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NI To Offer High School Edition of LabVIEW for Lego Mindstorms

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 04/28/11

Lego Education and National Instruments will shortly launch an edition of LabVIEW software specifically for high school students to use with Lego robotic products.

LabVIEW for Lego Mindstorms is a teaching tool that helps students control and program Mindstorms NXT robots while also learning the basics of LabVIEW, a graphical programming environment used by scientists and engineers. The upcoming release will be the third product in a line that also includes Lego Education WeDo software for elementary students and Lego Mindstorms Education NXT software for middle school students.

The new software is intended to be used in the classroom. It will include instructional videos, tutorials, and teaching resources specifically for high school students and teachers who are using Lego Mindstorms Education and Tetrix by Pitsco. The lessons introduce concepts such as autonomous robotics and scientific measurements using real-world examples and provide activities for students to get practice.

"My students learn better when they learn by doing," said Tim Jump, director of advanced competitive science at Benilde-St. Margaret's college-preparatory school in St. Louis, MN. "Incorporating the hands-on learning of LabVIEW and Lego robotics into my classroom makes it possible for me to explore and experiment right along with the students. The platform not only makes learning engineering fun, but it makes teaching it fun too." In 2005 the school's entry won a national robotics competition.

"LabVIEW for Lego MINDSTORMS completes the National Instruments and Lego Education 'robotics for all ages' learning platform," said Stephan Turnipseed, president of Lego Education North America. "We now can deliver a framework of age-appropriate, hands-on learning technology and curricula that continuously progress with student skill level and learning objectives, from elementary all the way through university."