A while ago I had mentioned that I would be starting a video podcast that functions as technical classes for homeschool students. I had also mentioned that I would go all in if I did it. Well, I went all in. My office has been converted to a video podcaster's paradise. Last weekend I was able to get the mixer, compressor, gate, Audio interface, green screen, dynamic mics, cameras, lighting and sound dispersion panels installed in my studio. My hosts (Tanner and Stori) both have a JD now and are learning about them by going through the LMS curriculum that was developed. We will start some "test" shows on Thursday evenings which will help the hosts to be more comfortable in front of the camera and allow them to get really comfortable with the robots and the technology behind the video podcast. The podcasts will be live so you will get to see all of the fun if you want to
On another project, I have been working with a group in the middle of nowhere Texas that is setting up a ranch for people who have aged out of the foster care system in Texas. Next week I will be setting up their firewall, NAS, domain server, some workstations, network and such. They will be using the class mentioned above for their students to teach them about robotics on the EZ-Robot platform. I want to do a show from the ranch but the logistics could make that difficult.
I will post the links to the video podcast streams later. We will be streaming on Youtube and Twitch. We also will have the RTMP feed available to be viewed directly. We have a mumble room and IRC channel that I will publish also. These allow participation in the discussion that is happening and in the show. Along with that, 662-4ROBOT1 is a direct phone number into the show, and Skype is also available. If you want to check out our early tests, I will post the links later. The official start is on May 6th 2017. We will be broadcasting from our booth at a Homeschool show in Oklahoma City.
I want to also do a show on Saturdays on more generic topics but all relating to technology. Nicholas (my son) will be teaching an Intro to Programming class. The next semester we will move up to intermediate programming and robotics classes.
SM@RT Club is the Patreon support page for the classes. I still have some work to do on it, but it is there at least.
I guess I still need to clean up some cables...
You sound overwhelmed David. I hope you find some time to take a few deep breaths and have a little fun.
Hey David...don't worry!
I was curious on how things got rolling with the Latte Panda, and was also looking forward to hear what what Doombot will have to say, but as Mr Schulpius said...it should all still be fun!
I will appreciate it if the show will be available soon, but if it is just too much effort, you could also just skip that one and have a recap of the interview in your own words plus a little talk on what you found out on the technical side of things!
I know that editing a show is time consumptive...especially if it is a long one!
Just back from the convention. We made a lot of contacts with homeschool co-ops, students and robotics teams. The EZ-B was introduced to about 100 families in Oklahoma City this weekend. There was an extreme amount of wifi interference in the convention center so we passed on many demos. The robots would not act correct due to this so we just had them posed so people could touch them. We were able to show the video which contained sections of the interviews that I have done for the Technology Today show to demonstrate that the initial purchase of a robot could be expanded into so much more with time, effort and the use of our curriculum.
The robotics team is looking at using our robot and programming curriculum for class room education. One of the team instructors also owns a software company who is looking at using our programming curriculum to train future employees.
All in all, it was more about getting contacts than signing up students. I expect there to be between 25 and 50 students starting up in August with our classes. It is hard to tell simply because robot teams and co-ops contain multiple students.
We passed on broadcasting from the show due to feeling like it was more important to talk to people than to do the show. It was a difficult decision, but there was an audience available to us who wanted to know more about how the structure of the classes were than about seeing us podcast. In all, it was a great experience for my instructors to be able to communicate with their future students.
One thing that made this convention much more successful than the last for us was that there wasn't a question that we couldn't answer to everyone's satisfaction. I feel good about the show overall. I should have brought my inmoov and Rafiki but my truck was full of materials for the show and I didn't want to risk damaging them in transport to the show. The video seemed to do the trick though to show that the platform is as expandable as you wan to make it.
Now to get my office set back up...
I plan on showing another Technology Today show sometime this week. I have to see what the plans are for everything now that this convention is over.
Hey David any chance of getting the doombot episode up on you tube? Thanks for all you do!
Hi David,
I am happy to hear the show went well. Education needs to be a priority in todays technical world. The fact you were able to discuss and show people what you offer is great. Good luck and success with the fall classes.
It would be great to see a re-do of the Doombot show, if the original recording isn't available. I think everyone would be happy to wait until Friday to see the continued episode of Technology Today. Interviews and subjects covered are worth the wait.
Regards,
Ron
Sadly, the show didn't stream due to an issue with my ISP and I didn't click the record locally button. The day that I was filming was the same day that I had to go into high gear with the convention. I didn't have time to re-record the show.
My office is setup again, but it is an absolute mess. I plan on recording a show this week which will include the interview with Doombot and the second half of my review of the Latte Panda. I will also talk about the interesting things that I discovered from the show and talk about some of the people that I met and had conversations with. The great news is that all of us are in agreement that the current system isn't working and that some things need to change. Hopefully with the effort of all of us, we can make a very positive change.
All is good, just need to get that show out that is now starting its second week of being delayed. ugh.
Looking forward to see it...no rush though!
Good things are worth waiting for, even if it ends up two weeks later ,,,, LOL
Thanks for doing what you do !