WITH the internet and a wide selection of gadgets distracting the students these days, teachers have to continuously find ways to make education exciting and help keep students from getting addicted to online games.
In Lapu-Lapu City, education officials have found that exposing the students to robotics does the trick.
The City Government and the Lapu-Lapu City Schools Division held last Monday a competition that would sharpen the skills of students in making robots.
Students from 44 elementary schools, 25 junior high schools and 10 senior high schools joined the Department of Education (DepEd) Lapu-Lapu Division’s 2nd Lapu-Lapu City Robotics Cup at the Hoopsdome in Barangay Gun-ob.
Division Superintendent Marilyn Andales said they have more participants this year after the City Government supported the activity by giving out robotics kits to all schools in Lapu-Lapu.
Aside from the competition, a robotics training for senior high school teachers was also held at the Lapu-Lapu City Robotics Center, which is also in Hoopsdome, in partnership with Felta, a distributor of robotics kits.
Making robots is now part of the education program of the City.
Donald Dungog, information officer of DepEd Lapu-Lapu and a Philippine Robotics coach, said each school has three participants—the programmer, the builder and the engineer.
The participants in the city-level competition were the winners in the robotics contest of their respective schools.
Each team was given two and a half hours to build their robot according to their categories.
For the elementary category, participants were tasked to build a robot that can bring animals to their natural habitat.
Lapu-Lapu City Central Elementary School bagged the first prize, followed by the Science and Technology Education Center or STEC, and Suba Masulog Elementary School placing third.
In the junior high school category, schools whose robots efficiently lessen the carbon emission by planting trees and putting solar power were chosen as winners.
First placer was Gun-ob High School, followed by Punta Engaño National High School and Sta. Rosa National High School.
The senior high school representatives made a robot that can play soccer.
The winners were Joshua Manlawe (1st place), Brian Barab (2nd) and John Rey Bomediano (3rd). They are all STEC students.
Dungog said winners received medals and plaques. He said they will have the chance to represent the City for the national robotics competition in SM City North Edsa in Quezon City on Sept. 12.
“We are aiming to make our classroom more exciting than internet cafes. Some students do cutting classes because they want to go to internet cafes. We want to bring them back in school,” said Dungog.
The top four winners of the national contest will be chosen as the Philippines’ representative to the international competition.
Lapu-Lapu had already sent representatives to different countries like South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Qatar and India to compete in the international robotics competition.
Last year, Lapu-Lapu was ranked seventh in the World Robot Olympiad in Gen 2 Football category.