January 22, 2015 – There were many amazing events that took place across the U.S. this past weekend, but here at the REC Foundation we know that no single event could possibly explain the full robotics experience over the course of a season. That’s why we were excited to receive a couple of VEX IQ Challenge videos that do an excellent job of explaining what students are learning when they’re not at an event!
Students from the Huakailani School for Girls in Hawaii presented “MOXIE,” a biweekly video cast for girls ages 5- 11 who are interested in S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering Arts & Mathematics). Their first episode features a fun music video with lyrics focused on the engineering design process. This creative VEX IQ Challenge team will repurpose their video as a submission for the STEM Research Project this year.
With a slightly different approach, a video about the Dexter Dread Bots from Mill Creek Middle School in Michigan, also a VEX IQ Challenge team, features the team’s focus on enabling the students to lead their program and the roles they each play. The video was produced by Chris Nelson, content creator at We Love Dexter. The Dexter Dread Bots are organized by a group of parent volunteers and meet twice a week after school.
“We want the kids to get the understanding and the feel for working for a real engineering team with the goals of developing a product, evaluating that product and then changing and making it better than when it started,” said Earl Glenn a parent volunteer with Dexter Dread Bots. “All of this stuff they are learning and collecting they can apply in college and real life. It’s really important to give the kids these opportunities.”
The REC Foundation staff couldn’t agree more! As the season progresses, the REC Foundation continues to wish all our teams the best of luck and looks forward to seeing many of you at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, Ky. on April 15-18.
To learn more about these programs, please visit: www.recf.org or www.robotevents.com.
