[Starke]

I am glad that Leav had enough guts to start this thread. I thought about starting this same thread, but decided against it because I was afraid of the reaction. Let’s try to keep this discussion on topic and not turn into another one of those closed thread because they got too heated.

I hope that some well-respected FIRSTers like JVN, Karthik, Andy Baker, Joe J. will reply in this thread as well. These are men that are inspiring to me and would love to know their side of the story.

Background on me: I am a 12+ year member of FIRST who started as a high school student and am now a Technology Teacher that runs a FIRST Robotics team. I love FIRST and no matter what happens I am “hooked” for life. I love the program and what it does for young people.

Originally Posted by Leav

FRC is for kids, can't we keep it that way?

This is the main idea that I struggle with with Ri3D and BuildBlidz.

Q: As an educator, what is my overall goal for students?

A: I want students to come out of my classes being problem solvers. The content is important yes, but I want them to be able to use the content that I share to solve life’s issues. They will probably never encounter the exact problem that I gave them in class. However, I want them to be able to take the situations and content that I give in class to solve any problem that comes at them.


Q: Does Ri3D and BuildBlidz allow students to be problem solvers with the challenges ahead of them?

A: Maybe not. Once students see an idea that is functioning well (especially when it is built by well-respected people in FIRST), it is hard to get them out of it. Add on that there are now 5 different robots being built, they are able to “pick” the robot design that they like the best.

Engineering, by definition is, “the work of designing and creating large structures (such as roads and bridges) or new products or systems by using scientific methods” (Source). Are these builds taking the designing our of FIRST?

Q: Should we just ignore the builds?

A: See Leav’s comments on this:

Originally Posted by Leav

[*]If you don't watch or look at robots (assuming that's even possible while still browsing CD and Facebook), you are putting yourself at a possible disadvantage when compared to other teams.[/list]

Q: Are we creating problem solvers or fabricators?

A: Looking at these builds, I could see that we are creating more fabricators than problem solvers. We are showing students how to pick a part “off of the shelf” and follow instructions on how to build it. In my opinion, this does not have as much problem solving experiences as make something “from scratch.”

Q: Are fabricator skills important?

A: Absolutely. The skills of how to use tools and machines are very important. They will stay with them forever.

Q: What am I saying?

A: I am not sure. I am struggling that we may be going too extreme with “elevating the playing field” and are now “leveling the playing field.” While doing this, our students may not be learning the same problem solving skills that they used to in FIRST.

I love all of you and I would love to have your input on this internal struggle that I am having. Personally, I love these builds and I am not asking them to go away. I am just trying to analyze the situation and help my student's learning.

Matt