Changes in TCEA Student Contests
Due to the rapid growth of robotics and the potential that it has for K-12 curricular integration, TCEA will concentrate its student contest efforts this year and in the future on the robotics contest only, offering both Arena and Inventions opportunities at the local and state venues. Area contests will be held the first two weeks in December, while the state contest will be May 1. Some area directors may choose to offer local contests for computer programming and technology applications, but there will be no state contest offered in these categories.
“There are so many opportunities world wide for students to compete in programming and Technology Applications contests,” stated TCEA President Jeff Hightower. “However, contests in robotics are very few. I believe that TCEA should promote activities that provide new experiences for all students and that foster the integration of technology into all curriculum areas. This is something that robotics does extremely well.”