Update

So a far "Mindstorms Montage" has gone over the FLL challenges and split into two sub-teams that will compete with each other before the actual FLL match on Dec. 6th.

The two teams with be spurring each other on to create the best robots. There will then be a practice competition and the highest scoring robot or elements of both will be incorporated in the final entry.

If both robots are close in score there is the possibility of both robots being brought to the match as a different robot can be used in different matches.

The team has also begun doing research on the project "Climate Connections".

At this point basic robot chassis have been built and attachments started. We hope to start programming next week as well as continuing the project research.

Skills for the New Economy

Thinking outside the box. Jobs in the new economy--the ones that won't get outsourced or automated--"put an enormous premium on creative and innovative skills, seeing patterns where other people see only chaos," says Marc Tucker, an author of the skills-commission report and president of the National Center on Education and the Economy. Traditionally that's been an American strength, but schools have become less daring in the back-to-basics climate of NCLB. Kids also must learn to think across disciplines, since that's where most new breakthroughs are made. It's interdisciplinary combinations--design and technology, mathematics and art--"that produce YouTube and Google," says Thomas Friedman, the best-selling author of The World Is Flat.

More from Time Magazine: How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century

Ten T Error

I was having trouble with my computer. So I called Richard,
the 11 year old next door whose bedroom looks like Mission
Control, and asked him to come over.

Richard clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem.

As he was walking away, I called after him, 'So, what
was wrong? He replied, 'It was an ID ten T error.'

I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless
inquired, 'An, ID ten T error? What's that? In
case I need to fix it again.'

Richard grinned. 'Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?'

'No,' I replied.

'Write it down,' he said, 'and I think you'll figure it out.'

So I wrote down: I D 1 0 T

2008 FLL Kick Off!

Tremont's FLL Teams kicked off the 2008 First Lego League season with their first meeting. Coach Edward Fielding's presentation gave an overview of the FLL competition and the group watched a 20 minute video showing the Zoom Kids competing in a FLL competition.

The team will meet every Monday and Weds after school with the competition on Dec. 6th in Castine. The teams will be judged on their teamwork, research presentation, robotics competition and robot building skills.

------


Building a Global Game Plan

Whether the climate be cold, or whether the climate be hot
The climate is different all over
What is it like in your spot?
In Climate Connections
Solutions and questions - of many dimensions
Wait for FLL teams and robots!

When Computers Laugh

Psychologist Edward De Bono – “The Mechanism of Mind”, “Six Hats of Thinking” - stated in the 1960s:


“We have to worry about the day when computers start to LAUGH.”

ORIENTATION DAY - Weds Sept 3rd

The first meeting of the 2008 FLL Team will be on Sept 3rd after school in Mrs. Turner's Sixth Grade Classroom. The FLL Team will meet each week on Monday's and Weds.

FLL Tournament Date Announced

December 6th: Northern Maine FLL Tournament

Maine Maritime Academy, Field House, Castine, Maine

Open to 30 teams

Starts at 9:30 am (doors open at 8:30)

ElastoLab - free

Make virtual contraptions and games with this free software!

ElastoLab is a fun program for kids that lets them play with sound, images and motion in a simulated physics environment.

ElastoLab has been released as an open-source free-ware program.

http://www.simberon.com/elastolab.htm

NetLogo - Computer Modeling

http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/faq.html

NetLogo is a programmable modeling environment for simulating natural and social phenomena. It was authored by Uri Wilensky in 1999 and is in continuous development at the Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling.

NetLogo is particularly well suited for modeling complex systems developing over time. Modelers can give instructions to hundreds or thousands of independent “agents” all operating concurrently. This makes it possible to explore the connection between the micro-level behavior of individuals and the macro-level patterns that emerge from the interaction of many individuals.

NetLogo lets students open simulations and “play” with them, exploring their behavior under various conditions. It is also an authoring environment which enables students, teachers and curriculum developers to create their own models. NetLogo is simple enough that students and teachers can easily run simulations or even build their own. And, it is advanced enough to serve as a powerful tool for researchers in many fields