During the recent Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Virtual Robotics Contest, teams from the Martha and Josh Morriss Mathematics & Engineering Elementary School had an opportunity to spark their creativity and outside of the box thinking. Students became creators, videographers and promoters while still using the Engineering Design Process as they worked through the competition experience for Whirl-bots Motion Commotion.
Participants designed, built and coded their own unique whirling mechanism powered by a robot, recorded all the action, uploaded their video to the TCEA virtual platform and then promoted their video to get people to vote.
Winning Teams were:
*Team Tiger Sharks – Most Votes Award – Olivia Catamin, Haatib Fayyaz, Maddox Gomez & Lizzy LaGrone;
*Team Tornado – Great Teamwork Award – Rylie Bixler, Garrett Fite, Micah Hammonds & Carley Whatley;
Micah Hammonds, Garrett Fite, Carley Whatley, Rylie Bixler
*Team Twirl – Enthusiastic Award – Mary Ellen Andrus, Tyllie Cain, Cash Durham & Dawson Shaw.
Tyllie Cain, Mary Ellen Andrus, Cash Durham, Dawson Shaw
Other participating teams were:
*Team Dynamite – Caroline Andrus, Jacob Killian, Tobias Paez & Charlie Pitman;
Jacob Killian, Caroline Andrus, Charlie Pitman, Tobias Paez
*Team Ocean Breeze – Kate Keller, Gabriel Mills-Hardy, Jeremiah Pitts & Zoey Wilson;
Jeremiah Pitts, Gabriel Mills-Hardy, Zoey Wilson, Kate Keller
*Team Thunderstruck Machines – Tim Bickham, Natalie Debenport, Josh Powell & Sage Stussy.
Sage Stussy, Natalie Debenport, Josh Powell, Tim Bickham
TCEA is dedicated to advancing teaching and learning through the use of technology. It has played a vital role in increasing technology funding and access for Pre-K-16 schools for nearly 40 years and supports educators in the field who are enhancing curriculum with digital tools.
