PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot

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This set of packaged materials includes a video segment on the development of intelligent robots and asks students to create a detailed hypothesis about possible outcomes of this technology. The site provides explicit guidance to help learners analyze the information. The rubric is designed to help learners sift relevant from unnecessary information, construct the hypothesis in a logical manner, and understand the importance of basing conclusions on evidence.

Editor's Note: This simple activity addresses a number of national science standards in a fun and engaging way. Expect lively discussions about the implications of intelligent robots, which helps students realize that a valid hypothesis takes into account not only relevant facts, but also the future consequences of a proposed action.

Please note that this resource requires Quicktime.

https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.lprobo...

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Education Foundations - Research Design & Methodology Education Practices - Active Learning = Problem Solving Other Sciences - Engineering	- Middle School - High School	- Instructional Material = Activity = Problem/Problem Set = Student Guide - Assessment Material = Rubric - Audio/Visual = Movie/Animation

Intended Users	Formats	Ratings
- Learners - Educators - General Publics	- video/quicktime - application/ms-word - text/html	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2008 Thirteen/WNET, http://www.teachersdomain.org/collection_credits/vtl07, 2008
Keywords:: experiment, experimentation, hypothesis, research design, research methodology, research process, scientific experiment
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created October 8, 2010 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: August 19, 2020 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: December 31, 2008
Other Collections:: The Physics Front

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Next Generation Science Standards

Crosscutting Concepts (K-12)

Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World (K-12)

The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. (6-8)
New technologies can have deep impacts on society and the environment, including some that were not anticipated. Analysis of costs and benefits is a critical aspect of decisions about technology. (9-12)

Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology (K-12)

Engineering advances have led to important discoveries in virtually every field of science, and scientific discoveries have led to the development of entire industries and engineered systems. (6-8)
Science and engineering complement each other in the cycle known as research and development (R&D). Many R&D projects may involve scientists, engineers, and others with wide ranges of expertise. (9-12)

Science is a Human Endeavor (3-12)

Advances in technology influence the progress of science and science has influenced advances in technology. (6-8)
Science and engineering are influenced by society and society is influenced by science and engineering. (9-12)

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices (K-12)

Asking Questions and Defining Problems (K-12)

Asking questions and defining problems in grades 6–8 builds from grades K–5 experiences and progresses to specifying relationships between variables, and clarifying arguments and models. (6-8)
- Ask questions to identify and clarify evidence of an argument. (6-8)

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information (K-12)

Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in 6–8 builds on K–5 and progresses to evaluating the merit and validity of ideas and methods. (6-8)
- Gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple appropriate sources and assess the credibility, accuracy, and possible bias of each publication and methods used, and describe how they are supported or not supported by evidence. (6-8)

NGSS Nature of Science Standards (K-12)

Asking Questions and Defining Problems (K-12)

Asking questions and defining problems in grades 6–8 builds from grades K–5 experiences and progresses to specifying relationships between variables, and clarifying arguments and models. (6-8)

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information (K-12)

Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in 6–8 builds on K–5 and progresses to evaluating the merit and validity of ideas and methods. (6-8)

AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

1. The Nature of Science

1A. The Scientific Worldview

6-8: 1A/M2. Scientific knowledge is subject to modification as new information challenges prevailing theories and as a new theory leads to looking at old observations in a new way.

1B. Scientific Inquiry

9-12: 1B/H2. Hypotheses are widely used in science for choosing what data to pay attention to and what additional data to seek, and for guiding the interpretation of the data (both new and previously available).

3. The Nature of Technology

3A. Technology and Science

6-8: 3A/M3. Engineers, architects, and others who engage in design and technology use scientific knowledge to solve practical problems. They also usually have to take human values and limitations into account.
9-12: 3A/H1. Technological problems and advances often create a demand for new scientific knowledge, and new technologies make it possible for scientists to extend their research in new ways or to undertake entirely new lines of research. The very availability of new technology itself often sparks scientific advances.

3B. Design and Systems

3-5: 3B/E2. Even a good design may fail. Sometimes steps can be taken ahead of time to reduce the likelihood of failure, but it cannot be entirely eliminated.

3C. Issues in Technology

6-8: 3C/M6. Rarely are technology issues simple and one-sided. Relevant facts alone, even when known and available, usually do not settle matters. That is because contending groups may have different values and priorities. They may stand to gain or lose in different degrees, or may make very different predictions about what the future consequences of the proposed action will be.

AAAS Benchmark Alignments (1993 Version)

1. THE NATURE OF SCIENCE

A. The Scientific World View

1A (9-12) #3. No matter how well one theory fits observations, a new theory might fit them just as well or better, or might fit a wider range of observations. In science, the testing, revising, and occasional discarding of theories, new and old, never ends. This ongoing process leads to an increasingly better understanding of how things work in the world but not to absolute truth. Evidence for the value of this approach is given by the improving ability of scientists to offer reliable explanations and make accurate predictions.

3. THE NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY

B. Design and Systems

3B (6-8) #2. All technologies have effects other than those intended by the design, some of which may have been predictable and some not. In either case, these side effects may turn out to be unacceptable to some of the population and therefore lead to conflict between groups.

ComPADRE is beta testing Citation Styles!

Record Link

<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=10391">WNET. PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot. New York: WNET, December 31, 2008.</a>

AIP Format

(WNET, New York, 2008), WWW Document, (https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.lprobot/creating-a-hypothesis-the-intelligent-robot/).

AJP/PRST-PER

PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot (WNET, New York, 2008), <https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.lprobot/creating-a-hypothesis-the-intelligent-robot/>.

APA Format

PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot. (2008, December 31). Retrieved May 2, 2025, from WNET: https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.lprobot/creating-a-hypothesis-the-intelligent-robot/

Chicago Format

WNET. PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot. New York: WNET, December 31, 2008. https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.lprobot/creating-a-hypothesis-the-intelligent-robot/ (accessed 2 May 2025).

MLA Format

PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot. New York: WNET, 2008. 31 Dec. 2008. 2 May 2025 <https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.lprobot/creating-a-hypothesis-the-intelligent-robot/>.

BibTeX Export Format

@misc{ Title = {PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot}, Publisher = {WNET}, Volume = {2025}, Number = {2 May 2025}, Month = {December 31, 2008}, Year = {2008} }

Refer Export Format

%T PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot %D December 31, 2008 %I WNET %C New York %U https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.lprobot/creating-a-hypothesis-the-intelligent-robot/ %O video/quicktime

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source %D December 31, 2008 %T PBS Learning Media: Creating a Hypothesis-The Intelligent Robot %I WNET %V 2025 %N 2 May 2025 %8 December 31, 2008 %9 video/quicktime %U https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.lprobot/creating-a-hypothesis-the-intelligent-robot/

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The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual.

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