Abstract:

This article deals with LEGO robotics textbook developed at the Department of Computer Science and Educational Technology, Faculty of Education, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. The textbook is focused on the support of developing computational thinking of pupils in the upper primary school with the help of LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit. The textbook contains eleven educational units including the manuals how to create the constructions of robots as well as the methodical support for teachers. The textbook has been made since 2018 and currently the second version aimed at testing at schools is being published. The first version of the textbook was verified in education and the comments of the teachers were taken into consideration during the last year.

Furthermore, the process and outcomes of creating the robotic constructions used in the textbook are described in this article. Also, the models of robots used in the textbook are introduced. The problems which were necessary to be solved during robot constructions and the final form of robots are mentioned. Then the possibilities of making the manuals for building the LEGO robots are introduced and advantages and disadvantages of available applications are described. In the end some chosen comments of teachers and pupils about the robotics constructions which we received in the first phase of testing the textbook are presented.

Keywords:

Robotics, textbook, LEGO, upper primary school, constructions, education.