Kids Learn Engineering Through Lego Robotics Competition - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver.avi

Free After-School Program Provides Access, Training For Low-Income Students

After two months of experimenting, budding builders from Kepner Middle School and University Park Elementary put the final touches on robots they've created using Lego blocks.


On Nov. 20, they will match mind and machine against teams from all over the state in a FIRST Lego League qualifying competition.It's an opportunity made possible by a free, nonprofit program called Open World Learning.


"Open World Learning is an after-school program that uses computer labs that are otherwise empty in low-income areas of Denver," said Dean Abrams, CEO of Open World Learning. "Our goal is to develop leadership and ignite a love of learning in the kids that we serve."


Working with angles and distance, students program the robots to navigate obstacles and move targets.


"It's a lot of troubleshooting. It's a lot of problem solving," said Leandrea Walter, OWL's senior site leader at Kepner Middle School.


"It kind of feels good because you completed a mission and, like, you get to move on to another one," said eighth-grader Alonzo.

It's a technology and engineering lesson disguised as fun and games, and instructors said the experience can instill confidence and skills that carry over to students' education.

"I had dyslexia, and my dyslexia is now getting better, and I'm getting a lot more comfortable with myself," said fifth-grader Giselle.

"What we are all about is helping kids understand that they can succeed despite what appear to be challenges in their life," Abrams said. "It opens their eyes. It opens their mind. And it opens their hearts to learning."


The Open World Learning team will compete in a qualifying tournament Nov. 20 at the Colorado School of Mines. Nearly 250 teams statewide are competing for slots at the state finals to be held Dec. 10 at the University of Colorado Denver.

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Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• FIRST LEGO League
• robotics
• Open World Learning
• after school
• STEM
• middle school students
• computer
• Denver
• Colorado
• engineering