The Finn-school-system reached brilliant results at the “Program for International Student Assessment” (PISA) – Tests. What the Finns are doing better? One interesting Finnish concept is Teknokas, a Centrum for imparting technologic knowledge. With creative methods and the best equipment teachers and students are learning in equal measure. Since a few months it contains also a Slotfire racing-track.

There are different, wonderful ways to arouse the interest for technologic-base-principles in kids mind. In one of the Teknokas-Programs the students have to construct a as slow as possible driving car of Lego and other Materials. Here the statement of the project-leader:

„We have now couple of mounths experience using your track for educational needs. As mentioned we are using mainly legoblogs for building but also oher cheap materials as wooden sticks, paper wheels, different kind of rezycling materials and so on - our experiences are encouraging.

We have given children different kind of task for examble - design and make machine wich is moving as slow as possible/ as fast as possible. At the moment slowest car best result: 5m/20days.

Track has been also electric source and enviroment for different kind of design tasks for automatical systems (robots and so). More information about us in our website www.oulu.fi/teknokas/Teknokas_english.html“

Another field of activity of the Slotfire track is the adoption of robots. Here another statement of the project-leader: „When its question about teaching automation we use special project boards called picaxe. For those projectboards track has been as a electrick source (+6v). Tasks for automatic projects has been for example such as "Build a robot wich follow the slot and find red tape or different colours of tapes taped on the track", “Build a robot wich follow the slot and goes slower in the curves and faster in the straight parts of the track”, Build a robotsystem of two robots wich follow the slot and communicate to eachother somehow” ….and so on. Its possible to make lot of different kind of tasks whit your track when its question about teaching technology which includes problemsolving.

More of picaxe – In picaxe projectboard there is possible to connect different kind of switches (analogigal/dicital inputs) and for examble motors, leds, puzzlers as outputs. Pictures as attachements – hope this will help you to understand our approach to use your track.

Here are a few impressions out of the Aspire racing-lounge in Qatar. Attention should be paid to the championship-program in which the driver with good results ascending and getting better cars.