Computers are really good at a lot of things, making calculations, drawing images, and powering devices. But there are also a lot of things that humans can do easily but are hard for a computer to do. If you looked at a picture of a cat and a picture of a dog, you could easily tell which is which. A computer would actually have trouble telling the difference between the two. Machine learning lets computers learn about different things and can teach the computer to tell the difference between a cat and a dog. A computer will look at thousands and thousands of pictures of a cat or a dog until it finally learns enough about them to be able to draw a picture of a cat or a dog by itself. But with machine learning, you need a lot of pictures, and the computer might not be able to learn more complicated things.
The student handout will be given to all students working on the design challenge. It gives a brief recap of the story, it helps the students identify what they are attempting to achieve, and it recaps the design process.
This Instructor’s Guide provides the instructor additional information on how to run the design challenge with alternatives for materials and test setups as well as information to help make the design challenge a good educational experience.
The Telling the Story Video conveys the societal impact of the student’s research that is the basis for the design challenge and will set the problem-solving context for students.
The Design Challenge Video leads students through the design process. It indicates materials available, states what the criteria are for success and any constraints. It also gives a second ‘level’ of the design challenge that allows ‘early completers’ to move on to a slightly more difficult challenge.