The 2008-09 FIRST LEGO League season is underway and a new resource has recently come on the market that can help rookie and experienced FLL coaches alike.

FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide co authored by James Kelly and Jonathan Daudelin (both from http://thenextstp.blogspot.com) explores over a dozen topics related to facilitating an FLL team to help run a successful FLL season.

MINDSTORMS.com recently talked to Jim and Jonathan about the book:

How did the idea for the book come about?

Jim: Jonathan and I were both hearing the same concern about the lack of training materials for FLL. Much of the information available for coaches and team members is scattered among various web sites and discussion forums and we believed a book could be used to provide a head-start for new teams and more help for veteran teams. We approached No Starch (publisher of the Idea Book that we both contributed robots to) and they were interested and helped us formulate the topics that would be covered.

Is the book really useful to both rookie and experienced teams?

Jonathan: Absolutely! We wrote this book to cover both basic and advanced material. Some of the basic material includes discussion about how the FLL competition works, how to form a new team, and other things that rookie teams or teams-to-be can benefit from. More advanced topics include fundraising and how to do well in tournament judging sessions. Our building and programming tips also range from basic to advanced.

What topics does the book cover?

Jim: We decided to use the book to cover everything from the start of the FLL season to the day after the final competition (whether local, regional, or international). Topics include a history of FIRST and FLL and how to examine the rules for each new season. We provide details on forming a team, organizing, and managing a group. A few chapters cover the basics of building and programming and we hope we’ve provided some solid background and theory that can be used by all teams to focus their experiments and testing. We also felt it was important to cover those aspects of competition that don’t always get as much attention as the Robot competition - the Project and Presentation aspects as well as various judging roles that all competitors should understand. We end the book with some wrap-up discussion on the season and suggestions on reviewing the season and finding the high-points to celebrate - it’s all about the experiences you have during the season and using what you’ve learned to help you not only next year but in all areas of your education.

Was it difficult writing a book with two authors not living in the same place?

Jonathan: Not really; e-mails and phone calls worked out fine for us. After deciding what material we wanted to cover in the book, we split up the chapters between us. We’d each work on our chapters mostly by ourselves. When one of us finished a chapter, the other author would review and edit it before passing it on to the publisher.

What is the book’s overall goal?

Jim: We wanted to provide an A-to-Z guide for all things related to FLL. While it’s impossible to include everything, our goal quickly became to make certain there was enough information in the book for a new coach or parent to register a team, organize a team, and give them a reasonable chance to compete against experienced teams - this included giving enough information on all aspects of FLL and not just the Robot Game. We also wanted to give experienced teams some possible new ways of looking at the competition and maybe some new ways to attack the missions. One of our main purposes for the book was to provide something that could be read, cover-to-cover, and give anyone a solid understanding of FLL.

Our last question is for Jonathan. How do you like being a published author at age 16?
Jonathan: It’s really exciting… and a lot of work! Since we were trying to get the book out quickly in time for the next FLL season, and since we were writing most of it during the school year, it was definitely one of the busiest times of my life. It’s been a great experience, though, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do it.The 2008-09 FIRST LEGO League season is underway and a new resource has recently come on the market that can help rookie and experienced FLL coaches alike.

FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide co authored by James Kelly and Jonathan Daudelin (both from http://thenextstp.blogspot.com) explores over a dozen topics related to facilitating an FLL team to help run a successful FLL season.

MINDSTORMS.com recently talked to Jim and Jonathan about the book:

How did the idea for the book come about?

Jim: Jonathan and I were both hearing the same concern about the lack of training materials for FLL. Much of the information available for coaches and team members is scattered among various web sites and discussion forums and we believed a book could be used to provide a head-start for new teams and more help for veteran teams. We approached No Starch (publisher of the Idea Book that we both contributed robots to) and they were interested and helped us formulate the topics that would be covered.

Is the book really useful to both rookie and experienced teams?

Jonathan: Absolutely! We wrote this book to cover both basic and advanced material. Some of the basic material includes discussion about how the FLL competition works, how to form a new team, and other things that rookie teams or teams-to-be can benefit from. More advanced topics include fundraising and how to do well in tournament judging sessions. Our building and programming tips also range from basic to advanced.

What topics does the book cover?

Jim: We decided to use the book to cover everything from the start of the FLL season to the day after the final competition (whether local, regional, or international). Topics include a history of FIRST and FLL and how to examine the rules for each new season. We provide details on forming a team, organizing, and managing a group. A few chapters cover the basics of building and programming and we hope we’ve provided some solid background and theory that can be used by all teams to focus their experiments and testing. We also felt it was important to cover those aspects of competition that don’t always get as much attention as the Robot competition - the Project and Presentation aspects as well as various judging roles that all competitors should understand. We end the book with some wrap-up discussion on the season and suggestions on reviewing the season and finding the high-points to celebrate - it’s all about the experiences you have during the season and using what you’ve learned to help you not only next year but in all areas of your education.

Was it difficult writing a book with two authors not living in the same place?

Jonathan: Not really; e-mails and phone calls worked out fine for us. After deciding what material we wanted to cover in the book, we split up the chapters between us. We’d each work on our chapters mostly by ourselves. When one of us finished a chapter, the other author would review and edit it before passing it on to the publisher.

What is the book’s overall goal?

Jim: We wanted to provide an A-to-Z guide for all things related to FLL. While it’s impossible to include everything, our goal quickly became to make certain there was enough information in the book for a new coach or parent to register a team, organize a team, and give them a reasonable chance to compete against experienced teams - this included giving enough information on all aspects of FLL and not just the Robot Game. We also wanted to give experienced teams some possible new ways of looking at the competition and maybe some new ways to attack the missions. One of our main purposes for the book was to provide something that could be read, cover-to-cover, and give anyone a solid understanding of FLL.

Our last question is for Jonathan. How do you like being a published author at age 16?
Jonathan: It’s really exciting… and a lot of work! Since we were trying to get the book out quickly in time for the next FLL season, and since we were writing most of it during the school year, it was definitely one of the busiest times of my life. It’s been a great experience, though, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do it.