Wendys El Salvador- Visit with a Customer Service Robot

Every year in ITGS the 12th-grade HL students are presented with a case study that they need to explore, research and prepare responses to. This year they are focused on a case study that involved smart shelves, VR mirrors and customer service robots. One of the requirements of this work is that students engage in primary research. Robots are also a focus area of the SL curriculum. 

Wendys El Salvador and Zacamil Hospital in El Salvador both use customer service robots for slightly different purposes so it made good sense to contact one of them to explore further. What better opportunity than to interact with the robots, observe them in action, interview the people who make use of them and oversee their operation and also explore their impacts on customers through interviews and direct interaction with the robots.  We contacted Wendys a few weeks back and set up an appointment to visit. 

Today was the day!  Students had already collaborated on two pages of powerful questions in ITGS Class, in preparation for the visit and spent a good portion of the visit interviewing the restaurant manager as well as testing out the robot, putting it through its paces while exploring its interfaces, hardware and the sensors it uses to help it navigate. They even had the opportunity to interview a few customers and adopt the role of customers.

This was a fantastic experience full of relevant explorations and discussions which will not only help the students to better understand the impacts of customer service robots on society but also aid them in preparing for the analytical writing they will engage in throughout the remainder of their IB journey. 

Here is the link to the photo gallery from the trip. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed taking part in it. 

IT Security in ITGS

The 11th grade ITGS students were learning about security issues this past week as well as how to avoid them and how to deal with them. They were asked to put a short video together to explain these concepts and did so over the course of two lessons.

The first step, after deciding on a focus was for them to identify key terminology and language they planned on using. Next,  they wrote short scripts and began their recordings. It was great to observe the variety of methods and applications they chose to produce their videos.

Here are three out of the many examples, compiled into one video. In these cases the students opted for Powtoon, whiteboards, and drawings, as well as presentation videos, in that order.

Enjoy!

Input Devices 2

This week we have continued our study of Input Devices in 11th ITGS. The students randomly selected one input method to focus on and then scripted a short In Plain English Style video.

Some opted for paper cutouts, other whiteboards, and pens. The resulting videos were varied not only in content but in method. The students not only consolidated their understanding of these input methods but also found creative ways to teach others about them.

Here is a short mash-up of those that were turned in today.

Google Cardboard in ITGS

Last week we spent half an hour testing out and evaluating Google Cardboard in our HL ITGS class. This was  part of our preliminary work on wearable tech. The students viewed a video overview, learned how to use the headsets and the Cardboard App (which runs 360 degree videos), then assembled the devices. Next, we headed outdoors to the grassy area in front of the LRC. Luckily, there was a respite in the rainy weather and the grass was also dry, enabling us to purposefully wander around the grounds, whilst immersed in different VR environments.


It was fascinating to observe the kids as they took tours, spotted their partners and shared their locations and findings, all without leaving the lawn in front of the LRC. This work was punctuate by excited exclamations, location call outs and the regular directions of the spotters.


The next step is to continue the debrief, and record their findings on their response sheets. Interestingly enough, the students were very impressed by these cheap cardboard constructions built for cell phones, despite their awareness of the range of alternative high tech VR devices currently available. It will certainly be interesting to read their written responses to the this experience.