Plugged in / robotics

Plugged in....I am feeling very tethered lately with all of the wifi gadgets that supposedly are making my life more convenient. Our household has 3 laptops and 1 desktop computer, 3 cell phones, 4 ipods, an airport hub, portable phones, tv remotes, etc... and though each of these devices adds convenience to my life I feel enslaved by their need to be re-charged intermittently. With multiple users of each device and no game plan that guarantees that we "plug in" on a regular basis I am still caught off guard at the most inconvenient times with a "dead" device when I want its convenience most. Not sure what this really has to do with the MILI grant program, but my blog seemed like the perfect place to vent :-).

As for robotics...a topic that I haven't discussed in a few weeks. The season is finally over. Team 2549, the Washburn Millerbots participated in the International competition in Atlanta, GA and had another great year socializing with over 300 of the best teams in the nation and around the world. We did not bring home any hardware, but continue to have kids on the team who are passionate about the process and are already envisioning new designs for next year. This 4 month team sport is quickly turning into a 12-month a year endeavor. Thank goodness I enjoy it so much.

Action Research...

Yikes....I did it. I committed to my first ProPay123 project and hope to collaborate with John R. from South High School. We plan to create an action research related to podcasting and student comprehension. First we both need to attend the district action research class and then we can get started with the nitty gritty of the project. Wish us luck....;-)

Internet safety

I've been invited to participate in a Perkins Grant to write middle school curriculum re: Internet Safety and Security. This project is being coordinated by the Information Technology department at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College. I met with 8 other metro teachers all whom will bring excellent insights and experiences to the project. If any of my MILI grant companions have recommendations for possible resources that would inspire me, please share.

The Washburn Millerbots are in the news...

The Washburn Robotics team had a great weekend at the Minnesota Northstar Regional Competition. We're even featured in a news article that will appear in the University of Minnesota's Minnesota Daily newspaper. Enjoy!!

Millerbots in Wisconsin March 12-14, 2009

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Blogging on a Bus

Technology is unbelievable when you can be traveling down the highway on a bus that has wifi so that you can stay connected with the world.  The connection speed is faster than dial up and isn't costing me a penny.  Wow.

As for the reason for the trip the Washburn Millerbots are finally off to the Wisconsin Regional Robotics Competition in Milwaukee, WI.  I'm riding on a bus with robotics team members from Edina High School, Patrick Henry High School, and Washburn.  Lots of ipods, Nintendo DS, and laptops in use as we travel.

Well, supper break has arrived early.... gotta go.

The Robots are...."twittering."

Thought you'd all like to know that the US FIRST FRC competitions have added a "twittering" component to the live streaming video of the competitions.  Its fun to see the comments scrolling along side the "live" matches.  Our team is also excited to see some matches being played, and scout other team strategies prior to our first competition in the middle of March.

If you're interested you can see video links of the Manchester, NH March 26-28th competition.

Enjoy!