Robotics - ACAMIS

In January 2018, ACAMIS took initial steps to create new ACAMIS Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE) activities in Robotics in addition to Math and Chess competitions. Tapping into the considerable expertise of two ACAMIS members, Barbara Boyer and Tim Boyer from Shanghai American School Pudong Campus, significant progress was made and in May 2018 the Robotics Committee (ARC) was formed to make all arrangements as soon as possible for the immediate launching of ACAMIS Robotics.

ACAMIS (Association of Chinese and Mongolian International Schools) will be holding their First Lego League Robotics Competition at BCIS on the 13th of April. In this competition, students must design and code an autonomous robot to complete a set of missions within 2 and a half-minute timeframe. They must also present their robot design and code to a panel of judges. The students will also get a chance to present their innovation project which this year is about planning an innovative way to teach a skill. All of the details for the format of the competition is here: First Lego League Robotics Competition Format.

First Lego League also provide loads of resources and information about the competition here: www.firstlegoleague.org

Results of the competition

ACAMIS (Association of Chinese and Mongolian International Schools) holds its own VEX leagues divided into North, Central, and Southern regions leading into the ACAMIS VEX Championship. In these competitions, students must build, drive, code, and document their robot. VEX competitions are also a great way to expose students to valuable soft skills like communication, collaboration and time-management in a fun and authentic way. The VEX Robotics competition prepares students to become future innovators with 95% of participants reporting an increased interest in STEM subject areas and pursuing STEM-related careers. Information about VEX Competitions can be found here

Results of the competition

ACAMIS Robotics Committee (ARC) was created in 2018 to at the request of several ACAMIS member schools in the hope of adding robotics as an activity where it did not previously exist. Already present among a core group of member schools in Shanghai and two other cities, it became evident that an overview organization like ACAMIS would have the best chance for it to take on new life, expand with our organization, provide activities among similar schools, and be sustainable over time. To accomplish this, a team of robotics experts was needed to form the first planning committee. For classification purposes, as an ACAMIS Activity, robotics will be listing under Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE). To provide annual training and information, the Robotics Planning Committee will work closely with the Technology Planning Committee to create a Strand for robotics at the annual Technology Conference.

For more information about ACAMIS Robotic Activities, please contact the following key person below:

Northern Region: Simon Furmston, simon_furmston@wab.edu
Central Region: Phil Whitaker, Phil.Whitaker@saschina.org
Southern Region: Todd Voykin - todd.voykin@cisgz.com

For any inquiries - please email Todd Voykin at todd.voykin@cisgz.com

Committee Members

Todd Voykin, Chair - Canadian International School of Guangzhou

Todd Voykin is from Kelowna, Canada and has been teaching Robotics and Electronics since 2005. He is a High School Robotics and Design teacher at the Canadian International School of Guangzhou (CISGZ). Since 2011 he has enjoyed teaching and engaging with students inside the classroom and coaching students in after school Robotics clubs. It's amazing to watch the students passion and excitement for Robotics grow as their knowledge and understanding of the subject expands. He is very excited to be a member of the ACAMIS Robotics Committee and look forward to working with new coaches and interested students to give them the best possible experience with Robotics.

Kyle Douglas - Dulwich College Beijing

Kyle Douglas is from the sun-kissed city of Perth, Australia, and has been teaching Mathematics and Computer Science since 2016. He is a teacher at Dulwich College Beijing, where in addition to teaching robotics courses, he has also dedicated his expertise to coaching robotics teams. Central to his teaching philosophy is an interdisciplinary approach by weaving together different subjects, Kyle not only makes learning more dynamic and engaging but also ensures that students attain a holistic and well-rounded understanding of the material.

Ken Brady - Nanjing International School

Ken Brady is from Queensland, Australia and has been a Digital Technology and Robotics teacher since 2001. He is currently the Technology Coach and Robotics teacher at Nanjing International School and has been teaching robotics to High School students since 2003, starting with the Lego RCX Brick technology.
Since then Ken has been active in developing student Robotics clubs in the schools and regions he has taught, to foster the learning, inquiry, excitement, and technology skills that are associated with Robotics.
In his role as a member of the ACAMIS Robotics Committee, Ken is looking forward to developing and expanding the networks and partnerships with fellow teachers and students who have a passion for Robotics and thereby enhancing the learning opportunities available for all those involved.

Phil Whitaker - Shanghai American School, Puxi Campus

Robert Flower - The International School of Macao

Robert Flower is from North Carolina, USA, and has taught internationally since 2011. He is currently the High School Robotics and Computer Science teacher at The International School of Macao, where he is passionate about fostering true STEM education through robotics, game development, and other ways for students to demonstrate design thinking. As a member of the ACAMIS Robotics Committee, Robert wants to further the spread of robotics. He hopes that member schools can become more interconnected through friendly collaboration in competitions.

Simon Furmston - Western Academy of Beijing

I have been teaching for over 17 years with 9 of those teaching in the UK and 8 teaching in International Schools in Busan (South Korea) and Beijing (China).
Whilst teaching in Busan I introduced Robotics into the MYP Design program for Grades 8 and 10 , and also ran an after school program which culminated in taking part in the National Korean Robotics Competition for 3 years running. During my time at WAB I have started up the after school Robotics program as well as making Robotics part of the MYP Design program. We have taken part in two ACAMIS Robotics competitions with one of our teams winning the Robot Design award last year.
I believe that Robotics provided great opportunities for students to expand their creative and critical thinking skills. Also, Robotics competitions gives students a real world insight into the importance that collaboration, communication and teamwork plays in being successful in large scale projects.

The ACAMIS Robotics Committee helps organize the following events for ACAMIS Member Schools:

Robotics Strand of ACAMIS Technology Conference
ACAMIS Robotics Expo Day in each region (Ages 6-10)
ACAMIS Robotics Workshops in each region (Ages 9-14)
ACAMIS Robotics Competition in each region (Ages 9-14)
ACAMIS Robotics Championship Competition (Ages 9-14)
ACAMIS Robotics Friendly Scrimmages (Ages 12-18)
ACAMIS Robotics Final Competition (Ages 12-18)

The ACAMIS Robotics Committee helps connect schools with resources on joining the following events:

VEX IQ Competitions
VEX EDR Competitions
WRO Competitions
FLL Competitions for non-ACAMIS Schools

If your school is not yet involved and you would like to know more information about how to get involved in ACAMIS Robotics, please contact Committee Chair, Todd Voykin at todd.voykin@cisgz.com for further information.

Robotics Workshops at ACAMIS Technology Conference

2019 at Concordia
2018 at WAB

2019 at Concordia

ACAMIS Robotics Workshops and Tournaments

2019-20
2018-19

2019-20

VEX IQ Challenge - ISD

VEX IQ Challenge

Hosted by the International School of Dongguan

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3N6MqHS_8CkD1CDZ6Kb65g

On November 30th, ISD held a competition for 14 different teams throughout China. Schools from Dongguan, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Wuhan participated in this challenge! Teams had to both compete in collaborative and independent skills challenges with their robot, as well as have their Engineering Notebooks evaluated and be interviewed by a panel of judges. Congratulations to all teams that participated!

Robotics Workshop - Eastern

Robotics Workshop - Southern

ACAMIS Robotics Workshop - Southern Region

Hosted by Shen Wai International School in Shenzhen

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ghkCGFOlNmKIqplJsqfxdaA

On November 2nd, SWIS hosted a workshop to provided information about preparing for multiple components of competition as well as how to get started building and programming a robot to 7 different schools throughout the Southern region in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Huge thanks to Joanne Anderson and her wonderful team at SWIS in Shenzhen for organizing a wonderful workshop to kick off the 2019-20 Robotics season.

They captured the resources from the day on this Robotics Workshop Padlet. Feel free to view and use for your own school!

Robotics Workshop - Northern

2018-19

Southern China ACAMIS Robotics Competition - AISG

On December 1st, AISG hosted a wonderful robotics tournament for the Southern Region in Guangzhou. 23 teams participated from 8 different schools. In part as a result of the ACAMIS Technology Conference, many new schools joined us at this competition, while others came to observe in hopes of starting a team next year. Students from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Donguan, and Macau came to celebrate all the hard work they had put in. Most teams experienced some failure as their robot did not do as well as when they had practiced at home, but they persevered and improved their scores throughout the day. From all of the judges at the competition, we were blown away by the innovation of the robots, attitudes of the students, and creativity in their research projects. We look forward to continuing to grow the Southern China region with more schools, including Hong Kong, next year!

Northern Regional Qualifier - BWYA

Championship Robotics Tournament - SCIS

The competition was held on February 22-23 at SCIS Pudong where 16 schools and over 175 students attended and competed over the two days. Special thanks to Barry Johnson, tech coordinator for organizing the event and preparing students for this competition.