Your Team
Botball® leaves the structure of the team as flexible as possible so that you may create a structure that fits your needs.
- Is this a classroom or after school activity?
Either or both. You may tailor the program however it best meets your needs. Some teachers use it with a particular class or a robotics/technology club.
- Are teams required to be affiliated
with a school?
No. Any team of middle or high school aged students is eligible to participate as long as they have an adult team leader. Some teams are organized through clubs such as 4H or Girls Inc. Others are community teams that are made up of a group of students who are home schooled or whose schools are not participating.
- How many students can participate?
There is no minimum or maximum number of students per team. Typically, teams are made up of 10-15 students.
- How can I involve a large number of students in one team?
There are many sub-groups that can be created within a Botball® Team. Consider the following:
- Building Team
- Programming Team
- Documentation Team
- Website Team
- Project Manager
- Publicity
Additionally, as each kit has enough materials to create two robots, you may also choose to divide the group into two teams, each building their own robot
If your school has a newspaper staff, you may enlist their help in documenting your team’s progress through school and community newspaper articles and photographs.
Students in art classes may be interested in working on the graphic design portion of your website.
Recruit Students
What can I do to recruit students? There are a variety of ways to get students involved. The following are some ideas that you may be able to modify for your school:
- Advertise a meeting time, place, and date for any students interested in designing robots using Lego. Use the school wide announcements, flyers or visits to club meetings to encourage students to attend.
- Ask science, math, technology teachers and guidance counselors to submit names of students who might be interested. Invite those students to the interest meeting.
- Host a night time parent meeting for any parents who might be interested in encouraging their child to join the club and/or interested in helping with the after school program (supervising, supplying snacks, grant finding or mentoring). Give a presentation at a PTA meeting to let more parents know about the program.
- Have access to the Botball® website when you meet with students or parents, so you can show photos from our Flickr site and videos from competitions in our Video Gallery.
- Invite a nearby school’s Botball® team or last year’s Botball® team to give a robot demonstration at your school.
Build Your Team
Just like work groups in business and organizations, Botball® participants must form a functioning team.
- Get everyone on the same page by showing a video of a past Botball® tournament. (See the Video Gallery for several Quicktime Movies) Show the excitement of participating in Botball®.
- Gather information on each student’s skills and interests.
- Identify roles for each team member.
- Lead the team in team building exercises.
- Game kick off. Schedule a team meeting right after the teacher workshop. Get the group excited about strategies for the new game.
Fundraising Tools
Take a look at the Botball® Guide to Fundraising for fundraising ideas, sample letters to sponsors, and other suggestions. For a list of grant opportunities and other funding resourcess that might be helpful to Botball teams, click here
Promotions 101
Media coverage can boost the impact of your Botball® activities. Before you contact the media, do some research and find out which news outlets and reporters to contact and have a plan!
Here are some ideas…
Pick up the Phone
Call local newspapers, television, and radio stations. Ask for the reporter’s name that covers your issue (probably education or technology).
Make a List
Once you know WHO to contact in the media, make a list with their names, phone and fax number’s, and snail and email addresses. That way you can contact and send them information when you are ready.
Come up With a Story
Think about what you would like to see about your team on television or in the newspaper. For example: Did your team do any unique fundraising for the project? Have your students enjoyed learning the practical applications of math, science, engineering, and technology? Did your team achieve their goals or strategy?
Start Dialing!
Now it is time to put the media list to work! Prioritize your list and relax. You should have no problems conveying your team’s Botball® story to the media if you have enthusiasm about your pitch. And remember, excitement is contagious; get excited and the journalist will too!
Here’s a Hint: Pitching a story to a television reporter is different than pitching a story to a print journalist. With a television reporter get straight to the point - explain your story through images. Tell the television reporter about the what the robots look like and what they can do in visual terms and fill in the program and team details as you go.
Interview and Invite
There are two options for your pitch: you can ask the reporter to interview you and the team over the phone or you can invite the reporter to come and see the team in action (during practice, a meeting, or at the tournament). Offer both and let them choose.
Send Information and a Press Release
After you call, send your contacts materials about the Botball® Program, your team, and your school. You can also send them a press release about your pitch. To download a sample press release, click here. To request Botball® publicity materials, please contact Jenny Grigsby.
You may have parents of team members who are willing to help gather resources and prepare some of the publicity materials you need. You may even have parents with personal contacts at local media outlets so be sure to ask! Hopefully these tips will help you put together a media contact list that earns your Botball® team great media coverage!