[rourke]

Originally Posted by pathew100

I agree with Ken. It's hard to remember but FIRST isn't about a robot competition. The competition is the just celebration of your accomplishment.

Collaboration can help when resources aren't there but the other teams need to be actively involved in all aspects, not just handed a design or a kitbot to put together.

Real learning takes place when you have to overcome hard obstacles and challenges. Having a winning robot is nice but I would rather be a 'loser' and have the students on my team learn as much as they possibly can. That's just my opinion.

Please don't misunderstand my vision. I'm ONLY pitching collaboration when without it there would be NO team. I'm looking to get teams started that wouldn't have the guts to take the chance without it. If a school takes the initiative to start a team on their own because they have the resources and the support -- then that's great. They may not need a collaborative approach. No one should get handed a design that they don't need or want. I also don't believe in doing the work and handing it to them. Collaboration is defined by Mirriam-Webster as "to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor". Collaboration is PARTICIPATIVE.