BEST Kick-Off Day Schedule

Hello BEST Teams:

Here is the schedule and details for the Jackrabbit BEST Kick-Off on Saturday, Sept 8^th. I am also including an e-mail forward with some information for an online training webinar coming up on Tuesday. I am sending this to the team contacts that I have. Please forward this information as necessary.

Kick-Off Schedule:  (Location: SDSU University Student Union – Volstorff Ballroom)

9:30 AM               Doors Open and Team Check-In Begins

10:00 AM             Kick-Off (Unveiling of Field, Explanation of Rules, Demonstration, Q&A, Field Inspection)

12:00 Noon         Lunch (on your own) & Kit Check-Out Begins

1:00 - 3:00 PM    Training Sessions & More Program Details (Optional)

Additional Kick-Off Details:

Getting on campus & parking:  

As many of you know, there is a LOT of construction on campus and some of the streets and parking lots are blocked. (The lot east of the Union is closed. You will need to park west of the Union.) Here is some information to help you navigate around the SDSU campus…

If you are not familiar with the SDSU campus, this is a link to the SDSU map… http://www.sdstate.edu/index/maps/upload/CampusMap2011.pdf.

This second link shows where the construction and street blockings are on campus… http://www.sdstate.edu/campus/expansion/upload/ResHallConstMap.pdf.

The best way to enter campus would be from the south end via 13^th Avenue and then take Rotunda Lane to the parking lot west of the Student Union. Parking restrictions are NOT enforced in this lot on the weekends. You may park here for free without a pass and will NOT get a ticket.

The Volstorff Ballroom is on the east side of the building, but you will have to enter on the west side because of construction. As you enter the main door on the west side of the Union, walk as far east as you can, and you will find the Volstorff Ballroom.

Lunch:  

At noon we will break an hour for lunch. Lunch will be on your own, so if the students would like to save some money, they may wish to pack a lunch. For those that bring money, the Market cafeteria and Einstein’s Bagels in the Student Union will be open for students to purchase a meal there, or the other restaurants in town are also an option.

Kit Check-Out:  Teams may check-out their kits any time after 12:00.

Afternoon Training:

After lunch from 1:00-3:00 we will have some training presentations and share additional program details. Attendance in the afternoon is optional for the teams, but since it is the first BEST season for most students, it would be very beneficial if you are able to stay. However, we realize that some of you have other events to get to and others have hours of travel ahead of them. You may stay for all or part of the afternoon as it works for your team.

MathWorks/Simulink Training:  

The forwarded message below contains information about an on-line webinar that you and/or your students may attend (Sept 4). Please be aware that it is a tool that the team may use if they wish. It is not required. There are so many resources available! [It’s kind of like my cell phone. It has so many bells and whistles! I only need it to make phone calls, but there is so much more available. I don’t want any teams to get overwhelmed with all of the tools available. Like the phone, one can start with the basics of just making a basic phone call and can add pictures, texting, and web ‘stuff’ later.]

Also, related to software, you will be getting your software options (easy C, Robot C, MathWorks) and any related access key information in your packets on September 8^th.

MathWorks will be hosting a training webinar for their Simulink programming software for BEST Robotics on Tuesday, September 4, from 5pm-6pm Central time.  Please notify your teams that this training will be available.  Anyone can register for the webinar through the link on the BRI website, www.bestinc.org, under the Announcements section.

FIRST - Senior Solutions Robot Game Updates Twitter Feed

FLL Updates

@fllupdates

This twitter account automatically posts FLL robot game and project updates as soon as they are posted. 

This account will tweet FLL Robot Game and Project Updates for your convenience. No guarantees though, always check the website too!

FIRST - Senior Solutions Challenge

FLL has released the Senior Solution Challenge

It can be found at:

http://firstlegoleague.org/sites/default/files/Challenge/SeniorSolutions/FLL2012SENIORSOLUTIONSChallengeAnchors.pdf

All of the official supplement materials are found at:

http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2012seniorsolutions

There is a tremendous amount of great information to help teams and coaches get started.

I also get many of my team resources from TechBrick at:

http://www.techbrick.com/Lego/Lego2012/Resources/index.html

FIRST Lego Training Day 8-16-12

This is the general agenda for the training day at Camelot.  We will begin at 8:00 for those who can make it.

Morning Session - Geared more for beginning programming.  Designed to help the technology teachers come up to speed with the robots as fast as possible

Building the Basic Bot
Learning the NXT-G Environment
Get moving forward
Two types of turns
Completing a series of programming steps
The RESET MOTORS block
Making a My Block
Loops and Switches
Touch Sensor
Light Sensor
Ultrasonic Sensor

Break for lunch

Afternoon Session (approx 1:00) - This will be topics specific to FIRST Lego League

Building a better robot from the basic bot
Wheel slip
Calibrating Light Sensors
Two ways to stop on line (Wait for and Loop)
My Block for Distance
Advance line following

FIRST - Invitation from Robot Geeks

Take it to the Next Level

Coaches – Help develop your team’s technical leaders, by sending

Your one or two most experienced programmers and builders to a

Meeting of the Minds.

We’ll talk about:

Robot Design

Programming Light Sensors

Programming Touch Sensors

Using MyBlocks

Developing Strategy

We hope this can be a brainstorming session where

Kids will share ideas of what has worked for them,

Learn about things they’d like to get better at,

Talk about how to plan strategy to score points,

And Bring These Ideas Back To Your Team!

Your team members can help make connections with other motivated LegoLeaguers and work with others to help everyone learn.

It’s SCIENCE IN ACTION!

Where?                                The Lauers

                                5205 S. Jasmine Cir.

                                Sioux Falls

When?                 Tuesday, August 14

                                7 to 8:30pm

Who?                    Most experienced/motivated LegoLeaguers

                                Parents are welcome to stay

RSVP                     Michelle Lauer/Thomas Lauer

                                Coach/Team Member  of the Robot Geeks

                                michellelauer@gmail.com

FIRST Coach Email 8-8-12

Coaches:

-->Coach Orientation – Where Do I Start?
Join the FIRST Senior Mentors and experts in the field for the first FLL coach call of the SENIOR SOLUTIONS(SM) season. On Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 7pm ET, log in to our conference line to learn about the materials teams receive, important dates you to know, when to sign up for tournaments, and to get a general overview of what to expect for the season. Each call can hold 1000 participants, so make sure to join on time. There will be a Q&A after the speakers are done, so come prepared with questions.

Want more information? Call in information and the general outline are posted here: http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/teamresources#coach-calls
FLL will be having additional calls throughout the season – from an overview of the Robot Game and Project to Judging and Preparing for an Event. So check the schedule (see link above) and make sure to pencil us in!

--> Jr.FLL is Looking for a Few Good Coaches
Registration for Jr.FLL (ages 6-9, think younger siblings) is in full swing! One of the cool things about this program is that Jr.FLL teams receive the Challenge immediately after they register. Many teams are already knee deep in their SUPER SENIORS(SM) Challenge.

Consider “adopting” a team and getting them “immersed in FIRST” through Jr.FLL. We have had many, many Jr.FLL teams mentored by FLL kids and coaches. It’s a fun, low-cost way to ignite the curiosity of the younger generation. Register today: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/jr.fll/registration

-->Get ready for SENIOR SOLUTIONS
Start by having your team research people who work with seniors in your area.  Are there professionals in your town, county, or state who help seniors stay independent, engaged, and connected?  How do they help?  What qualifications do you need to enter these professions?  Could these professionals be good resources when your team starts researching for the SENIOR SOLUTIONS Project?

-->Thank Your Sponsors
Make sure to keep your sponsor in the loop throughout the season. Let them know when the Challenge is released (AUGUST 28th!), what strategies your teams will use to tackle the Robot Game, where you are doing your Project research, and when your tournaments are. Keeping them informed may lead to future funding for your team and perhaps funding for many other teams!

*THIS EMAIL IS FROM FIRST LEGO LEAGUE HEADQUARTERS. BE SURE TO WATCH FOR EMAILS FROM YOUR LOCAL PARTNER.*
With High 5’s and Admiration,
FLL Team Support

Stay Connected with FLL!
Twitter (@firstlegoleague)| YouTube (youtube.com/fllglobal)|FLL Blog (fllblog.wordpress.com)
FIRST(R) LEGO(R) League (http://firstlegoleague.org) | fllteams@usfirst.org | +1 603-666-3906 x0, +1 800-871-8326 x0 | FIRST(R) (http://usfirst.org) - 200 Bedford Street – Manchester NH USA 03101

Jackrabbit B.E.S.T. Robotics Season Dates

The important dates for the Jackrabbit BEST robotics competition are as follows:

September 8th
Kick-Off Day.  This will be held in the Vollstorf Ballroom on the SDSU campus and will be scheduled to run from 10 AM until 3 PM.  This is where the teams receive all of the information about the robot game for the season.  They also receive all of the components for the robot.  This is the one and only look the teams will have at the official playing field.  If possible all team members should plan to be in attendance.

October 13th
Mall Day.  This is the teams one chance to try their robot on the actual playing field.  The location for the Jackrabbit BEST Mall Day is yet to be determined.

October 20th
Game Day.  The competition will be held at Frost Arena on the SDSU Campus.

The next level of competition should the team advance from the Jackrabbit Tournament

December 6th - 8th
Northern Plain BEST Regional - This will be held at the Civic Center in Fargo, ND

FIRST LEGO Senior Solutions

“Independent. Engaged. Connected.”

Coming August 28, 2012, 12 PM ET


Can FIRST® LEGO® League teams improve the quality of life for seniors by helping them continue to be independent, engaged, and connected in their communities? In the 2012 SENIOR SOLUTIONS^SM Challenge, over 200,000 children ages 9 to16* from more than 60 countries will explore the topic of aging and how it may affect a person’s ability to maintain his or her lifestyle – solving issues like getting around, keeping in touch, or staying fit. Teams will research obstacles and then suggest ways to improve the quality of life for the seniors affected. Teams will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® robot to solve a set of missions on an obstacle course.  Throughout their experience, teams will operate under FLL’s signature set of Core Values.

Important Twitter feeds to follow for FIRST Lego

If you are interested in keeping up to date with the latest information about FLL follow:

South Dakota Robotics at:

https://twitter.com/SDRobotics

and

FIRST Lego League at:

https://twitter.com/firstlegoleague

FIRST LEGO NE South Dakota Regional Qualifying Tournament

I have been contacted by Robyn Swets to coordinate a qualifier tournament to be held in Brookings this year.  This will require some effort by several volunteers in order to be successful.  Please contact me if you are interested in becoming involved.

Schedule for FLL coaches calls for this season

Coach Calls - SENIOR SOLUTIONS 
Call-In Information:
866-951-1151
Conference Room # - 9533018#
1000 lines per call are available

Topic/Outline	Date/Time	Recording
Where Do I Start? Coach Orientation	August 15, 2012 - 7pm ET	N/A
Coaching a Team	August 20, 2012 - 7pm ET	N/A
Basic Programming: Tips, Skills, & Resources	September 5, 2012 - 7pm ET	N/A
The Robot Game	September 11, 2012 - 7pm ET	N/A
The Project	September 17, 2012 - 7pm ET	N/A
Core Values/Teamwork	September 20, 2012 - 7pm ET	N/A
Judging: A Perspective for the Coach	October 11, 2012 - 7pm ET	N/A
Preparing for an FLL Event	October 25, 2012 - 7pm ET	N/A

And So FIRST LEGO Senior Solutions Begins .. .. .. ..

The Field Setup Kits arrived today (8-7).  Unfortunately this is only one of four kits to be assembled.  Guess I know what I am doing the next several nights.