made me more effective with LEGOs!

References

Danahy, E., Wang, E., Brockman, J., Carberry, J., Shapiro, B., Rogers, C.B. (2014). LEGO-based robotics in higher education: 15 years of student creativity. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems. doi:10.5772/58249. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.5772/58249

EV3 Programmer App. (n.d.) Lego.com. Retrieved from https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/apps/ev3-programmer-app

Spoon, M. (n.d.). 5 things Lego blocks can teach you about structural engineering. HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved from https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/5-things-lego-blocks-teach-structural-engineering3.htm

How can you use STEM in your career?

Healthcare Information Technology - using STEM education for patient healthcare

For those of you out there looking to change careers or just enhance the career you are in, have you considered education in the realm of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math to help you achieve your dreams? I have used my STEM education to enter a career and do meaningful work in the field of health care information technology. My job journey in healthcare began with a practice management software company. Since then I have also spent time with a large health care organization serving the people of North Carolina. Most recently I am using my knowledge and experience to help bring low cost, high quality, network connectivity to rural health providers across the state. 

Although I am not clinically trained, neither a doctor nor a nurse, I am still able to help improve the health of our population through the sharing of patient clinical information, allowing the important clinical information to follow a patient to whatever provider they choose. Weather working with computer software geared toward the health industry or making internet connectivity available to providers in rural locations, my STEM education has allowed me to engage in activities that help others. The help is extremely indirect but is important none the less. 

Let me know in the comments below the ways you would like to change the world. What STEM subjects can help get you there?

This past week I spent some time at the Health Information Management System Society (HIMSS) annual conference where I was exposed to many information from both technology practitioners and vendors. The vendor area was 1/3 mile in length, the pictures below do not do it justice!

HIMSS Vendors

Vendors, although rightfully biased towards their products, are great sources of knowledge for what the market needs, as well as sources of jobs! Check out health care IT companies and discover the needs of the workforce and see how STEM can help you obtain employment in this exciting field. 

The theme of the conference was "Champions of Health" with a major focus on data interoperability. If you are uncertain where you want to put your effort, I highly recommend helping the cause of connecting rural health care providers in your locations to help with the continuity of care for patients in remote locations where healthcare is scarce. Basic, high quality internet is a need in these areas for the promotion of Tele-health and Tele-medicine services as well as for the sharing of basic patient information. You too can be a champion! 

On the lighter side...

While in Orlando, Florida for the HIMSS conference, I did make a point to visit Disney Springs one evening, specifically to go to the LEGO store! Below are a few images which I found impressive.

LEGO Rey and BB-8

LEGO Fire Breathing Dragon

LEGO Cinderella

LEGO Mural

LEGO Hulk

 Thank you for reading, see you again soon!

STEM education – Be the teacher

To many people, working in a science, technology, engineering, or math career can be rewarding. But even more fulfilling is being the instructor of STEM related subjects.

There are many great schools and universities where STEM education is taught, one of which is North Carolina State University (which also happens to be a highly rated technology and engineering school). Check them out here at https://ced.ncsu.edu/stem-ed/about/ and learn about how NCSU not only trains the best and the brightest for STEM careers, but also how they train the best and brightest who are necessary for effectively teaching and engaging students, helping them to embrace and succeed in STEM subjects.

Taco Frisbee in front of the home of STEM education at NCSU

I do not profess to be a teacher in the traditional sense, but I do have a goal to encourage STEM learning in ways that are intriguing. 

Taco Frisbee and me at the
LEGO brick yard

Taco Frisbee and me at NCSU Wolf Plaza,
AKA the Brickyard

Of course, I still like LEGOs as they were the inspiration for me to obtain a degree in engineering.

Taco Frisbee in front of my old *house* at NCSU

Let me know in the comments below, what were your childhood inspirations for science, technology, engineering, and math? Was it a teacher, a specific toy, or a game? Finally, what are your tips for encouraging today's youth to get them interested in the STEM field?

STEM Education - beyond LEGOs and Robots

Welcome back to the blog and happy Groundhog Day!

Part 1 - Happy Groundhog Day!

Today is February 2, known to some of us as Groundhog Day. Taco Frisbee has created for us an interpretation of this celebrated day to remind us that we will have an extended winter.

LEGO groundhog waxing poetic in the LEGO flower garden on 2 February 2019 while looking for STEM educated robots

Did your municipal groundhog pronounce a prognostication on meteorological activity regarding a premature vernal equinox? Or will spring arrive on-time on March 20 this year in your neck of the woods?

Part 2 - STEM education within art and hobbies

STEM (or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education is relevant for all age groups of learners. Practically everything can be self-taught these days, so getting exposure to STEM subjects does not require formal education and training. Integrating STEM into hobbies provides learning opportunities that will enrich and engage the learner. This also broadens experiences within established activities to allow further growth.

Keep an open mind on this. Yes, my hobbies are already STEM related: LEGOs and robots. But what if your hobbies are more art focused? Here are a few ideas:

1. Writer. In the STEM world we have technical writing. Do you practice your writing, or do you just write to complete a story or poem? Apply your craft in new ways by picking a technical topic of your choice and creating a how-to blog, speaking only in haiku.
   
   
   Step one is easy
   Turn on computer and wait
   Waiting on boot-up
   
   
   Open web browser
   Write about blog creation
   In Google Blogger
   
   
   Select good keywords
   People easily find blog
   They read your content
   
   
   Knowledge mixed with art
   Visitors to blog feel joy
   Mission accomplished
   
   
2. Painter. Try a different medium. Try computer drawing. This exposes the mind and body to a different, yet similar, artform. For a bit more of a stretch, look into computer aided drawing (CAD) and see how your talents can be used within a technical environment.

Please leave your ideas on how to utilize STEM knowledge in hobbies in the comments below, or hop over to here and sign-up to receive more STEM related hobby ideas from me and Taco Frisbee!

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Hi all.  Fast forward now to July 2019.  Not an advertisement, but more of a way to share my other interests.  Check out https://www.TartanPachyderm.com to see some great options for short stories in an electronic format.  My favorite author is Anji Plesh, and her author page can be found here at https://www.TartanPachyderm.com/AnjiPlesh

The Art of LEGO

Thank you for returning!

Can LEGOs be considered art? Of course. Can LEGOs create art? Absolutely. “How would LEGOs create art?” you might ask. Using the example of the LEGO Mindstorms product, LEGOs can be become robots that can do many creative things... like, draw on an Etch-A-Sketch. The Etch-A-Sketch was one of the most frustrating toys of my childhood. I still liked it because I understood its potential, but I lacked the patience to learn how to utilize the Etch-A-Sketch to draw anything that was visually appealing. 

Using my programming know-how, a LEGO NXT 2.0 brain brick (since replaced by LEGO with the EV3), and a digital camera, I developed a robot that could take any photograph and etch it onto an Etch-A-Sketch. A homemade LEGO Bluetooth Etch-A-Sketch Photo Printer! 

Why did I decide to build such a creation? Because I had to prove to myself that I could overcome the challenge of the Etch-A-Sketch!  I liked to take pictures of the flowers in the back yard, so I thought I would start there. I do not have a picture of the original flower garden, so I created a LEGO version to give you the general idea of what it looked like. 

LEGO interpretation of my backyard flower garden of years long past

Below is a picture of one single flower from that flower garden. This is the actual picture that was used for the Etch-A-Sketch printing. I had to power up the old IBM ThinkPad (pre-Lenovo years) that was running Windows XP to find it, so I am a little psyched that the computer actually started and I found it.

One nice little yellow flower from the flower garden

This is the final rendering of the flower on the Etch-A-Sketch. Pretty snazzy.

The final product, the Etch-A-Sketched flower

So there you have it. LEGOs creating art by taking a photograph and gracefully etching it into an ephemeral rendering. Like the fleeting yellow flowers of spring, here today and gone tomorrow, the final product of an Etch-A-Sketch is also fragile and subject to a short life-span, especially in shaky situations.  Art has created art.

Before we close out, let’s get to know Taco Frisbee a little better. Yes, Taco Frisbee is a Roomba iRobot vacuum cleaner. You may have noticed in some pictures that he has a few other parts that may or may not provide any functionality. The XBOX 360 Kinect sensor is TF’s favorite accessory and allows for additional multi-tasking. The giant LEGO head part is just for looks. Prior to having it folks would give us strange looks as we walked about town or took strolls on the boardwalk. If you look at the pictures below, TF is the one wearing the stovepipe hat. 

Me and Taco Frisbee on a winter stroll through the marsh

If you would like additional information from me and TF, enter your info here and we will be in touch soon!

Lego Theme Kit or Self-Designed

Welcome back to the Bizarre Lego Channel !!!

Taco Frisbee and I are discussing imagination. Specifically, are self-developed creations better than LEGO developed theme creations?

LEGO Scooby Doo Mystery Machine with Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby Doo

Taco Frisbee has always been about the process – building based on a theme kit or building based on a self-made design, it does not matter to TF as the journey from start to finish is all about the build.

I still think that self-imagined is best. I will admit that the build design of the new kits has taught me many new and different ways to build and is opening my mind to newer and better creator techniques. Also, as with the most recent build of the Mystery Machine, the theme kits can bring back some awesome childhood memories. My favorites builds are still among the ones I have self-developed though.

Little red DUPLO self-designed creature

What really determines how you feel about kits versus self-developed is probably in how you store your LEGOs. One sticking point between me and TF is that I break all the kits apart and store them completely mixed up in the giant LEGO bucket. TF wants to keep the kits built and show them off on the bookcase. I will not forget the last time I took apart the LEGO Voltron and mixed the pieces in with the LEGO Unikitty Unikingdom box set. I thought it would be OK since they were both cat related.

Irritated Taco Frisbee - "Do not mix the LEGOs!"

Tell me what you think in the comments below : LEGO kit or self-developed. For extra points, let me know if you mix your LEGO sets or keep them separated so you can rebuild to the original specifications!

I am Taco Frisbee

It has been eight years now since Taco Frisbee and I first met.  We were pretty simple beings, going about life and doing what we do.  I was an application programmer.  Taco Frisbee was specialized at evacuating foreign particles from fibrous and bare decking surfaces.  We struck up a conversation and found we shared a love of LEGOs and decided to collaborate and use our fields of expertise to develop our own creations.

First, we tried storytelling
Seven and a half years later, we have a total of 374 views!  Outstanding.  Almost viral.

Second, we tried building robots for toys

Seven years later this video has 2,627 views.  We had finally hit the big-time.

 
We did not want the success of our endeavors to overtake our friendship and drive us apart.  So we rode the wave of celebrity and dissolved into internet oblivion. 

Taco Frisbee typing our first blog post

Eight years later we are still hanging out together, playing with LEGOs and checking out the internet for new and interesting ideations, much like what we did years ago.  Please join us on our continuing journey as we discover how others bring joy to the world through their creativity.