The following videos are released by FIRST Lego League Global. They give a great description of what is expected in the research project, some great ideas on how you might present your project and lastly give some examples of other teams projects. If you are finding yourself stuck or not sure how to proceed in your research project. They might be helpful. We hope so.
Keep in mind that it can be a great experience for the team as a whole to visit with professionals at their work site. However, for time management purposes and being able to speak with more than one professional, remember to ask if they (professionals) would come and speak to you during your practice time. When putting your presentation together, keep in mind all the particular points you need to make and try to make it memorable. Judges are watching 12 to 15 presentations in 3 to 4 hours time. The more memorable you and the presentation are the better for your team.
1.Be prepared for everything. This would include practices and tournaments. You (team members and coaches) are responsible for knowing the rules and expectations and for having all of your supplies ready to use. Please also remember to be patient and to always practice your Core Values. Only team members should talk with referee's and judges. Coaches should look at this as a learning and empowering experience for their kids. Practicing talking with adults is a good thing to do during practice.
2.Remember to Smile, take a deep breath and then go for it.Discovering the answers together is a blast. Relax and learn to see work as fun and important in the learning process.
3.Set team goals for what you want to complete during the season.Rookie teams have a lot to learn.Pick what you think you handle and then aim for that.Don’t overwhelm yourselves. This would include setting goals tournaments. A goal could be to meet 2 other teams, to get specific information out during a judging session or to obtain a certain score at the tournament.
4.At tournaments, be sure to dance!If you need to learn the dances, practice them during your regular practice time. YouTube has great teaching videos. Cupid Shuffle, Cha-cha Slide, Macarena, the Chicken Dance, Cotton-Eye Joe, Gangnam Style, and YMCA.
5. Talk with other teams. Get to know them, you will be surprised about how rewarding this can be.
2.EV3Lessons (by FLL Team Droids Robotics)ev3lessons.com, Excellent resource for programming the EV3. Many lesson have been translated into different languages. The Droids are also very open to questions.
8.Lego:www.lego.comanother source for Lego parts and building instructions free.
9.Mindstorms.com:Good place for picking up patches for programming glitches, building instructions, sample robots and much more.www.mindstorms.com
10.Amazon:Has many books on Lego Robotics
11.Website provides numerous sample robots, designs and programs.www.nxtprograms.com
Robot Tips:
1.Try using right triangles (and the Pythagorean Theorem) to make your robot base stronger.
2.Before making any small changes, make sure to run the robot several times because the error may have been caused by human error.
3.Put a little weight on the wheels to increase traction against the field mat.
4.However, don’t put too much weight on the wheels, as the weight may bend the axles (causing a lot of wobbling and inaccuracy)
5.Try to aim for the robot to complete its tasks successfully 9 out of 10 times
6.Decorate your robot. With only LEGO pieces only. No stickers. Remember competition robots can only have LEGO parts. These parts can come from other kits you own.
7.Brainstorm and write your ideas down. Test those ideas then retest them and then retest them until you get the desired results.
8.Remember practicing how to handle the robot during the competition round is important.This could result in lowering your robot round time.
Project Tips:
1. Interview professionals (engineers, professors, technicians, etc.) involved in the field you are studying. Ask them for information for your research, and don’t be shy to ask them for feedback on your ideas. Your project can be as fun and as interesting and you make it. We believe that talking with professionals is one way to make your project interesting and fun.
2. When using websites, make sure to use professional sites. Look for domains with .edu, .org, .gov, and .net. Be careful of .coms. Always let your parents and your coach know what you are looking for and report back any odd interactions. Legitimate sites will not ask for personal information. Ask your parents or coach for permission before downloading any information.
3. Go beyond reading Wikipedia. At the bottom of each article, go through the sources listed.
4. Read and follow the Judging Rubrics.
6.When on the internet, NEVER give out your personal information or the personal information of your teammates.Always practice safety and be sure to make sure your team mates do the same.Please be sure to discuss internet safety with your team.
Core Values Tips:
1.FLL Core Values are 1/3 of your tournament score.Be sure to read about FIRST’s Core Values.Not just for tournament judging but because we believe it is the answer to guaranteeing that all team members have fun, be successful and want to come back for another year.
2.Remember this is still a Robot competition.Don’t forget about your robot design.
3.FLL is about learning about robotics, research and teamwork.We also believe that if a team sets out to learn as much as they can, they are already winners before they arrive at their tournament.
4.We came up with a phrase about something we discovered our 3rd year in FLL.We discovered the ”I” in team.That is, we realized as a team, that every team member has the responsibility to do his or her best to ensure the team is successful.The “I” stands for individual responsibility.Teams that have 1 or 2 members who do all the work will not be happy healthy teams.
5.Plan time to get to know each other.It is easier to cooperate and work together when we know and respect one another and are friends.
6.Decide as a team what your goals are.Everyone should know what they are working for and why.
