Brainstorming

This is our team's decision making process:

Brainstorming: All comments welcomed. No criticism given during this time. Out of a 'crazy' or 'whacky' idea can come the best one! Don't stifle creativity here. EXAMPLE: Last year, a team member humorously suggested bumper car lanes on the freeway/ We all laughed and ended up with bumpers as our real project!

Consolidate: Similar ideas are grouped together on the white board.

Discussion: Very quickly it became obvious that one or two ideas realy shined! 'Crazy' ideas were removed from the whiteboard and we decided on our path to persue.

Decisions: If more than one idea needed to be considered, we researched each topic and then came back together for further discussion. Each person's ideas and research was heard, duscussed and considered before a decision.

Respect: Because each person's idea was heard, discussed and considered, no one felt hurt when their idea wasn't chosen. Everyone wanted the best idea that would work for the team.

Below is a picture of this process on a marker board:

Wednesday's Meeting

On Wednesday, October 20, We had a productive meeting. After looking at, and discussing the research team members had done since the meeting  before, we broke up into subteams.

Spencer finished work on our team robot. HURRAY! Just a few finishing touches remaining.

The robot programming team, which consisted of, Curtis, Alex, Teddy, and mentors Tyler and Daniel, worked with the newly finished robot, and were able to successfully program one of the missions from the mission board! A few tweaks here and there, and the program is ready!

The project team broke up into two groups this time. One group, consisting of Madeline and Josh, worked on ways to present our project to the judges for the project interview. Several ideas were generated. The other project group, consisting of Daniel worked on designing a binder for our team. We will use the binder at our pit display table, and we will have another for the judges at the competition.
We closed the meeting with a brief review, of homework assigned earlier in the meeting.

Progress is being made and everything is looking hopeful.

-Madeline

Saturday's Special Meeting

On Saturday October 16, we had a special meeting to create some pit handouts for the tournament, and some special handouts for our pit table. Some continued work on our team robot. Family members were invited to this fun meeting. The more the merrier!

Here is a link to pictures of this meeting:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GraciousProfessionals/2010FamilyFun

-Madeline

Pictures of Past Meetings

In this blog, I have included a link to pictures of meetings that I missed blogging about. During some of these meetings,

• Tyler, Teddy's older brother, and a graduated member from this team, came and worked on teaching our programmers some important programming skills. Tyler was with our team for two years, and while on, he was the head programmer.
• Alex and Madeline thought up new ideas for our innovative solution for this year's research topic and made models of their ideas which they brought to a meeting to share.
• The robot building team started fresh on the robot design.
• A LEGO box intended for our pit display was repaired after suffering damage.

Here is the link to the pictures of these meetings:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GraciousProfessionals/2010MeetingPics

-Madeline

Past Meetings

I have missed blogging about a few meetings. Below is a list of what happened during those meetings.

Since the last Blogged meeting we have,

• worked an FLL table at Rediscover 4-H. Follow this link for pictures of that day http://picasaweb.google.com/GraciousProfessionals/2010Rediscover4H
• had special Saturday build time meeting where we worked on making our handouts for the pit area at the tournaments and made some special items for our pit table.
• gotten much farther on our research project
• taken apart and rebuilt the robot
• worked on learning more programming skills
• and had loads of fun!

-Madeline

Friday's Meeting

T.E.A.M. FIRST Aid has been considering and researching two project ideas.  Today we were on the verge of giving up on our favored one.  Beginning the meeting with reports on research done since we last met, our discussion exposed major issues with some of our innovative solutions. However, we pressed on and generated fresh innovative solutions. The project enthusiasm returned. Some super cool ideas were brought up. We can't wait to see how they turn out!

Next we broke up into groups. Alex and Teddy worked on improving their programing skills. Daniel Copeland, and Tyler, who is Teddy's older brother and a former team member, mentored Curtis and Spencer in programming, and devised possible ways to accomplish different missions on the board.

Madeline worked with Jessica on thinking through a list of supplies needed for our team's great pit idea. Next, Madeline worked on updating the blog while listening to what Daniel, Tyler, Curtis, and Spencer had to say about the robot missions.

Lastly, we reviewed our homework to do before Wednesday's meeting and closed the meeting.

-Madeline