The Application Research Of Virtual Robots In Secondary Schools Education

With more attention paid to robot education and gradual upgrade of its educational value, a call that robot education should be carried out in primary and secondary schools has been made by scholars and experts in the educational field at home and abroad. The robot education implemented in China is at a preliminary stage as a whole, though it has been carried on for seven or eight years. It is a brand-new approach to explore the potential value of robot education in primary and secondary schools in spite of the limited conditions, resources and environment by making use of the virtual robot, which not only costs low, but also improves the efficiency. The present research attempts to probe into the application of robot education from two perspectives; one is from program design teaching in the course of information technology, and the other is from students'comprehensive practice activities. Through the empirical analysis, we find that it is an operable method to bring virtual robot in program design teaching and comprehensive practice activities. It not only arouses students' interest in learning program design, but also makes students acquire relevant knowledge of robot, which solves the problems in the field of authentic robot education to some extent.The present thesis is divided into four parts in terms of the features of virtual robot education.It begins with the delimitation of the definition through a review of relevant literature. Meanwhile, the composition and principles of virtual robot, the strength and weakness of its application are summarized, and some typical virtual robots applied in education with its application value are analyzed. Some factors influencing the choice of virtual robots in basic education are also included in this part.Part Two is devoted to a summary of relevant standards of robot education in primary and secondary schools at home and abroad through a review of relevant literature. They provide a reference for the establishment and of corresponding teaching objectives for virtual robot education, which can also maximize those objectives.Part Three firstly presents the analysis of problems in the past program design teaching, summarizes two models for the application of robot in programming, and analyzes the relationship between the present education of information technology and robot. Then an empirical study is conducted based on the carrier, namely VJC virtual robot, which probes into the application of virtual robot in program design teaching in several aspects, such as the teaching objective, contents and strategies, according to the teaching objectives in junior high schools. Finally, it ends with an investigation through questionnaire and interviews. We find that the application of virtual robot in the course of information technology not only makes students acquire relevant knowledge of robot, but also triggers their interest in and motivation of learning program design to some extent.Part Four firstly looks into the present situation of robot competitions in comprehensive practice activities, including the principles and introductions of such competitions as well as its educational value. Secondly, an investigation is conducted to find out the students' attitudes towards and suggestions of these competitions so as to perfect such competitions later. It ends with a teaching design for the comprehensive practice course, which consists of the objectives and procedures.The present research tries to provide a new angle for the application of virtual robot in secondary schools for the purpose of promoting robot education, which serves as the theoretical guidance and the practical reference for a number of primary and secondary school teachers in their implementation of virtual robot in program design teaching and comprehensive practice activities.