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As many of you were preparing for the holiday season in 2016 and feeling one way or another just after the U.S. Presidential election, FIRST � launched Invisible Inequities �a free, online training module to grapple with bias and help create more diverse, inclusive and equitable teams. FIRST Diversity and Inclusion has been collaborating with NAPE to design a training series for Coaches, Mentors, Volunteers, Partners and other key stakeholders who work directly with students. Invisible Inequities is the first of three online modules offered and help participants: �          Identify examples of cultural stereotypes and bias and how they affect equitable participant engagement on FIRST teams, �          Reflect on differences between their team demographics and their community demographics, and �          Apply strategies to recruit participants from underrepresente...

You�d be hard pressed to find someone these days who is NOT using at least one social media channel some of the time. It is one of the ways that modern humans are connecting with each other and sharing information. Businesses and organizations have also found it useful in sharing news and/or tips or tricks.  At FIRST Tech Challenge , we use social media to share information and resources, but most importantly to keep our community connected. We know lots of teams are using it, too, to share what they�re doing, to spread the word about FIRST , and to help promote their team.    To that end, we�ve pulled together a few recommendations to help you use your social media to achieve your team�s goals. This document, FTC Social Media Guidelines and Recommendations , is on the FTC Team Resources webpage under "Outreach and Marketing." In the guide, we briefly walk you through the process of planning out how you would like to use social media and also discuss ways to ensure suc...

Each season, FIRST Tech Challenge presents live "Ask an Expert" trainings for rookie and veteran teams. This year, the schedule is jam-packed, so we want to share some highlights: New Technology Series This four-part series will look closely at the new FTC Android-based technology and the various components, led by FTC teams, volunteers, and staff. Be sure to attend these live Google Hangouts on Air sessions and bring your questions (specific dates TBA): A Look at the New Parts in late August - find out what each new item is and what it does. App Inventor Overview in September - get a walk-through of the program and its capabilities. Mounting, Prep, and Assembly in October - where should you put what and how? We'll tell you the best tips and tricks we have for adding the new technology to your robot. Your Technology in Competition in November - how will this new technology affect competition? This session will help you be prepared for what to expect on the compet...

Team #2843 Under the Son A year ago FIRST Tech Challenge announced the release of a step-by-step guide to building a competition-ready robot, a project we called the PushBot. The robot was designed, built, and programmed by FTC teams (MATRIX by Team #003 from Australia and TETRIX by Team #2843 in Maryland, USA) to provide rookie FTC teams with easy instructions to build a basic competition-ready robot. The guide was clear, easy to follow, and included lots of pictures. Last year we saw many modified PushBot robots competing at FTC events all over the country. The move to the new Android-Based Technology made the old PushBot Guide obsolete, but Team #2843 Under the Son came to the rescue, willingly taking on the challenge of modifying the robot to include the new technology as well as re-writing the guide from top to bottom. Like every FTC team this season, they had to learn how to use Android Studio, App Inventor, and program with Java, and since they were one of the first teams to...

FIRST Tech Challenge is so excited about the release of the revamped and updated FTC Mentor Manual ! In addition to necessary updates, we added a ton of useful information on teambuilding, fundraising, conflict management, team longevity, writing a business plan, press release, the Engineering Notebook, and loads more. Here�s a quick tour of what you will find in the new manual. Hyperlinks - they are everywhere, connecting you to documents, web pages, videos, and other places in the Mentor Manual for quick navigation. Pictures and examples � this is a real visual guide, similar to an interactive textbook, including call-out boxes with tips! Loads of information - It�s a big file, but it can be broken up into five sections:   Getting Started- Includes: Season Timeline, the Mentor Role, Registering the Team, Funding the Team, and FTC in the Classroom. Teambuilding and Team Management - Includes: Building the Team, Team Meetings, Team Roles, Teambuilding, and The Engineering Not...