European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                �?o>mas3azinerobotics in  High tech Turtle a Thralls students by Jimi Jones education writer Myrtle is no Ordinary Turtle. She s slow like most tortoises creeping along her Terro Rity with caution. And she sometimes wears a Green Basket for the Shell look. But Myrtle is High tech a one of several miniature sized computer creations built by fourth fifth and sixth graders at Alexander m. Patch american elementary school in Stuttgart West Germany. The students Are members of Barbara Klosse special Legot logo computer based class in which children create invent and explore science. Students build objects with snap together plastic pieces called Lego bricks and then control and animate them with logo computer software. The class is Quot just More interesting a says 12-year-old Chris Abel. Quot in homeroom we have these Boring lab reports that Aren t fun. Here its hands on  Quot Here is a classroom where a merry go round rests atop a desk and a combination Washer dryer is set up on the next. Wires link three computers to the colourful Little pop apart machines. Sixth grader Marc Lawrence 12, studies a Lego robot at Alexander m. Patch american elementary school in Stuttgart West Germany. Pecking on the computer keyboard Marc Lawrence asks Quot Marie do you have my program cheap skate How a you Guys get this thing to print Down Here Quot Quot it would be on my disk a answers 12-year-old Marie Ligon. Quot i Don t quite remember  Marc is trying to get Myrtle the turtles program going so it can cruise Quot Turtle town Quot a Maze like Village sketched on a Long strip of paper spread Over the classroom floor where Myrtle lives shops eats and even gets sick. In Turtle town you la find Myrtle a House a Mcdonald s restaurant Shell Gas stations a Hospital and other buildings. Myrtle Quot has a few bugs Quot Marc explains Quot its supposed to order at Mcdonald Sthen go to the Hospital and complain that it s been  Kloss a fourth Grade teacher says Legot logo is an inquiry approach for Quality learning in science education. Such an approach Quot not Only represents the nature of scientific Endeavor but also provides the student with a Model of learning How to learn Quot Kloss said. As students build their robots and machines they also learn about mechanics physics electronics computers and other sciences. Children Quot act like real scientists As they generate ideas run experiments and revise their plans based on the results Quot said Kloss a computer coordinator in department of defense dependents schools for the past six years. By using the computer to control their inventions students learn Steps to problem solving. They learn How computers Are used As a form of control what is known As robotics. In the process they experience important scientific and mathematical principles. In its original form logo consists of a few simple commands to control the movement of a cursor on the screen or a physical object wired to the pc. The commands were designed to serve As Basic building blocks that a child could tinker with and Combine into All sorts of Complex programs. The program is the first of its kind in Dodds continued on Page 14 monday april 9, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13