idealtech.xyz

2016 Dean�s List Winner, Colleen Johnson explains how the skills she has learned participating in FIRST programs has changed her perception of herself, what she can accomplish, and her goals for the future. FIRST has changed my life. You hear that sentence over and over again, tens, or even hundreds of times, at different FIRST events, but let�s take a moment to really step back and think about what those words mean.   FIRST has taught me so many different valuable lessons, and helped me identify such a wide variety of passions, that I honestly don't know where I would be without it. Now, before we go any further, there�s something you should know. I love to create videos.   Training videos, advertisements, audition tapes, dumb little videos with my friends, whatever.   And I�ll talk about how FIRST helped me discover that a bit later, but for right now I want you to imagine this.   A young girl sits in the middle of the Smart Move FIRST LEGO League course ...

The �offseason� has traditionally been the time that FIRST and our community use to gear up for the next season. As we�ve grown the offseason seems to almost be a thing of the past. Offseason events, workshops, and fundraisers have taken the place of much of that downtime. I think that�s due to two things. First, I hope people are doing it because they like it. If not, I can�t imagine we�d have the 150,000 volunteers that participate in FIRST each year. Our community of teams and volunteers is one of the most amazing things about FIRST � and you�re all cut from the same cloth. No wonder you like hanging around together. Second, people are doing it because it matters. The mission of FIRST is imprinted in our hearts and minds. Inspiring the next generation of technology leaders does not apply to just certain groups. If we only inspired certain communities, races, or regions we�d do a dis-service to those omitted. Not only that, we�d do a larger dis-service to ourselves and the world in ...

Self-Reflection is an essential life skill. Whether it be our own behavior, job performance, or when brainstorming a new invention, learning how to step back and objectively provide self-feedback is invaluable. Not everyone around us will be willing or able to provide the type of feedback that we need to move ahead and improve. Some situations may not even allow for feedback to come our way. Instead of being left wondering questions like �why?� or �what did I do wrong?� or �how did I do?� over and over, we all need to develop the skill of providing our own feedback after objective self-reflection so we will be able to quickly reflect, adapt, and move forward.  There's a lot of talk about setting goals and, don't get me wrong, goals are important, but what happens if we don't meet our goals? Does that mean we wasted your time? Good scientists, explorers, engineers, inventors, and even chefs - they all know that accidents often lead to amazing discoveries. Learning from ...