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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 1,113
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LEGO Club - Anybody been there, done that.. ??
My son's school just started a LEGO club which is to participate in the First LEGO League, working with LEGO mindstorm robots...
I know Grady Clay was involved w/ mindstorm w/ his boy and I had talked with him about it a bit several years ago... I think things have changed some... Now, not to get political, BUT, it seems liberal educator types have gotten overly involved and the program has evolved more into writing and presenting a report about how we've affected the environment & climate w/ waste & trash and then there's a side project of doing some little task w/ the robot that every other group is doing too... Seems to me it'd be more FUN for the kids to just opt out of the state/national program and learn how to build, operate & program the robots to complete tasks... Or better yet, maybe even have there own battle bot type of club.... But I don't think that's what LEGO is in to... Big Hero 6, here we come !!!
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Richard W. Red '70 E, 2.2 White (w/ Red & Blue), '82SC, "Frankenstein" -a bit tweeked |
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11-01-2015, 04:12 PM
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I used to be an FLL coach ~10 years ago when my son was into it. (I coached elementary/middle school teams for 5 years.) I'm a mechanical engineer with experience in process and factory automation. I don't care to start a debate here; I'll offer my experience/viewpoint for your consideration.
FLL is not just about building and solving problems with LEGO (the LEGO portion makes up ~25% of the program). The writing/presenting you refer to (along with the research portion of the event) is, to me, a realistic depiction of the entire process involved in engineering problem-solving. This is not a new aspect to FLL. Building/programming with LEGO, just like real-life hardware/software, is in the "solution" phase. Evaluation of the problem, learning about the ramifications of technology usage, and figuring out how to apply "appropriate technology" in a responsible manner is all part of the game (both in FLL and real life). FLL is also a stepping-stone into the First Robotics League (no more LEGO - you get real hardware). Most teens I have worked with describe First Robotics as "the hardest fun they've ever had". The "fun" aspect with the program is difficult to maintain (everybody wants to build) across all the phases of the program, but it can be done with some clever coaching. I have found the trick to be to get through lots of team-building early on to develop trust among all the youth and then encourage them to each volunteer for leadership of a certain aspect of the project. Teamwork is a bigger problem than you might think (since coaches are bound by a non-interference agreement to ensure the project is implemented completely with youth ideas). My old standing joke at the beginning of the season used to be "I know all of you can individually build and program a robot to complete the mission. All of you working together - I'm not so sure..." There's lots to learn with FLL (much more than just building automation and making it do what you program it to). I hope your son enjoys the experience. |
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11-01-2015, 04:59 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 17,596
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f'ing with LEGO or small put together toys are the new shop classes. Shop classes had been closed for 15-20 years now and many of these young parents don't remember what its like to solve real problems involving mechanical "stuff" (We used to take an engine apart in auto shop and learn what's wrong with it). I would have to say, any mechanical problem solving is great even if its LEGO. I do like the writing aspect of it. Sorry about getting side track.
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11-01-2015, 05:23 PM
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Location: Cincinnati, OH
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Thanks !!
Great reply !! That's actually what I was hoping to hear & partially why I stated my "question" the way I did... I'm a Computer/Electrical Engineer. I've done a LOT of programming & simulation work in the past but I've been out of it for a long time since I got into flying... Would have LOVED to have worked in automation/robotics/computer animation.... If it works out, I'll post his experience with it !!! As long as Google & Facebook aren't involved, it shouldn't get TOO corrupted, right !!! (Sorry, last grenade thrown at today's educational system....)
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Richard W. Red '70 E, 2.2 White (w/ Red & Blue), '82SC, "Frankenstein" -a bit tweeked |
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11-01-2015, 05:24 PM
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Slackerous Maximus
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Columbus, OH
Posts: 18,232
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Sounds like the Lego thing has drifted into the soulless doldrums of the modern educational system. Writing reports about the environment? WTF?
 Give the kids an Arduino Mega, a servo controller, 12 servos and some balsa wood and tell them "build something fun". I build arduino based robots and...oddities. I have a sonar guided hexapod that most kids describe as "Coooool!". If you want any help getting started in that direction, PM me. Fun for kids....fun for dad too! Adafruit is a fantastic resource of all things DIY that blink. https://www.adafruit.com/
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2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 2012 Harley Davidson Road King 2014 Cayman S, PDK Mercedes E350 family truckster Steam locomotive. Yes, you read that right. |
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11-01-2015, 06:37 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 17,596
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I really hope they bring basic electronic back and incorporate all that (general shop classes) into the robotics and engineering. Education need to complete the package.
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11-01-2015, 08:59 PM
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