Receiving educator e-mail prompts but not actually in education
Buck Rogers
Posts: 2,185
Hello!
Okay here's a funny one. As in "peculiar". I just received an all new e-mail for "16 FREE Robotics Educator's Courses Planned in 2018". Now I freely admit that I sometimes do provide teachable moments to several like minded people at a hack night gathering that meets two Tuesdays a month, however this is where it gets peculiar: none of this concerns the subject. I imagine if I showed up for the April next year event in Brooklyn with this laptop or a completely different but equally qualified device I would be welcomed with open arms, (all of them), but I would feel some what strange there. Besides I would definitely not try to ask all of the questions.....
I do have a sister who is in the field. However she knows gornicht (nothing) about electronics. I typically need to spend hours explaining why her laptop is behaving badly to her. For you erco, think bad cat behavior scenes. And I do also have a sister who knows nearly as much as I do regarding electronics, just not as it applies to the strange stuff that I work. For which she's decidedly surprised over.
Okay here's a funny one. As in "peculiar". I just received an all new e-mail for "16 FREE Robotics Educator's Courses Planned in 2018". Now I freely admit that I sometimes do provide teachable moments to several like minded people at a hack night gathering that meets two Tuesdays a month, however this is where it gets peculiar: none of this concerns the subject. I imagine if I showed up for the April next year event in Brooklyn with this laptop or a completely different but equally qualified device I would be welcomed with open arms, (all of them), but I would feel some what strange there. Besides I would definitely not try to ask all of the questions.....
I do have a sister who is in the field. However she knows gornicht (nothing) about electronics. I typically need to spend hours explaining why her laptop is behaving badly to her. For you erco, think bad cat behavior scenes. And I do also have a sister who knows nearly as much as I do regarding electronics, just not as it applies to the strange stuff that I work. For which she's decidedly surprised over.
Comments
We've made a major commitment to train 500 teachers this year. They're all getting the Professional Development for free, including a robot. To make our efforts worthwhile, we're sometimes casting a much wider net. This message probably went to every single person on the Parallax e-mail list. Thankfully, people like you understand that we've got a couple of different markets but we're focusing on the one that brings us the highest level of success.
Thanks educator Buck!
Ken Gracey
-Phil
RIP Browser.
David, I suppose so but we haven't talked much about it inside. We have an important business goal to make these classes productive for the target customers. To put it more clearly, it's this type of business that enables the Propeller 2 to exist.
Ken Gracey
More of the same here. I'd be interested in providing my two bits worth, but only if I'm not taking up someone else's seat. That is being present at the two days in April next year in Brooklyn. Strangely enough the host space belongs to the school who in Manhattan provides the space for that Hack Night event.
And Ken I do appreciate the effort. I've seen several of these go out, just not with the frequency you have Phil, but this one stood out.
Thanks, but this is entirely selfish motives. If Parallax folds, I don't get a P2. ;D
We are now 300 confirmed registrations of our 500 teachers. It costs us about $250+ to train each educator to use our products, so this is a substantial cost to engage in this manner. You'll need to trust me on the numbers since I've been doing this specific thing for 20 years and researched/analyzed it from a number of views.
At this stage it becomes important to get the BEST, most QUALIFIED educators in the courses (and the ones with means to buy robots). Therefore, your assistance in getting the message to your local schools remains of highest importance to Parallax's business.
We are usually competing against hardware produced and sold at the cost of the components. Copycat Arduinos can be bought for $5. Further, between external funding for low-cost hardware from huge companies and venture capital funded one-hit-wonder hardware we are among the few companies who actually have a sustainable system that pays for itself. This particular point is VERY important for educators, though they may not know it. It means they'll have support when they need it, that the Blockly system can remain free, and that the hardware creates a long-term pathway to industry.
I should also reinforce something several of you have noted: the Propeller 2 depends entirely on our success in the education market.
Ken Gracey
Ken, did you see my question to you a couple posts back?
Hey Seairth! Thanks for bringing me back to this question. I saw it previously but was unable to answer because the course planning was in a tremendous state of change. At the moment we have 18 courses planned - this is a tremendous commitment. We have 320 teachers signed up and should easily hit 500 educators.
Adding courses is easy with the schedule, but the costs are mounting. We've got to deliver on the 500 before we get in any deeper, so I've got to say "no, not now, but maybe summer and certainly the Fall!".
The next courses will be planned quickly, so it would be great if you could connect me somehow to that region, some people or share ideas about where we could run the course. Since we're already doing the training for free and giving them robots, the location must be free to Parallax.
Ken Gracey