LEGO Education

Pneumatic Sets On Sale Now!

The science of compressed air has made a return to LEGO Education as pre-orders for the new Mechanisms Pneumatics Add-On Set begin!

Designed to work with LEGO Education's Motorized Mechanisms Set, the new Pneumatics Add-On Set enables students to explore power systems, sequence and control, pressure, kinetic and potential energy, prototyping and more through the use of compressed air.

The set and corresponding Mechanisms Pneumatics Activity Pack feature 14 principle model activities that introduce students to the basics of pneumatics. In addition, four main models and activities, and two additional open-ended problem-solving activities thoroughly educate students about compressed air.

The set features 31 specialty elements including pumps, cylinders, valves, an air tank, tubes and a manometer. The activity pack is delivered on CD-ROM and includes video clips of real-life machines, printable worksheets, and teacher materials.

The Mechanisms Pneumatics Add-On Set is available for order now! Sets will ship September 1, just in time for the new school year!

Not Your Typical Classroom

Based in Southlake, Texas, the first US-based LEGO Education Center has been welcoming children through its doors for nearly a year. Offering a variety of courses each focusing on hands-on learning through the use of LEGO Education sets and curriculum, trained Center staff teach essential skills to children ages 3-12. Everything from free play for preschoolers to robotic design and programming for pre-teens is available.

To read more about the Center's program, structure and future, check out this feature article from the April/May issue of The Pitsco Network, Not Your Typical Classroom.

Interested in having a LEGO Education Center in your backyard? CLICK HERE to send us your contact information including name, address, phone number and email. All submitted information will be kept in a database and if a Center is planned in your area, we will contact you with the details!

New Robotics Products...

For all those LEGO robotics enthusiasts out there, here is a sneak-peak at what is new or improved for the coming year!

For a listing of featured products, new items and clearanced products, log onto http://www.legoeducation.com/!

FIRST Reveals New FTC Robotics Platform

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has announced a new robotics platform for the 2008 FIRST Tech Challenge season! FTC is a robotics competition designed for high-school-aged students. Each fall teams of up to ten students compete at regional tournaments where the students, collaborating with mentors, must apply math and science concepts to solve the annual challenge.

For the 2008 season teams will be required to use the new FTC Competition Kit, which includes a TETRIX Base Set (metal building elements, LEGO MINDSTORMS Education NXT robotics kit, servomotors, controllers, sensors, and LEGO NXT, LabView for FTC, and RobotC programming software.

In a recent release, Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST, said, "Our primary goal at FIRST is to provide a continuum of connected events that allow children multiple entry points on the path of creativity, lifelong learning, and technologic literacy. I am so pleased that working with our partners Carnegie Mellon University, HiTechnic, LEGO Group, National Instruments, and Pitsco, we have incorporated advanced technology and materials that will enable our challenges to more closely resemble real-world engineering challenges. Overall, we believe we can now provide our studetnts with a robotics experience that is higher quality, more challenging, more rewarding and ultimately more fun."

To learn more about the new platform or to register a team for FTC, CLICK HERE

LEGO Technic Design School

Building with LEGO Technic elements can be challenging, and sometimes even a bit intimidating! But thanks to a cool, new resource those design doubts and building blunders can quickly be replaced with construction support and expert advice!

Learn how to build like the pros at the LEGO Technic Design School! Master all the mechanics to make your creations work just like the real thing! Ask questions, sign-up for lessons and allow your imagination to take you to new heights!

For more informtion or to get started, visit LEGO Technic Design School today!

Rockwell Collins Invests In FIRST!

Rockwell Collins, a communication and aviation electronics solutions company, has teamed up with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to increase FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge teams throughout Iowa and across the nation. Over the next two years the company will contribute $1.3 million to the program in an effort to increase student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

For more on this story, CLICK HERE!