Raising Hackers: Meet pixie_technologist
This is the first post in a series called Raising Hackers, written by a 90s hacker turned professional who understands both the genuinely impressive things technology makes possible and the ways it'll work against you if you're not paying attention.
Our family's parenting style is not "here's a YouTube playlist, don't bug me, I'm working." Far from it. We are not iPad parents. We'd rather our kids understand: here's what this thing is, here's how to use it, here's what the companies that make it want from you (money), and here's how to protect yourself. A real example of this is that most kid stars on YouTube are not real (not the way they appear, anyway). We show that with behind-the-scenes research with them.
We'll get into all of that in some future blog posts; how the kids actually use technology, how we try to parent and protect them without being a roflcopter parent, the psychological weirdness that AI is already causing in kids (and adults), screen time, or how we're going to handle things like phones.
Before we get to any of that, though, you should meet some of the younger Conspicuous Technologists. We'll start with pixie_technologist, my 11-year-old. This past weekend was the DPS STEAM Expo, featuring the DPS District Science Fair and Carson's VEX IQ Robotics Team competing in the Driving Skills Challenge. She's going to tell you about all of it - robots, science fairs, and Scratch - in her own words.
[ jd303 ] When did you first start coding or building robots? What was the very first thing you made?
[ pixie_technologist ] I started coding in first grade. My friends were obsessed with this website called Scratch. Scratch was a website that allowed people to code, share the things you coded, and play other people's games. The first thing I ever coded was a game I got from a book.
[ jd303 ] Did you want to try it, or did someone drag you into it? Be honest.
[ pixie_technologist ] For coding, yes, I did want to try it. For robot building, my dad dragged me into it.
[ jd303 ] What was the first moment you remember thinking "okay, this is actually cool"?
[ pixie_technologist ] When I created my first actual game. It was so awesome, I bragged to my friends for days.
[ jd303 ] What is the mbot2 and what can it do?
[ pixie_technologist ] The Mbot2 is a robot that can be built, and coded. You can make it see in the dark, follow a line on the floor, make noise, and lots of other things.
[ jd303 ] What's the hardest thing you've programmed it to do?
[ pixie_technologist ] The hardest thing I've done is probably to follow the first pamphlet. They were so hard.
[ jd303 ] Have you ever had something completely not work? What happened?
[ pixie_technologist ] Yes. The first time I forgot to put a Bluetooth connection on the robot and my computer. I literally tried everything but Bluetooth for days.
[ jd303 ] What do you do when the robot does something weird that you didn't tell it to do?
[ pixie_technologist ] I problem solve. Look through the program.
[ jd303 ] What's the competition about? What are you building or doing?
[ pixie_technologist ] I'll have a robot that picks up blocks. It has a claw. :]
[ jd303 ] Are you nervous? Excited? Both?
[ pixie_technologist ] I'm both. I'm not very good at controlling the robot, but it is SO cool.
[ jd303 ] What does your robot have to do to win?
[ pixie_technologist ] It has to pick up as many blocks as possible, and stack them within one minute.
[ jd303 ] What do you think the hardest part will be on the day?
[ pixie_technologist ] Driving it. The controller is a little weird.
[ jd303 ] You attended a Silicon STEM Academy robotics summer camp. What was that like? Did you already know stuff or were you starting from zero?
[ pixie_technologist ] The summer camp was amazing. The two boys I was working with were SO nice. I wasn't starting from 0 either. By the time I went I'd been working with code and robots for a while by then.
[ jd303 ] Was it mostly kids who already knew coding, or a mix?
[ pixie_technologist ] No. It was mostly kids that didn't know about coding, but loved Legos.
[ jd303 ] What did you build at camp?
[ pixie_technologist ] We built battle bots. First they fight each other, and the winner moves forward. My group's bot made it to round two. It had a claw that went up and down VERY fast.
[ jd303 ] You've done programming in Scratch and Python. Do you like Scratch or Python better, and why?
[ pixie_technologist ] Scratch. I've done it for longer, and it feels easier. Plus, I have some projects I'm in the middle of.
[ jd303 ] What's the difference between them in your head?
[ pixie_technologist ] The difference to me is Scratch is blocks you drag and drop, you have a preview option, and you make the sprites. Python is type.
[ jd303 ] You've read a lot of programming books. Is there anything in the books that you've actually used in a real project?
[ pixie_technologist ] Yes. I've made the actual games listed.
[ jd303 ] What's your science fair project? Explain it like I don't know anything.
[ pixie_technologist ] It's called "Common Cents." I made a hypothesis, procedure, graph, and a data part. It was whether sugar, or caffeine in soda cleaned a penny's rust. It was neither. It was the phosphoric acid.
[ jd303 ] Whose idea was it to do cola cleaning pennies?
[ pixie_technologist ] My dad. I'm thankful. :]
[ jd303 ] What did you think was going to happen before you started?
[ pixie_technologist ] I thought the soda with both was gonna be the one that cleans it the best.
[ jd303 ] What actually happened? Did the results surprise you?
[ pixie_technologist ] The phosphoric acid cleaned the penny most. Yes, I was surprised.
[ jd303 ] What's in cola that makes it work? Do you know why it cleans them?
[ pixie_technologist ] I don't know why it cleans it, but I know it's the phosphoric acid in it.
[ jd303 ] Did you test multiple sodas, or just one?
[ pixie_technologist ] By multiple, you mean different brands, then no. But if you mean by different flavors, then yes. (DUH.)
[ jd303 ] What was the hardest part - setting it up, writing it up, or presenting it?
[ pixie_technologist ] I enjoyed everything, but my fingers hurt from typing so much, so the typing.
[ jd303 ] You're in district now. What's that like compared to the school fair?
[ pixie_technologist ] Well it's bigger. There are placements. It stresses me out more but I'm procrastinating doing anything.
[ jd303 ] Did you change anything about your project or presentation after the school fair?
[ pixie_technologist ] Nope. Don't need to.
[ jd303 ] Are you nervous about district? What do you think the judges are looking for?
[ pixie_technologist ] Yes, and I don't know. I'm so scared for it. For the judges, I don't know. Creativity?
[ jd303 ] Do your friends at school think robotics is cool or weird?
[ pixie_technologist ] No. They love robots. I have multiple friends I've taught coding. One friend is in the robot club with me.
[ jd303 ] If you could build any robot with no limits, what would it do?
[ pixie_technologist ] It would do everything I DON'T wanna do. Chores and homework.
[ jd303 ] Is there anything about coding that still confuses you?
[ pixie_technologist ] Online games. I wanna make one! :[
[ jd303 ] What would you tell a kid who wants to try robotics but doesn't know where to start?
[ pixie_technologist ] I'd tell them to watch griffpatch, and hang out with me for a day. No joke, they'd love code in 15 minutes with me around.
[ jd303 ] Science fair AND robotics competition on the same day - how are you not losing your mind?
[ pixie_technologist ] I dunno. Hope. Fun. The promise of seeing friends. :]
The STEAM Expo is only in its third year and it's already doing things that shouldn't be possible at a district school event. In one building: two separate robotics competitions, esports, graffiti art, live music, an outfit design showcase, an earth science area that was basically a sanctioned sand-and-water table for middle schoolers, VR stations, augmented reality, and a programmable mouse lab. That's what we actually got to. We never made it to the learn-to-DJ station (house and techno, which is the correct choice), the indoor greenhouse, the full makerspace, the second robotics area, and a whole third floor of items we don't even know about.
There were also horses. Actual horses, connected to an equestrian program at CSU.
And right next to us during the science fair portion, behind large glass panels with video piped to external monitors, veterinarians were doing live cat spays and neuters. You could walk up and watch. pixie_technologist's brother watched a cat get spayed between an esports match and his sister presenting to the science fair judges.
[ jd303 ] How did the robotics competition go? What happened?
[ pixie_technologist ] It went surprisingly well, I was able to stack two blocks, but earned no points, because I wasn't able to move it to a location in time. My partner didn't stack any blocks. My opent, did very well. (I'm good at Making the robot, but not controlling them. ;])
[ jd303 ] What would you change if you could do it again?
[ pixie_technologist ] How fast the robot went, and EARNING A POINT!!!!! I couldn't move the block stack to the correct spot in time, and my partner couldn't stack a block. (we didn't get much practice time though.) Also, the robot was rather slow, so I didn't get to places very fast.
[ jd303 ] What did you think of the other kids' robots runs?
[ pixie_technologist ] I'm jealous. one group did very well, and mine...did not. One partner got 6 points, the other 2. another group got 6 from one. They were good winners though, very nice about it.
[ jd303 ] How did the district science fair go?
[ pixie_technologist ] Very well, I think. The judges said they learned something new, and were very friendly. I didn't mess up at all. That's good. Plus My board looked GOOOOOD. I spent a lot of time on it. They asked my questions, and I think I answered well, because they nodded and smiled.
[ jd303 ] Were there any other 5th grade projects there that caught your attention?
[ pixie_technologist ] One my friend made. Banana Storage. It was about keeping bananas in good shape for periods of time and seeing what worked. I don't remember it amazingly, just that it caught my eye and was interesting.
[ jd303 ] What were some of your favorite stations at the science fair?
[ pixie_technologist ] The Mario Kart one, and the Mock Vet. I made semi finals in the Mario Kart tournament. You could go for free and just play. slylock got in 2nd place. Mock Vet was where you could pretend to be a vet with plush animals. The plushies had little cards that said what was wrong and what to do.
[ jd303 ] Now that both are done, would you do science fair again next year?
[ pixie_technologist ] YESSSSSS. I had SO much fun, I'm sad it's over. (As long as I make it to the district.) I also recognized a lot of people there, and met a few new people. the activities are fun, and educational.
pixie_technologist did not do the VEX IQ competition alone. Her partner is slylock - also 5th grade, also Carson, also on the robotics team. The two of them also competed against each other in esports earlier in the day.
