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Technology Integration & WebQuest

This project integrates the following technologies: desktop computers, microcomputers, infra-red transmitters, robots, sensors, programming software and the Internet.

Robot Reality in the 21st Century
A Middle School WebQuest

Introduction

Robots are fascinating inventions and their importance in our world is increasing. They are influencing our society and changing it much like the development of computers did. Advances made in robotics impact our lives more and more. This webquest will explore the origins of robots, what they do, how and where they work and play, and their role in the future.

Part I

Task

A politician has decided to get attention by running for the Senate on an anti-robot platform. He is claiming that robots are taking over our world. The jobs that people used to do are now done by robots. Worse of all, he says, there are androids now capable of deceiving humans, and we can't tell anymore who is a robot and who is not.

You work for an investigative newspaper. Your boss, the editor, assigns your team of reporters the job of investigating the truth about robots. He wants to promote the selling of lots of papers by drawing attention to the story, so he also wants your team to come up with a promotional event.

Process

Part of your team must investigate and answer key questions about robots. After researching, your findings must be put into the form of an investigative newspaper article. The key questions are:

1) What is the definition of a robot?
2) Where does the idea of robots come from, and what invention made robots possible?
3) Are there many places where robots are replacing people in jobs?
4) What are the types of jobs that robots do much better than humans?
5) Why would a business replace people with robots?
6) Is it possible for a robot to think and act like a human being?

The other half of your team must come up with a promotional event that involves robots.

Do a search of the Internet for entertainment involving robots as well as exploring the Web sites listed below.

After deciding on the most appropriate event that will publicize the big robot story, you must present your proposal to the newspaper editor in the form of a PowerPoint presentation that justifies your conclusions.

The following Web sites should be explored for information related to the two tasks.

http://enose.jpl.nasa.gov/

http://www.androidworld.com/

http://www.coolrobots.com/

http://www.tech.plym.ac.uk/robofoot/

http://www.battlebots.com/

http://www.robotbooks.com/Robot-battles.htm

http://www.creaturebot.com/

http://www.asimo.honda.com/question_answer.asp?bhfv=6&bhfx=&bhqs=1

http://www.robotcombat.com/therobots.html

http://www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate.html

Evaluation

Item	Inadequate	Adequate	Excellent
Task completion	Tasks incomplete	Tasks minimally completed	All tasks completed well; self-motivated
Creativity	Little evidence of creative approach	Some amount of creativity in evidence	Unique approach to most aspects of presentation
Group Cooperation	Resistant; Little or no cooperation	Fair amount of cooperation evident	Cooperation in all aspects of assignment evident
Research application	Little or no evidence of research in assignment	Research used in some aspects of assignment	Research evident throughout assignment
Organization and time management	Poorly organized; ran out of time	Mostly used time appropriately	Well organized and wise use of time
Resources	Poor use	Appropriate use most of the time	Extensive use of resources

Part II

Robots are not only fascinating, they are becoming more important in our world. Robots will influence our society in a big way just like the development of computers did. Advances made in robotics impact our lives more and more.
Click on the link to answer the questions. Write the answer on your webquest worksheet http://www.thetech.org/robotics/universal/index.html	1) What is the general definition of a robot, according to this web site's author? 2) What two things does a machine have to do to qualify as a robot? 3) What language does the word robot come from? 4) What is its meaning in that language? 5) When, where and how was the word first used? 6) What happens in the story from where the word came from? 7) In the introductory paragraph, what use of robots surprised you the most? 8) What does Leonardo da Vinci have to do with robots? 9) When did robots become possible? 10) What made them possible?
Go to the working link and answer the questions.	1) What kind of jobs are robots ideal for? 2) Name 3 things that humans need and robots don't. 3) What percentage of robots work in factories?
Click on this link and play the game. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/robots/hazard/	1) Which robot is used for terrorist bomb threats? 2) Which is used for land mines? 3) Which is used for nuclear disasters?
Go to the living link. Answer the following question according to what is possible and known in the present:	1) Can a robot be conscious? 2) Name the three movies about robots mentioned on this page. 3) What do they have in common? 4) Name any other movies you know of with a similar theme. 5) Name any movies you know of with a positive image of robots.
Go to http://news.google.com/ and type robots in the search window. Click on Search News, then pick an article about robots and write a 2-4 sentence summary of it.

Conclusion

Robots have captured the imagination and fears of generations. Whether we like it or not, they are a part of our lives. Your generation will have a greater interaction with robots than any previous one. Therefore, understanding what robots actually are, what they can and cannot do is important knowledge that you will have gained in the process of doing this assignment.