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Unread 11-03-2008, 21:26
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thefro526 thefro526 is offline
Mentor for Hire.
AKA: Dustin Benedict
no team (EWCP, MAR, FRC 708)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Rookie Year: 2005
Location: New Jersey
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Re: My Thoughts on the FTC Platform Change

I try not to post about FTC (it will always be FVC to me) that often because I am no longer involved in it. I will say this though, Vex has helped to shape me into what I am today. Prior to my first FRC season in '06 I was on our vex team. I learned so much in a short 2 month period that I was amazed. I Liked it so much because I had no design limits, I was told to make it work.

While this may not be the appropriate way to team some, it was perfect for me. As the naive freshman I was, I would just submit to what others told me, but this experience of building a robot taught me to stand up for what I believed in was right (and would work).

I personally invested about $700 or so in vex at the end of '06 (much was bought half off from Radioshack), and that year I went to monty madness for the first time. I built a robot by myself in my room that was the best robot there. This shows that there is no actual need for a mentor like Ben said in his original post.

I all I believe that the vex platform is the best teaching tool I have ever encountered through my education. I have used legos, knex, and all of the other mainstream building toys and Vex is on so much of a higher level. I would have to say that should FIRST drop the vex system they would also lose many teams.

Like people have said before vex is such an inexpensive teaching tool (between 600-2000 av. per season), that many will continue to use it regardless of if FIRST uses it or not. If I was still on an FTC team I would more than likely continue to use vex and find a new program, rather than continue to use FTC and change platforms. Then Again this is all my opinion. Sorry for any mistakes or typo, I'm rather tired and I need to sleep lol.
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-Dustin Benedict
2005-2012 - Student & Mentor FRC 816
2012-2014 - Technical Mentor, 2014 Drive Coach FRC 341
Current - Mentor FRC 2729, FRC 708
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