Robotica 2007

First an apology for no post last night something I ate disagreed with me and for the first time in about 5 years I took a migraine headache. Migraines for those that suffer from them are one of the most debilitating short term illnesses you can get. In my case I find without fail that my eyesight is affected to the point where focusing on anything small like text is impossible and is accompanied by one of the most severe and painful headaches possible. Normal response is to take Migraleve or a similar product and go lie down in a dark room. Sadly I had neither so I ended up in bed early hoping it would ease. This morning I feel fine apart from the cotton wooly feeling you tends to get after a severe headache. SO my plan is fresh air and lots of fluids to try to clear out my system.

I had pretty much discovered in UK what triggered my Migraine which is an allergic reaction, every one is different but for me if I eat raw onions with cheese I can guarantee that within 10 minutes I will be incapacitated. Eating either product on its own causes no symptoms. So I avoid all raw onion in any kind of salad dish (I love cheese). Of course out here everything is straight forward Rice or Meat Except of course yesterday for the Robotica trip we took packed lunches which appeared to be a type of cold meat and tomatoe I thought I was safe. Obviously not.

So thats why there was no late post about the trip as by the time I got home the most I could manage was sitting doing very little.

Robotica 2007 ... A regional competition for pupils to compete in Robotic challenges using what appeared to be lego Mindstorms. As a school (or the 75 pupils I and 3 other teachers took) we were there purely to see what was needed prior to possibly trying to compete next year (Yes I guess I am putting a lot of pressure on a department I wont be at. But I have a feeling in the IB System its the way to get kids more involved a bit like Scotlands disappearing Technological Studies...

So thats the sales pitch what was the event like.

In one word a disaster. The kids were superb and a credit to the school and to themselves but the organisation of the event and the layout was a complete waste of time, and boy did we waste a lot of time.

The photographs show the trip there the kids on the bus and the layout of the hall. If you look closely the well lit area in the centre with 2 tables about the size of table tennis tables are where everything was taking place. There were 2 large Multimedia screens hanging to show the finer detail but both were washed out with ambient light and poor focus and the 3 screens in focus at the back of the stage area were as small as the tables in the middle. Overall a great idea so badly produced and exhibited as too make being there pointless UNLESS you were competing.















We left... and thanks to some really stunning driving by the 2 Bus Drivers we stopped off at McDonalds so the kids could get an Ice Cream God knows they deserved it. In Bogota there is the usual World wide McD Drive through style restaurants but they also stick a small ice cream stall outside which is ideal for passing trade.. the poor sales people in the stall must have died when they saw 75 kids descending on them but was nice to be out in the sun for a wee bit. The Kids were great though as I was going to get the 2 drivers an Ice Cream but was told it was ok by one of the girls as they had already ordered ice creams for the drivers and for the staff. Now would you get that in UK !!!

My final task as we pulled into the school was to compliment the kids on their behaviour and how impressed I was with what afterall was a disasterous day. My final comment i said was that I wanted to know what they thought of the day Robotica I shouted BAD they responded McDonalds I shouted GREAT they responded.. So OK I can report the trip was a great success to the Headmaster though maybe not for the reasons we went.

Overall though Robotics in technology is definitly a way forward and tied to the Product Design cycle and some manufacture it would tick every box needed for IB schools.