A new class at Iowa State has students using Legos as learning tools for technology.

Students in the new class Toying With Technology construct miniature cars, drills and simulated garage doors, then program a computer to make them move.

However, these are not science or engineering students. The Toying With Technology class teaches high-tech computer programming skills to non-technical students.

In fact, all but one of the students are elementary education majors.

“Hopefully, they’ll get an understanding of how everyday technological things work and then be able to explain it to children,” said Larry Genalo, materials science and engineering professor.

Genalo co-teaches the class with electrical engineering professor Charlie Wright.

Genalo said the class allows students to design, build, test and redesign their Lego robots to complete current lab assignments or to execute their own creativity.

“Children of all ages can build these Lego robots, which leaves them feeling motivated and successful,” he said.

One project taught the students to set an egg on the floor from a table top without breaking it, using only string, rubber bands and Legos, Genalo said.

After designing the vehicles and deciding how to make it move, the students download the software from the computer to a micro processing board, which is usually taped onto the Legos.

The best design brought the egg to the floor without the students ever even touching the egg.

A car constructed of Legos was used to push the egg into a Lego crate, which had two strings attached.

The weight of the egg started a pulley that lowered the string and formed a ramp that the car carefully drove down.

“Now, that’s true engineering,” Genalo said.

The most important part of the class is the hands-on experience the students have with children in grades they intend to teach, Genalo said.

The students implement everybody’s ideas into lesson plans, and personally assist Ames elementary and middle school students who visit the classroom on how to create their own Lego robots.

Harmony Schroeder, a junior in elementary education, said she enjoyed teaching the kids. “I love to see them get excited when their car works,” she said.

Schroeder was also one of 16 volunteers from the class who participated in Perkin/King Schools’ Math and Science Night in Des Moines earlier this semester.

Schroeder said the students provided kits for the kids to create their own cars.

Although this is the first semester for Toying with Technology, Genalo said it is growing in popularity.

The class is currently offered only in the fall, but Genalo said hopefully future funding will allow the class to be offered both semesters next year.

Lance Wilhelm, ISU education instructor, said he hopes to make the class an option for students in secondary education who need to complete computer programming requirements.

Programming can be difficult, he said, but this course makes it fun and beneficial.

“It would be a less traditional substitute,” Wilhelm said.

Not only is the class getting interaction with younger students, Wilhelm said they are learning problem solving skills, technological operations and troubleshooting.

Schroeder said the most difficult part of the class was remembering all the language rules and programming.

Genalo said the C language programming can be intimidating for students at first, so the first labs had step-by-step instructions. Engineering students were hired to put together the lab assignments this past summer and are also assistants to the students during class.

“Within a couple of weeks, they were able to design their own projects and write their own programs,” Genalo said.

They now develop cars that stop and go by light sensors, follow direct paths on the floor made by duct tape and run at different speeds for certain lengths of time, Schroeder said.

The class also has Lego races. Schroeder said it’s difficult to choose which designs make fast cars and give more mobility.

As the class progressed, Schroeder said she felt more in control and began to enjoy the class.

She said it was a challenge — but not impossible.

“Now I feel more comfortable with computers, and I’ll be able to teach kids how important computers are, as well as how fun they can be,” Schroeder said.

The Miller Faculty Fellowship made Toying with Technology possible. About $20,000 was allocated to the engineering department for the class.