Demystifying Educational Robotics with FOCORE: from Very Low Cost Software and Hardware Technologies to the Development of New Methodologies and Curriculum for Continuing Teacher Education and Teaching of Brazilian Basic Education Students

• Carla Fernandes UFRN
• Orivaldo S. Júnior UFRN
• Denilton Oliveira UFRN
• Luciane Garcia UFRN
• Aquiles Burlamaqui UFRN
• Julio Melo UFRN
• Sarah Sá IFRN
• Allyson Soares IFRN
• Anderson Souza UERN
• Dennis Barrios-Aranibar Universidad Catolica San Pablo
• Raquel Patiño-Escarcina Universidad Catolica San Pablo
• João Fabro UTFPR
• Akynara Burlamaqui UFERSA
• Samuel Azevedo UFERSA
• Edilson Kato UFSCar
• Roberto Inoue UFSCar
• André Hernandes UFSCar
• Tatiana Pazelli UFSCar
• Osmar Ogashawara UFSCar
• Luis Araujo UFSCar
• João Fontes UFSCar
• Alessandra Hai UFSCar
• Kelen Vivaldini UFSCar
• Vania Neris UFSCar
• Luciano Neris UFSCar
• Rafael Aroca UFSCar
• Pablo Alsina UFRN
• Luiz Gonçalves UFRN

Resumo

This article is of informative proposal about the first research network with Latin American scope in the area of Robotics in Education (RE). We came up with a heterogeneous and multidisciplinary group, with the participation of universities and federal institutes in Brazil and a Peruvian university. The network aims to Study and Develop Methodologies for Implementing Educational Robotics in Public Education Systems. The proposal emphasizes the analysis of policies and experiences in the Continuing Education of Teachers as well as the development and improvement of software, hardware, curricula, and teaching methodologies in the Robotics in Education area. During the manuscript, some of the state of the art is given on public policies aiming the use of Educational Robotics in the Brazilian education scenario, with a critical reflection on the contributions of RE, either as an active methodology for different purposes or in the teachinglearning process in public schools. Next, based on the initial study, we will be showing developed and improved tools for RE, including software and hardware. Our studies also seek the scientific foundations to propose improvements in curricula and course proposals for continuing education and learning of RE in schools.

Palavras-chave: Education, Robots, Tools, Software, Robot sensing systems, Proposals, Hardware, Educational Robotics Network, Low-cost Hardware, Software Development, Contiuous Formation on ER