FIRSTsteps by Kell Robotics

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FIRSTstepsby Kell Robotics

• FIRST Conferences
• The Carlton J. Kell High School Robotics Team
• Marietta Georgia

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Introduction

• FIRSTsteps by Kell Robotics
• A strategy for wide area program growth

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Request Overload

• Too many requests for help
• Required out of the box thinking
• What are the top imperatives ?
• What problem do we need to solve ?

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The Need

• Simple, clear, and concise information
• Step by step directions on how to startup a FIRST
  team
• Which program is right for me to join? There are
  over 70 different robotics programs

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Common Team Startup Methods

• A team mentors a new team in their shadow
• A request is made to the top of an institution
• A team starts all by themselves
• A team seeks out another team to help get started

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The Classic Hierarchy
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The Mob Here Comes Everyone !!
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Communications within a group
Points of Contact n² / 2 (With n being the
number of people in the group) (the bigger n the
more accurate the formula, for smaller n it is
slightly less)
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The Institutional Mob
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Georgia FIRST Entity Relationships
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FIRSTsteps

• Marketing
• Lower Barriers
• Coordination
• Collaboration

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FIRSTsteps

• Marketing distribute information through
  keyhole entry points into institutions
• The objective to keyholing is to effectively
  use institutions as enabler, not as an obstacle

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FIRSTsteps

• Green lighting Provide coverage for potential
  participants to move forward and take initiative
  to participate

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FIRSTsteps

• Lower Barriers Provide streamlined methods
  allow participants to become fast track
  participants
• Reduce complexity of information presented to
  potential new recruits
• Eliminate Information Clutter

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FIRSTsteps

• Coordination Helps build methods that allow
• Institutions and Individuals to Effectively
  Collaborate and Coordinate

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FIRSTsteps

• Collaboration - Have not figured out exactly how
  to achieve this

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Greenlighting, KeyholingTalk to the audience in
their language
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Classify InformationElementary, Middle, High
School
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Lower BarriersA click away from getting started
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Localize the ContentPoint to regional resources
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Local Recommendations

• Build a Landing Strip an effective simple
  website
• Identify keyholders in district and state
  education

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Landing Strip
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Communities of Interest

• EASIEST
• Sharing
• Conversation
• Collective Action
• Collaboration
• HARDEST

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Communities of Interest

• www.chiefdelphi.com
• www.sharingFIRST.org
• www.thinktank.wpi.edu
• www.firstnemo.org
• www.sharingfirst.mit.edu
• www.firstcommunity.usfirst.org

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Emerging Technologies

• What if there were a customizable igoogle type
  of resource for educators ?
• What if it fed specific relevant information to
  teachers and eliminated information clutter ?

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Summary

• FIRSTsteps is about
• Marketing
• Lowering Barriers
• Coordination
• Collaboration
• It has NOTHING to do with money.

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Questions ?

• For more information
• www.kellrobotics.org
• info_at_kellrobotics.org