From my In Box...
From: FIRST Tech Challenge
To: markgura
Subject: Mark, here’s Rose’s FIRST story
"We don’t build robots – the robots build us.” - FIRST founder Dean Kamen
FIRST® programs
impact hundreds of thousands of students each year by engaging them in
hands-on, project-based STEM challenges. We’re excited to share Rose’s
experience with you!
The following is an excerpt from the team blog for the Ponytail Posse, an all-girls FIRST® LEGO® League team that progressed to FIRST® Tech
Challenge from St. Paul, Minnesota. Rose explains the massive head
start she and her teammates received from their years in FIRST,
beginning as a FIRST LEGO League team.
"People
are usually able to understand the depth of how participating in
robotics affects lives. They understand that it helps us gain
experiences which help us become better engineers, problem solvers, and
collaborators. But while they understand the depth, these people often
fail to recognize the breadth of how being part of a robotics team can
shape a young person. It’s not just a path toward a successful STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and math) career, but a gateway to
self-expression, confidence, critical thinking, and empathy.
But
as we got older, we began to realize how our robotics experiences were
influencing how we thought about the future. We could see ourselves
going to college and starting a career in engineering, entrepreneurship,
and other fields we had never considered before. These were tangible
destinations that we had already been pursuing for years without
realizing it — in other words, we were giving ourselves a massive head
start...."
Read the full post at: The team's blog
Click on book cover for information
Getting Started with LEGO Robotics. Anyone who
works with kids can do LEGO Robotics, a rich and highly motivating
platform for important STEM Learning! (surprisingly affordable, too)
This books explains it all!
