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12 Scribblers (blue, BASIC Stamp 2 version) available no charge to educator — Parallax Forums

12 Scribblers (blue, BASIC Stamp 2 version) available no charge to educator

Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
edited 2012-07-12 10:08 in General Discussion
Hey all,

I've been upgrading the Scribbler robots at my local school to S2s. Now I have a dozen blue original Scribblers.

I'd like to donate these to an educator who uses them and doesn't mind some of the limitations of this robot (like inability to travel straight without calibration, no encoder feedback, etc.).

I'd like to send them all to the same destination in the USA (sorry, I'm paying for shipping).

Please reply here if interested and I'll chose a teacher as soon as possible by the end of today. Share your story so I know we're sending them to the right place.

Everybody who replies agrees not to be upset if they don't receive the Scribblers.

I'm not expecting much in the way of response. Few of our educators use the forums regularly and many of them are on much-needed breaks right now.

Thanks,

Ken Gracey

Comments

  • Jen J.Jen J. Posts: 649
    edited 2012-06-28 10:41
    Information on the original blue Scribbler robot here: http://www.parallax.com/go/Scribbler
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-06-28 10:43
    Good on ya, Ken! I don't teach regularly like I used to, but I do numerous presentations to various groups on a variety of subjects. My next gig is an afternoon of presenting "neat stuff" (content TBD, my choice, from robots to flamethrowers) at an open house at Cerritos College in August. 12 Scribblers could make for a cool swarm demo. BUT, they wouldn't be be in regular use, probably a dozen times a year. Better off to find a middle school class that can make year-round use of them. But if nobody bites, I don't mind being option B or C. :)
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-06-28 12:41
    Ken,

    I'm not an educator either but I'm still trying to get the county 4-H program going with Robotics. They have got a FIRST FTC team going for next year but I'm looking for something a little more grass-roots (no offense to FIRST, it's a great program) that we can offer in the fall/winter to go along with the school year. 4-H thoughts and energies turn decidedly toward farming and horses when spring rolls around and the school year is over. The costs to get involved in FIRST are higher than I like and I'd rather spend my time with robotics rather than fund raising.

    Put me down in the B and C categories if real educators don't show up.

    I'll pay for the shipping to both/each of us if erco wants to split the lot 2 ways. No reason you should be burdened with the donation and the shipping!

    Thanks!
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2012-06-28 13:08
    I've seen enough hens, pigs, and horses to want @mindrobots to succeed in getting robots into 4-H in NE Ohio.

    Can I second this notion?

    OBC
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-06-28 13:13
    I can't beat 4-H! :)
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2012-06-28 13:19
    These two guys have tested each of the Scribbler robots, removed the batteries, and are now preparing them for shipment....to somebody! - Ken

    photo.JPG
    photo.JPG
    968 x 1296 - 431K
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-06-28 13:29
    Dang it, Jeff! I was planning on bringing a robotic pig to UPENE!!

    Wow! Does the MadeUSA come along as the instructor's robot??
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-06-28 13:39
    @Ken: Promote those two industious young men immediately. Are you fully prepared to double their salary?
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-06-28 13:43
    Double room, double board, double clothing allowance, etc., etc........plus they'll want at least scale for their modeling fees.

    For a minute, I thought he was going to ship them out with the robots as summer interns!
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2012-06-28 16:01
    Nah, these two guys shown in the photo will be "forced" to have agendas other than being at Parallax. This is where they want to be, day in and day out, so badly they'd probably cut school. Punishing them for bad behavior or poor grades is easy: you can't go to Parallax. They really need other interests. . .I mean, they're already genetically predisposed to be nerdy like the rest of us.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2012-06-28 16:59
    Although I am not an eduactor, I am a Grandfather and I would LOVE to give one of these to my 8 year old grandson and 11 year old granddaughter to keep them busy this summer and start a science project for their science fair in the upcoming school year. I would even be happy to pay freight charges!!!!
  • n5vein5vei Posts: 3
    edited 2012-06-28 21:11
    My name is Bill Richardson, and I am an educator in Madison County Schools in central MS. I teach STEM at Olde Towne Middle School in Ridgeland, MS. We just started preparing for STEM last year in order to teach it this year. I have been a fan of the Boe-bot since I went through the ARRL Teacher Institute. We are a really diverse school, and I have run an after school radio and technology club for 5 years where we learn about amateur radio, near space ballooning, and robotics(Boe-Bot). The club is totally funded by donations and fundraising. Because of my extensive involvement with the ballooning and robotic activities, I was chosen as the lead STEM teacher for the upcoming school year. Next year we will use Lego Mindstorms (I guess the salesman was good). I tried to get to the right person to influence them to use Parallax stuff, but they did not have the right connections. I am free to use whatever I want in addition to any curriculum we have. I would LOVE.... I mean LOVE.... to have them in my STEM lab!!!!! We already are wanting to get into all sorts of programming for sensors and stuff for our balloon program, but these bots would be a great edition to our program.

    Bill Richardson
    OTMS STEM Teacher, Computer Dept. Head
    Ridgeland, MS
    www.tinyurl.com/otmsradio
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2012-06-28 21:44
    OK, the verdict is in! Here's what we're doing:

    (10) S1s are going to Bill Richardson plus (1) S2 to show the difference. ..please e-mail me your personal shipping address to kgracey@parallax.com since OTMS is probably closed for summer. Download Neil Rosenberg's Robots for Beginners curriculum right here http://www.parallax.com/go/s2/ and print yourself a copy.

    (2) S1s are going to NWCCTV so you have a great summer activity for the grandchildren. I know it'll add a positive experience to the summer and the grandkids will benefit from the opportunity too. E-mail me your shipping address please.

    (2) S2s are going to mindrobots. Come on, Rick, let me send you a couple of robots for the 4-H program. You've helped us a whole bunch recently with the PropGCC project and we appreciate this effort more than you can imagine. Please confirm your shipping address - I know we've got it but it'll be faster if you send it to me. Make it easy for the lazy.

    I'll throw in some USB to serial adapters.

    Erco, if you want to do a big swarm project I can send you a dozen or more on loan. Do the project and return them to me by Fall.

    Thanks all -

    Ken Gracey
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-06-28 23:48
    YAY, Ken and Parallax (again!!)

    I'm glad Bill showed up! What a great boost to his program. The official STEM instructor had no input on the LEGO decision, yes, they have good sales people - between them and FIRST it's hard to get educators to recognize anything else as a robotic resource!!

    @Bill, congrats and good luck on your formal STEM program. It sounds like the past 5 years are paying off!

    Ken, I accept on behalf of the Medina County 4H! Thank you!!! We have a Fair on the Square on July 22nd with an area set aside to drum up interest in the program and then the first week in August is the county fair and we're having demos set up a ll week. I need to get programming so my growing S2 swarm has something to show off. Thanks again, I'll send shipping info.
  • n5vein5vei Posts: 3
    edited 2012-06-29 11:55
    Thanks so much!!!!! This will make a great learning experience in my STEM lab! Parallax is... as my kids say... the BOMB!
    Thanks for the new bots, and I will put them to use in the fall semester!
    Bill Richardson, N5VEI
    Olde Towne Middle School
    Ridgeland, MS
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2012-06-29 13:39
    Robots at the county fair! Most excellent!

    OBC
  • n5vein5vei Posts: 3
    edited 2012-06-29 19:04
    Will the GUI work on the S1's?
  • NWUpgradesNWUpgrades Posts: 292
    edited 2012-06-29 19:18
    Thanks so much Ken Gracey. I will be sending my shpping address shortly.
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-06-29 19:23
    The software for the BLUE Scribbler can be found here. It has a GUI.
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-07-12 10:08
    Ken,

    The S2s arrived yesterday! Thank you, so much!

    At our last 4-H meeting, I had 2 of my S2s doing Jessica's Hokey Pokey when everyone came in....as Jessica said, "Who doesn't like the Hokey Pokey?"

    With the 2 you sent, I should be able to have 5 doing the Hokey Pokey at our "Fair on the Square" event on July 22nd. I also thought some square dancing might be fun if I can figure that out by then.

    Hopefully, I can generate some interest in some 4-H robotics for the fall!

    Thanks again!
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