As a female FLL (FIRST LEGO League) coach for many years, it has been hard to get girls involved in robots on the middle school level (there tends to be more girls involved on the 4th and 5th grades than the 6th to 8th grades); the truth is, robotics and involvement in the FLL (the FTC and FRC even more so) is predominately boys.
Looking to the example of the Girl Scouts and the success of their FTC & FRC teams, all girl schools are forming FLL teams. roboGbots of Brics~2~Bots Academy and the RoboMindTech Center is an all girls FIRST LEGO League team working to compete in the NYC FIRST 2011-2012 regional. The girls come from varied cultural backgrounds, and attend public, private, or are home schooled. Besides competing, this girls team is a club to inspire girls to develop skills in robotic engineering to compete in future FIRST FTC & FRC teams (girls or co-ed); and to think about and plan for future careers. It is hoped that the skills they learn will make them competent contenders whether it be in the fields of science, engineering, technology, or even other careers.
This year’s, 2011-2012, FLL theme is Food Factor. Teams will be examining food safety issues. RoboGbots have chosen milk to research and will be presenting in this blog the results of their research and tips to consumers about milk and related information.
- The L3Go-Bots Lady
Coach
As the parent of one girl of the RoboGbots, I feel very grateful for having Ms. Greene as the coach. For these several months, I saw how these grils practicing robot, doing experiment, making presentations, participating competetions; this blog is a brief record of the many hours they worked together. What I like most is this article by the coach who stands behind the girls. She is the one always there, always persistant, always encouraging, always humorus, leads the girls into the technology world through a fun path. Yes, girls may be harder to be getting involved to Robot at/after middle school level, but your girls of RoboGbot will be more easier to enjoy the fun of technology as they follows your coaching.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Ms. Greene!