[robocup-humanoid] CFP: Workshop “Teaching robotics, teaching with robotics” SIMPAR10

[Emanuele Menegatti]

CALL FOR PAPERS

International Workshop “Teaching robotics, teaching with robotics”

www.terecop.eu/SIMPARworkshop.htm

November 15, 2010  co-located with SIMPAR 2010 conference in Darmstadt, Germany
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This workshop “Teaching robotics, teaching with robotics” will be held in Darmstadt, Germany, on Nov 15, 2010, hosted by the SIMPAR 2010 (Simulation, Modelling and Programming  for Autonomous Robots) conference.

The workshop is aimed to promote exchange and sharing of experiences among researchers in the field of educational robotics. Over the last decade, at an international level, several efforts have been made to integrate robotics in tertiary and school education, mainly in science and technology subjects.

At tertiary level robotics is present as a regular subject within two contexts: in mechanical engineering and in information engineering where a greater emphasis is given to autonomous robotics. In this latter context, more interesting for general educational purposes, robotics acts as a stimulating field where to apply a broad spectrum of knowledge and competences, both theoretical and practical. Therefore laboratorial activities can be easily settled as part of a normal course in robotics. Robotics is therefore a good completion for the curriculum and training of an information engineering undergraduate student.

At school education level, robotics is being introduced from kindergarten to high secondary school, either as an interdisciplinary learning activity or focused on school subjects, such as Science, Maths, Informatics and Technology. Following the constructivist/constructionist paradigm, we see robotic technologies not as mere tools, but rather as potential vehicles of new ways of thinking about teaching and learning. 

Educational robotics is aimed at configuring learning environments that can actively involve students in authentic problem solving, enhance learners’ research attitudes, allow learners to carry out their own experiments and investigations and help them to develop their abstracting skills and to acquire teamwork skills, independence, imagination and creativity. Such an integration of robotics in school classes is not just a matter of students’ and teachers’ access to robotic technologies. Technology alone cannot affect students’ minds and cannot act directly on learning. Appropriate educational philosophy, curriculum, learning environment, teaching methodologies and well-trained teachers are important factors for the successful integration of robotics innovation in school classes.  One of the key aspects not deeply explored, so far, is how to evaluate robotics-enhanced class activities. In particular, regarding the indirect acquiring of new knowledge in informal steps or of new problem-solving capabilities or new social skills traditional tools like Q&A, tests and formal problem solving appear insufficient for a complete and objective evaluation.

Following this framework, the topics of the workshop include:

–      Hardware and software of new educational Robotic kits;

–      Evaluation and assessment of robotic-enhanced class activities .

–      Laboratory Experiments for teaching robotics

–      Methodologies for teaching robotics

–      Robotics curriculum

–      Robotics competitions

–      Edutainment

–      Museum robots

–      Software for educational robotics

–      Roboethics

–      Connections between Real robotics and Science fiction robotics

–      Web-based Robotics, Simulation, remote educational robot

–      Humanoid robot and Human Robot Interface in education

–      Exemplary Robotics projects in classes: from Kindergarten to secondary school

–      Constructivism/Constructionism and robotics

–      Project-based learning and robotics

–      Teacher training in educational robotics

–      Robotics-enhanced curricula

–      European and International trends in educational robotics

Paper submission and format

All manuscripts should be prepared according to guidelines available here. The page limit for the final submission of papers is 10 pages. The papers must be uploaded via the EasyChair conference page:

http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=trtwr2010

If you have never used the EasyChair system before you need to obtain an account here. Information about EasyChair is given here.

Publication

Papers accepted for presentation in the workshop will be published online with ISBN number in the proceedings of SIMPAR 2010 Workshops. At least one (1) author must register in the workshop to present a paper.

Important dates

Deadline for submission of papers: September 20, 2010

Notification of acceptance: October 20, 2010

Submission of final camera ready papers: November 2, 2010

Venue

The workshop will be held on November 15, 2010 and will be co-located with SIMPAR 2010 conference in Darmstadt, Germany

Chairmen

Alimisis Dimitris, Dept. of Education, School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Patras, Greece

Menegatti Emanuele, Dept. of Information Engineering, Univ. of Padova, Italy

Moro Michele, Dept. of Information Engineering, Univ. of Padova, Italy

Program Committee

Alimisis Dimitris, School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Greece

Aravecchia Liliane, Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres d'Aix-Marseille, France

Arlegui Javier, Public University of Navarra, Spain

Chronaki Anna, University of Thessaly, Greece

Borivoi Brdicka, Charles Univ. Prague, Czech Republic

Demetriadis Stavros, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Demo Barbara, University of Torino, Italy

Fiorini Paolo, University of Verona, Italy

Hofmann Alexander, University of Applied Science Technikum, Vienna, Austria

Jardón Huete Alberto, University of Madrid, Spain

Ionita Silviu, University of Pitesti, Romania

Kraetzschmar Gerhard K., Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University, Germany

Kynigos Chronis, University of Athens, Greece

Menegatti Emanuele, University of Padova, Italy

Micheli Emanuele, School of Robotics, Italy

Montel Luc, Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres d'Aix-Marseille, France

Moro Michele, University of Padova, Italy

Muscato Giovanni, University of Catania, Italy

Operto Fiorella, School of Robotics, Italy

Pekárová Janka, Comenius University, Slovakia

Petrovic Pavel, Comenius University, Slovakia

Pina Alfredo, Public University of Navarra, Spain