February 21, 2007
Reach Out and Engage
One of the way too many distractions I sink too much time in to (like this blog, maybe?;-) are robotics related outreach activities. This week, for example, I'm off to the Techniquest hands-on science centre in Cardiff Bay, where there's a week of robotics themed activities going on wrapping a robotics show project we're involved with: Robot Thought (which in turn is one of the many projects that being championed by the UK Robotics Community pubic engagement network Walking With Robots, which we're also part of).
Next week, regional finals of RoboCupJunior-UK (which is organised at a national level by my colleague Ashley Green) are taking place at the OU, with schools competing from all over the place, including the world class robot dance team from Amberfield School.
[Just in passing, I thought it interesting to note how Google support school robotics competitions (as well as other science/engineering outreach activities). Is this seen as an appropriate use of 20% time, I wonder, or are extra allowances made for outreach and engagement? And I wonder.... hey GOOG - fancy sponsoring RCJ-UK next year?! :-)]
Also next week we'll be outlining our plans for an HE Academy Innovative Teaching Fund project to reversion some robot programming activities from our Robotics and the Meaning of Life course (taster here) to use Microsoft Robotics Studio and then release the materials via OpenLearn.
Outreach and public engagement in the OU is currently undergoing something of a review in the OU, with the expectation that it will become more formally recognised as an activity that is valued by the institution.
This is something that some of us have been informally banging on about for years, but with the possibility of bidding for £££money$$$ from HEFCE to set up a Beacon for Public Engagement, the leading role the OU is playing in the organisation of the Milton Keynes Science Festival and a PVC who values outreach and engagement, maybe the times-they-are-a-changing...
Posted by ajh59 at February 21, 2007 09:54 AM