Page 45: of Marine Technology Magazine (January 2011)

www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 45

Learning by teaching “I like to use the idea of students teaching students,” says Kney. “You don’t really learn something until you teach it. Teaching to younger kids is fun for college stu- dents because of the interest level, excitement and wonder they bring to the table. It is a win-win-win situation. Our college kids get a new perspective with regard to what they are learning and it helps them better understand what it is they are learning. In the end we can help teachers with science and engineering.”

The college students in New Zealand communicated to elementary school students back home through blogs and emails. “We went to a geothermal park, climbed a glacier, stayed with the Maori people for a few days and learned about their culture, swam with Hector's dolphins, hiked and learned about the rivers and pollution.” Aoki says.

The Lafayette students were in different focus groups, and we incorporated SeaPerch in their scientific activities.

For example, the Water Quality group conducted water testing using one of the SeaPerch ROVs that the elemen- tary school students built, with multimedia elements sent back to the elementary school,” says Cooper. “Whenever we got the chance, we put a SeaPerch in the water and took video to send back to the elementary stu- dents,” Aoki says.

She says the most gratifying aspect of SeaPerch is seeing young students build a SeaPerch from just everyday parts and end up with an underwater robot that they can take complete ownership of.

Aoki enjoys soldering the parts of the SeaPerch control box. “The hardest aspect is washing toilet bowl wax off of your hands or fixing a switch that has not been soldered properly. But,” she says, “There is endless fun in just play- ing with the SeaPerch in the water.”

Cooper agrees. “The most difficult aspect of SeaPerch is

Ens. Natalya Aoki (left) discusses the SeaPerch underwater robot with Ens. Patrick Cooper and Prof. Angie Moran at the U.S. Naval Academy. The photo was taken when Aoki and Cooper were attending the academy are participating in an educational outreach program for young people in science, technology, engineering and math.