Quote:
Originally Posted by ebarker
Hello Alivia,
I'm concerned about how our culture and our citizens view STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). I'm concerned about how career influencers guide, or fail to guide students into STEM career options. I'm concerned about how even FIRST students view engineering. (I can elaborate later).
FIRST provides a platform to push agendas that I think are important It is one of the best tools in my toolbox. For what I want to accomplish FIRST is probably one of, or is the basis of one of the biggest 'clubs" I have in my toolbox to bang people over the head.
The primary goals that Dean and Woodie want to accomplish align well with my personal goals. If FIRST was purely a sport competition or simply a robot advocacy society with no goal of cultural change then I'd have to "cash my chips in" and find another vehicle to work with.
My signature is at the bottom, the one Al referred to.
Ed Barker
TEAM 1311
The Kell High School Robotics Team
Marietta, Georgia
edbarker@kellrobotics.org |
The reason FIRST exists it to get people to consider engineering/math/science activities/careers/etc as a positive desirable pursuit. It is to give relevance to all that stuff students study in school and hopefully motives students to pursue careers. It is about wall to wall educational impact, about motivating students to take a forward leaning stance and start taking an active, not passive stance toward learning. Hands on learning is way more fun than chalk and talk.
EDIT: i was just listing ebarker's signature.