Team Botswana 2017

FIRST global team Botswana is made up of 5 students and 2 Mentors. The Mentors are Mrs Gaone Karabo who works as a Senior Teacher of Computer Studies in Kagiso Senior Secondary School in Ramotswa, which is a small village just outside the capital city Gaborone.Mr. Letlhogonolo Bakang Madisa is a Senior Teacher of Design and Technology in the same school. The student team members are all form five Students and will be writing their final examinations at the end of the year. Their names are Kamogelo Nakedi, Robin Kagiso Elang Tau, Naomi Botsalo Makhura, Laone Terrence Radikara as well as Laone Gorata Tsamai.

The students were selected on merit since they are doing quite well in Computer studies and mathematics, as well as in the sciences (Physics, Chemisty and Biology).None of the team members have any previous experience in robotics, save for a little bit of Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided manufacture as included in both the Computer studies and Design and Technology syllabi. The team started working together in March, after hearing about the first global challenge. The First Global Robotics challenge therefore is not only an opportunity to compete, collaborate with and meet students from other countries, but also presents as an opportunity for the entire team to learn and fully embrace STEM development, especially Robotics in our Country. We would therefore like to set up a Robotics club in the school that will teach and encourage young people to be more innovative in as far as Robotics are concerned. One of the challenges we have faced is that since none of the students had done any programming, writing commands for the robot was initially a hustle but thanks to team work things are now a lot easier. All the team members have learnt new skills, more especially programming, more-so that Blockley is easier to comprehend,  with the many visual guides coming in handy for the novice! At the moment the students have self-taught programming with minimal guidance.

I have no doubt in my mind that the team will produce one of the best Robots that will compete in the global stage!



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