http://legoeducation.typepad.com/blog/2006/05/lego_mindstorms.html
A new program has been announced over at the Lego Education blog.
>From the announcement: “… purpose of the Pilot Program is to get the
NXT hardware, software, and curriculum into the hands of passionate and
innovative teachers and their students. LEGO Education is offering such
early adopters a reduced price in exchange for evaluation and feedback
on the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education curriculum. LEGO Education will then
use the teachers’ feedback to guide future software and curriculum
development. In the future, pilot classrooms may also be featured as
model classrooms for educators who are interested in using LEGO
MINDSTORMS Education NXT in their schools.”
LEGO MINDSTORMS Education (LME) Pilot Guidelines
Potential Pilot Program participants must:
* Fill out an application and be involved in education (the
application deadline will be May 31st). Applicants to the program will
be notified by June 30th of selection or non-selection into the program.
o LEGO MINDSTORMS Education NXT Pilot Program Application
* Agree to at least one visit from a LEGO Education consultant in
your area in order to gain feedback.
* Be able to issue Purchase Order or Credit Card payment for a total
of $600 for four LME Base sets, one classroom license of LME software,
and the Mobile Robotics and Engineering Projects Curriculum (retail
value $1690).
o LME Base sets - MINDSTORMS Education NXT (retail value $250)
o LME Software - Classroom license of LEGO MINDSTORMS
Education software (retail value $240)
o Curriculum 1 - Mobile Robotics CD set - includes six weeks
of activities including an exhaustive introduction to robotics,
programming, and building, while addressing math, science, and tech
concepts. (retail value $225)
o Curriculum 2 - Engineering Projects - includes twelve weeks
of guided research and applied engineering robotics projects. (retail
value $225)
* Be willing to communicate with and share feedback with other Pilot
participants as well as with the LEGO Education corporate offices via a
secure blog/forum environment (the blog will breakdown the curriculum by
activities so participants can post their feedback to the blog after
completion of each activity).
* Use the LME set during the pilot timeframe and abide to the
completion dates for the curriculum as follows:
1. Mobile Robotics CD set finished and feedback posted to the
blog no later than October 6th.
2. First 3 weeks of the Engineering Projects CD set finished
and feedback posted to the blog no later than November 3rd.
3. The rest of the Engineering Project CD set (or just as much
as is it possible to finish) completed by Dec 1st and feedback posted to
the blog.
* Fill out an evaluation form and submit before Dec 10th.
Other Details:
* Pilot program runs from August 15, 2006 through December 1, 2006.
* LEGO Education will work with Pilot group participants to obtain
proper releases for testimonials from teachers and students.
* LME Pilot program will consist of 50 education sites.
* Pilot group participants must teach in the US.
* If participants develop activities for use with LEGO MINDSTORMS
Education NXT system and would like to share them with other educators,
they are welcome to submit them to the LEGO Education Activity
Submission Page.
* Any additional sets not included in the pilot may be purchased at
regular price. More information regarding individual sets and other LEGO
MINDSTORMS Education NXT products is available here.
Please direct any questions regarding the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education NXT
Pilot Program to [email protected].