Somethings to read about...

I would like you to read about a few programs:

Poly Tech Summer Programs

and the BotBall organization.

This Week. 9/25/06

Works groups for 8TA Lego Robotics at I.S.93 started the assembly of the FLL Nano Quest Challenge missions last week. The groups also did their homework which was to come up new work group names. Since the theme is a molecular one this year I had hoped to get some good names. One group came with the "Geodeziks" because they found some research on Buckminster Fuller and wanted to pay homage to his body of work. What a great name for a work group! They get it that that "geodesic" concerns distances while comparing curves and straightline measurements. I love to hear and see the creativity of my students.

This week we will continue to assemble the missions. Obviously we need the missions to be on the mat instead of in pieces in a bag but... Where is the learning? What I am supposed to learn by following printed directions?

The answer is:

1. Team building and improving the skill of working in a group are the two concepts I am concerned with for one.
2. I also want individuals to pay attention to how the missions were engineered. I have begun to appreciate the cleverness of the design of the missions, not just the idea of that mission. In other words, look at how the pieces of the mission are constructed. we can so much about design and engineering by how other people solve problems and by how they design.
3. Then I want the individuals to discuss and record design and construction techniques within the work group. " Look how the connectors are hidden by the technics beams ." "Look how the pieces are combined to make a different piece."

NanoQuest Challenges IS 93

We are beginning our Lego Robotics program for 2006-2007.

1. We are printing the instructions for assembling the missions.
2. We have each work group focusing on one mission.They will assemble the mission and then describe it to the other groups.
3. Planning our teams. We may field a RCX, NXT,and VEX team this year.

Stay tuned!

We're Back! Lego Robotics at IS 93.

Welcome to the new school year. Last year at IS 93 here in Queens was a great year. We will still have the Lego Robotics club through Beacon, GRYC. We also have an eighth grade class in Robotics. Many major subject teachers "loop" at 93 which means teachers follow their students up in through the grades. I have done the same thing with last year's seventh grade- now that they are in the eighth grade, I have them again. We lost a few students and gained some sharp students.

We will continue our work with the RCX. Two NXT kits are on the way and we'll see what we can do with a VEX kit we got. I would like to enter a VEX competition.

We are pursuing a continued relationship with PloyTech this year. We want our program to grow and we will explore more ways to do that. Every time we do, we make tremendous progress.

Next week, we will go to Manhattan to view the Isler brother's documentary television pilot at the 2006 New York Television Festival. View the trailer. They followed and filmed three robitcs programs and have produced a 22 minute piolt that is competing in the festival contest. One of the teams they filmed was the 93 Eagles. Take some time to explore the Gloaming Pictures website.