Teacher-Mentor Workshop August 8, 2012 New London-Spicer High School

1. Teacher-Mentor Workshop August 8, 2012 New London-Spicer High School

2. Minnesota BEST Team • Paul CarlsonHub Director – carlsonp@nls.k12.mn.us • Peg Peterson School Coordinator • James KlevenGame Coordinator • Guy Chetrit Judging Coordinator • Mike O’BrienAwards Coordinator • Keith BangasserFinance Director • Elliot EidKit Coordinator • Jean SpauldingVolunteer/Marketing Coordinator • Email contacts available through Hub Director

3. Workshop Presenters Nancy Rossland Bison BEST & Northern Plains BEST, Hub Director College Relations and Outreach College of Engineering and Architecture North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND Alan Kallmeyer Bison BEST & Northern Plains BEST, Game Coordinator Professor and Chair Mechanical Engineering Department North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND

4. Agenda • Introduction to BEST Robotics • The BEST Program…how it all works • Awards and Judging policies & procedures • Robot Kits • VEX Control System • Demonstration & Hands-On Activity • Q&A

5. Warning!!

6. Video • A Vision of K-12 Students Today • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFcJizkZf1U

7. The Mission of BEST “To inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, technology, and math through participation in a sports-like science- and engineering-based robotics competition.”

8. BEST Robotics • Non-profit, all-volunteer organization • 47 hubs in 17 states…and growing! • Winning teams at local hubs advance to one of four regional championships: • Frontier Trails BEST at University of Arkansas – Fort Smith • South’s BEST at Auburn University • Texas BEST at University of Texas at Dallas • Northern Plains BEST at NDSU

9. BEST Locations

10. Regional Advancement Minnesota BEST teams advance to the Northern Plains BEST regional at NDSU in Fargo, ND. Minnesota BEST will likely advance 4 teams: • BEST Award winner • 1st place game winner • BEST Award runner up • 2nd place game winner

11. BEST History • BEST concept conceived by Texas Instruments engineers Ted Mahler and Steve Marum. • The first contest was held in 1993 with 14 schools and 221 students participating. • This fall, over 850 schools and more than 12,500 students will compete!

12. Program Philosophy There is no registration fee for schools Students perform all of the work! Mentors – engineers and other technical professionals from local companies – guide the students through the design & construction phase

13. BEST Participation Middle School and High School students (6-12 grade) One team per school…no limit to the number of students who can be on the team

14. BEST Timeline • Fall competition starts in September and concludes six weeks later in October. • The Kick-Off is always one of the first 3 Saturdays in September. • Teams that win at the local level advance to a regional championship.

15. Our Core Objectives • Provide students with a real‐world engineering experience that incorporates the practical application of math and science • Prepare students to be technologically literate and thus better prepared to enter the workforce • Help students develop leadership, project management, teamwork, and organizational skills • Develop students’ confidence and competence through self‐directed learning, decision‐making, abstract thinking, and problem‐solving

16. What Teachers Are Saying… “Students from art, speech, FFA, video and computer classes all worked together for a common goal. I had "technical" kids giving a speech, I had "art" kids using machines and I had students actually writing papers and documenting without receiving a grade for it.” Brian Stuvland, teacher Pelican Rapids High School

17. What Teachers Are Saying… “We brought the robot to the elementary school and kids were in awe.  I have students that don't even like school spending evenings and weekends working on the project.” Brian Stuvland, teacher Pelican Rapids High School

18. What Teachers Are Saying… “Students begged us to have practice.  Because it was not a part of any curriculum, our practices were held at night, after sports practices and on Saturdays.”   Kim Jones, teacher Kittson Central High School

19. What Teachers Are Saying… “It is what I needed to bring my Robotics curriculum to the next level. The entire project was a continuum of design – manufacture – problem solve. The ideas, enthusiasm and creativity of the students made this a truly enjoyableexperience.” Lee Weigle, teacher Waubun High School

20. What Teachers Are Saying… “They learned to think outside the box and that their ideas could be really good and respected by their classmates. They lost their reluctance to just let an idea hang out there.” Gail Ringey, teacher Sullivan Middle School

21. Video • South’s BEST Championship • Kansas BEST – 2012 Game Video

22. Competition Overview • Twocomponents: Robotics (the thematic game/engineering challenge) - Includes a required Project Engineering Notebook The BEST Award (optional for schools) - Robotics, Project Engineering Notebook, plus: Marketing Presentation Team Exhibit & Interview Spirit & Sportsmanship

23. The Robotics Game • New educational theme/challenge and field each year • Challenge and field kept secret until Kick Off Day “unveiling” • Playing field is usually a 24’ x 24’ configuration • Points awarded for successful completion of tasks • 4 teams compete per 3-minute match • Each team competes in 5-8 matches in a seeding round • Two students participate in each match, a driver and a spotter

24. Drivers & Spotters • Only one person per match is allowed to operate robot (driver). • Prior to the competition, each team submits a driver list. • Multiple drivers required for each school. (REF: Generic Game Rules) • The spotter assists the driver in directing the robot. The spotter may be any student from the team. • Allowable communication techniques between the driver and the spotter vary depending on the game specific rules. • Only one adult teacher or coach is allowed in the “pit” area at any time. • Students may adjust or repair robots in the pit area between matches.

25. Rules, Rules, Rules… The contest rules (and interpretation) come from these sources: • Generic Game Rules – core set of rules that remain (nearly) constant from year-to-year • Game Specific Rules – rules that define the unique requirements for the year’s game • Generic Kit Notes – general guidance on proper use of the return kit items • Returnable/Consumable Kit List(s) – define the only legal parts that can be used • Q&A(BRI web site) – the ONLY official source of rules clarifications and interpretations • All teams have access to this site after kick-off

26. 2012 Contest

27. 2012 BEST Events • Kick-Off Day - September 15th • Mall Day – October 20th • Game Day - October 26th and 27th • Northern Plains BEST – December 6-8

28. Kick-Off Day • September 15th, 2012 • New London-Spicer High School Gym • Kick-Off activities will be held from approximately 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

29. Kick-Off Day • Unveiling of playing field and game rules • Distribution of Kits (all teams receive the same materials) • Returnables – equipment to make robot run • Motors, servos, batteries, VEX Control system • Pulleys, battery charger, fuses, switches • Consumables – raw materials for building robot • Longest items are 4” x 5’ PVC tubes • Includes 4 - 2’ x 4’ plywood pieces • Miscellaneous hardware components • Q & A about game rules • The clock starts ticking…

30. Kick-Off Day

31. Kick-Off Day

32. Kick-Off Day

33. Kick-Off Day

34. Kick-Off Day • Teams should study complexities of game field • Teams should identify and discuss offensive/ defensive strategies • Teams should photo/video game field • The veteran teams start discussing potential designs while still at Kick-Off Day! • Some teams (parents/mentors) build a portion of the game field for practice • Schematics are provided on the CD in the Kick-Off packet of materials.

35. Playing Field Examples

36. Playing Field Examples

37. Playing Field Examples

38. Playing Field Examples

39. Playing Field Examples

40. Playing Field Examples

41. Playing Field Examples

42. Playing Field Examples

43. Kick-Off Day Expectations • All teams MUST have at least one team representative at the Kick-Off! (recommend more…) • All teams MUST pick up and inventory their kit of parts before leaving the Kick-Off.

44. Mall Day • Saturday, October 20th, 2012 • Kandi Mall in Willmar • Mall Day activities will take place from approximately 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

45. Mall Day • Mall Day is optional for teams…but highly recommended! • Purpose: • Practice competitive driving • Define/refine team’s strategy • Test/troubleshoot robot • “Size up” the competition • Build school spirit • Promote BEST to the community • Pre-compliance check

46. Mall Day

47. Mall Day

48. Mall Day

49. Game Day 2012 • Friday, October 26th – (3:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.) • & • Saturday, October 27th (8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) • Location: New London-Spicer High School

50. (Pre)Game Day • Project Engineering Notebook judging: • Every team in the competition MUST submit a notebook • Notebooks must be mailed/delivered to hub by a specified day and time the week prior to Game Day (ref. Awards & Judging Part 2) • Typically judged on the Friday of Game Day and returned to teams on Saturday