RM BEST Teacher / Mentor Newsletter 2
2019 OFF THE GRID Game
April / May 2019
  • Please FORWARD this newsletter to others that might be interested and have them use this link to request to be added to the 2019 Distribution List.
  • Please REPLY if you do NOT want to be on our 2019 Distribution List
10th Rocky Mountain BEST Robotics Competition
We are excited to be hosting our 10th annual BEST Robotics Fall Competition.
We hope to see you and your students at our 2019 OFF THE GRID Game Competition. NEW in the 2019 game is a new IR Sensor Kit option and also autonomous mode scoring option.

See below for the Rocky Mtn BEST TENTATIVE 2019 competition event dates and venues. Also included is a link to signup your school for the competition. Formal registration will occur later in the summer with a new national BEST Robotics tool.
2019 BEST Logo
SUMMER TRAINING - additional details below including active links to signup

  • Denver Teacher/Mentor Institute (TMI) Workshop - 16, 17 & 18 July @ MSU Denver
  • BEST of TEXAS Teacher Training - 15-19 JULY OR 29 JULY - 2 AUGUST - Dallas
  • Robot Autonomy Webinar (planned between Aug & Sep, 2-hrs)
  • BEST Robotics Inc NEW Electronics Workshop (planned between June & Aug, 1 day in Denver)
10th Anniversary RM BEST
TENTATIVE Dates: OFF THE GRID FALL COMPETITION
  • Kickoff - 14 September @ TBA venue
  • Practice Day - 19 October @ TBA venue
  • Game Day - 26 October @ TBA venue
  • DENVER BEST Regional Championship TBA date and venue
STRIVE Prep - RISE has generously offered to investigate using their school for our Kickoff & Practice Day events. More to come!
Front Range, SoCo BEST @TrinidadState and Golden Plains BEST Hubs are also hosting competitions.
OFF THE GRID Game Teaser Video
Please share this 2 minute game teaser video with your students to increase interest in competing this fall. Game details will be revealed at our September Kickoff event.

HELP? Willing to Mentor Rookie Teachers / Mentors?
We are investigating if there is sufficient interest by veteran BEST teachers / mentors to volunteer to provide their contact information to a rookie BEST teacher / mentor to answer questions and provide advice. Please REPLY if you might be interested in volunteering as a mentor for a rookie teacher in 2019.
2018 TMI Teachers and Robots
bESTology 2.0 - the study of engineering, science and technology
Online web postings NOW available and more throughout the Spring.  Enjoy learning!

Teachers:  We encourage you to incorporate bESTology into your curriculum, summer camps, enrichment activities and more.  All videos have been previewed and embedded to ensure child safety.
Students:  Knowledge is Power! bESTology will teach you the skill sets to be successful in the workplace and in life. We challenge you to become a bESTologist!

CBS4 Future Leaders Looking Back ... Check again in 2019/2020
CBS4 accepted nominations beginning 27 August 2018 – 20 April 2019 for their 2018/2019 FUTURE LEADERS program presented by Colorado School of Mines and PDC Energy, an initiative to recognize Colorado high school students who are excelling in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).
CLICK here to view past winners.
Boost
Check out CBS4 to see if they have another opportunity to nominate your talented BEST students in 2019/2020.
Don’t miss out on this year’s SUMMER training. 
Denver BEST Teacher Training
We are working with Front Rnange BEST to providing a 3-day Teacher / Mentor Institute 16-18 July at MSU Denver. CLICK HERE for additional details.
  • This training is intended for Teachers, coaches, and mentors of BEST Robotics teams​. Participants will design, build and compete with a mini-BEST robot.
  • In addition to workshop classroom participation, coursework includes ~ 10 hours advance preparation reading, viewing, CEU testing, and scoresheet judging
  • While geared towards new(er) BEST teachers, even veterans will gain tips and valuable experience. STUDENTS do NOT attend this workshop.
  • The Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) has graciously offered to host this workshop on their campus in downtown Denver.
  • Tuition: Teacher may earn CEU: expect ~3 Colorado continuing education units for approximately $20 fee to MSU Denver.
HELP! We are looking for experienced BEST teachers / mentors to participate on a Teacher / Mentor panel for about 30 minutes at ~11:30 AM on 18 July. We also will have a BEST student 30 minute panel. Please REPLY if you or one of your students might be interested in supporting these panels.
MathWorks Training
From our Friends at MathWorks...

MATHWORKS Robot Autonomy Webinar (planned between Aug & Sep, 2-hrs)
  • This live webinar, which will be recorded and archived for re-play anytime, is in development and will be offered 2 times in Aug/Sept.
  • The webinar will be key and will focus on autonomous robot programming using VEX Cortex and the BEST IR sensor. Registration is slated to open in April - look for more information in future newsletters.
Content:
  • Autonomous programming overview
  • Temporal (time-based) Programming
  • Dead reckoning
  • Line following(using BEST IR sensor as an encoder)
Purpose:
  • Teach students about autonomous programming options
  • Teach students how to write code (or Simulink models) to use the new BEST IR sensor with VEX Cortex
BEST Robotics Inc NEW Electronics Workshop (planned between June & Aug, 1 day in Denver)
In conjunction with the OFF THE GRID game theme and IR Sensor Kit part and autonomous challenge, at least one Electronics Workshop in planned in Denver.
  • This key hands-on training that should be available between June-August 2019. 
  • The purpose is to introduce the new IR Sensor Kit, teach electrical soldering and to assemble and test IR sensors for the Hubs’ teams. 
Electrical design content specific to the IR sensor released this year includes:
  • Introduction to Soldering (including practice time)
  • Introduction to BEST IR Sensor (how it works, how it can be used)
  • BEST IR sensor assembly (by students)
  • Testing the sensor operation (no software required)
HELP! We are looking for Teachers/Mentors/Students who are able to help teach this workshop. Please reply to this email if interested in learning more about how you can help.
BEST of TEXAS Teacher Training
Registration NOW OPEN for the BEST Robotics Teacher and Mentor Workshop 15-19 JULY OR 29 JULY - 2 AUGUST , hosted by BEST of Texas Robotics.
  • This training is intended for Teachers, coaches, and mentors of BEST Robotics teams​. 
  • While geared towards new(er) BEST teachers, even veterans will gain tips and valuable experience. You must be at least 18 years of age to attend this workshop.
  • The University of Texas at Dallas has graciously offered to host this workshop on their campus in Richardson, Texas. 
  • Tuition $1000 and housing option of $250. 32 hours of continuing education units 

For details including how to register, please visit http://www.bestoftexasrobotics.org/workshops.html