Blog Posts

FIRST® teams ready to RISE after SKYSTONE reveal

Posted by Preston Frazier on September 10, 2019

FIRST® just released the new game for the 2019-2020 FIRST Tech Challenge season, SKYSTONESM presented by Qualcomm, and excitement and good vibes are starting to RISESM all across the country!

Towering Skystones

On Saturday, September 7, hundreds of robotics teams attended kickoff events around the country or watched their social media news feeds feverishly as the game was formally announced. They learned the important aspects of the game and engineering challenges that make the competition fun. The basic construct:

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Topics: Competitions, ROBOTICS, FIRST Tech Challenge, Future Ready, TETRIX Robotics, 21st Century Skills

FIRST® things first: Are you ready?

Posted by Preston Frazier on April 13, 2019

Top 7 things you need for FIRST® Champ

“Remember, if you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail.”
– H. K. Williams

Will you be traveling soon to the FIRST Championship in either Houston (April 17-20) or Detroit (April 24-27)? You might be a spectator watching from afar or a fan sitting in the stands supporting your favorite robotics team. But even more exciting, you might be on one of the competing FIRST Tech Challenge teams that has made it all this way. If so, congratulations! That’s something to celebrate.

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Topics: BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, Competitions, ROBOTICS, Collaborations, FIRST Tech Challenge, Technology, Social and emotional learning, TETRIX Robotics

FIRST® Tech Challenge teams: We’re here for you!

Posted by Preston Frazier on January 22, 2019

They say this time of year is for professional football and college basketball. Depending on your favorite team, this might be the case. However, as one of Pitsco’s educational consultants, I beg to differ. This is the time of year for gears, motors, beams, channels, and wheels!

FIRST® Tech Challenge season is in full swing, and many teams are deeply entrenched in the engineering design process, making modifications and slight adjustments to their already robust robots. If you remember from my travels to Minnesota, this year’s competition takes teams to the Moon in an out-of-this-world competition.

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Topics: Competitions, ROBOTICS, Technology, Future Ready, TETRIX Robotics

Dragster competitions: Making it to the starting gate

Posted by Preston Frazier on December 14, 2018

“The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.” – Howard Cosell

Fun. Exhilaration. Adrenaline. Victory. Defeat. These are a few words that describe competition. Whether you’re aware of it or not, competition is happening around you every day, and it’s human nature to want to compete in some form or fashion – not only in sports, music, and work, but in everyday life.

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Topics: IN THE CLASSROOM, Competitions, IDEAS & INSPIRATION, STEM, TSA, Dragsters, Engineering, 21st Century Skills, Hands-on Learning

Robotics: Connecting school, work, life

Posted by Admin on October 18, 2018

Administrators and teachers in the Yakima (WA) School District are determined to give their students every opportunity to succeed – in school and in life.

Already home to an extensive CTE program, the district has decided to give students even more opportunities by expanding their robotics programs. To that end, they’ve added nine TETRIX® MAX R/C Getting Started Packages, two Robotics: Urban Search & Rescue Challenge Sets, and 20 TETRIX MAX Dual-Control Robotics Sets to their program.

We had the chance to speak with CTE Technical Support Specialist Eric Franz about the district’s intentional efforts to grow robotics opportunities for students.

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Topics: Competitions, ROBOTICS, Technology, STEM, USAR, TETRIX Robotics, 21st Century Skills, Hands-on Learning