Lebanon High TSA

The Southwestern TSA Regional Fair will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2007 beginning at 8:30 in the Lebanon High School Theater. The Fair will feature all the regional competitions. Normally, the fair is over by 3:00 pm, depending on how many entrants are in the various events. We are looking forward to a strong turnout. Hope to see you there.

Lebanon High School TSA is meeting at 8:00 am on November 28, 2007.

Agenda:

1. Regional meetings to be held on January 12 and February 16, 2008 at 9:30am at the high school.
2. Technology Bowl added to Regional Events
3. You need to be deciding and working on your project.
   1. Christmas break will be a good time to work on your project.
   2. Decide what you need and get the materials together before the Holiday.
   3. Spend a little time each day working on your project. Maybe a couple of times each day.
4. Get busy over the Holiday and get your project done so you can be refining it in the days leading up to the regional fair.
5. The “new” LHS TSA website.
6. We need regional officers for 2008-2009 school year. Anyone wishing to run for regional office, please see Mr. Ingram for an application.
7. Questions and Anwers session.

We start promptly at 8:00 am, but you are welcome to join the meeting anytime. Sometimes your bus may be running a little late. Contact Mr. Ingram if you have any questions or need any information after the meeting.

The following list is of events that will be at the Regional Fair. If you want to sign up for any of these events you may register your name on our wiki. You can look at the entire addendum here: The 2008 Competitive Events Addendum

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM

B-5 CADD – Architectural 2D – Five individual entries per chapter, contests will be done on site, students must provide all equipment and supplies. The event time limit will be two (2) hours at the Regional Fair. Students must be available during judging. Entries will be judged from the computer screen.

B-6 CADD – Engineering 3D  - Five individual entries per chapter, contests will be done on site, students must provide all equipment and supplies. The event time limit will be two (2) hours at the Regional Fair. Students must be available during judging. Entries will be judged from the computer screen.

B-7 CADD – Animation, Architectural – Five individual entries perchapter, contests will be done on site, students must provide all equipment and supplies. The event time limit will be two (2) hours at the Regional Fair. Students must be available during judging. Entries will be judged from the computer screen.

B-8 CADD – Animation, Engineering – Five individual entries per chapter, contests will be done on site, students must provide all equipment and supplies. The event time limit will be two (2) hours at the Regional Fair. Students must be available during judging. Entries will be judged from the computer screen.

B-12 Desktop Publishing – Five individual entries per chapter, students must provide all equipment & supplies including: computer and printer. Students will do an onsite problem.

B-13 Dragster Design – Five individual entries per chapter. (No wind tunnel test at Regional Fair.)

B-14 Electronic Research & Expermentation – Three teams per chapter.

B-16 Extemporaneous Presentation – Five individual entries per chapter.

B-18 Film Technology – Three (3) team entries per chapter.

B-19 Flight Endurance – Five individual entries per chapter. Students’ models must be built and test flown before the Regional Fair. Students must provide documentation notebook and model.

B-21 Imaging Technology – Five individual entries per chapter. Theme: “Technically Speaking”. (No finalist component at regional fairs.)

B-22 Manufacturing Prototype – Three (3) team entries per chapter. The product for 2008 is “an original action figure that has a TSA theme. An appropriate marketing package should accompany the product. Neither product should include the use of any copyrighted characters or images.

B-24 Prepared Presentation – Five individual entries per chapter. Theme: “Image It!” (Students must provide own equipment

B-26 Promotional Graphics – Five individual entries per chapter. Theme: “Shape the Future”

B-30 System Control Technology – One team of three per chapter, members must provide all resources including a 50 foot extension cord and power strip.

B-31 Technical Research and Report Writing - and Five individual entries per chapter. Theme: “The Influence of Mass Media” with these subtopics: Influence on the individual, Influence on our culture and society. Students provide own pencil/pen.

B-32 Technical Sketching and Applications – Five individual entries per chapter. Participants must provide own sketching tools.

B-33 Technology Bowl – One team of three per chapter. The team will only compete in the written exam at the regional fairs. All three team members must take the written exam, no exceptions. No oral competition at the regional fairs. Students must provide own pencil.

B-36 Transportation Modeling – Five individual entries per chapter. The problem for 2008 is to create a concept Motor Home/Recreational Vehicle.

• Agriculture & Biotechnology Design

• Animatronics

• Architectural Model

• Career Comparisons

• CADD – Architectural 2D

• CADD – Engineering 3D

• CADD – Animation, Architectural

• CADD – Animation, Engineering

• Chapter Team (Written and Oral)

• Construction Systems

• Cyberspace Pursuit

• Desktop Publishing

• Dragster Design

• Electronic Research & Experimentation

• Engineering Design

• Extemporaneous Presentation

• F-1 in Schools

• Film

• Flight Endurance

• Geospatial Technology (Virginia Only)

• Imaging Technology

• Manufacturing Prototype

• Medical Technology

• Prepared Presentation

• Principles of Technology (Virginia Only)

• Promotional Graphics

• Radio Controlled Transportation

• SciVis

• Structural Engineering

• System Control Technology

• Technical Research and Report Writing

• Technical Sketching & Application

• Technology Bowl (Written and Oral)

• Technology Challenge

• Technology Problem Solving

• Transportation Modeling

• Video Game Design

I recently read an article on one of my must read blogs. It detailed getting why getting an A is better than getting an A+. I think this will be of great benefit to those of you wanting to prepare for your projects.

Is it better to get an A or an A+? Most people instinctively react with an A+. As I’d like to show in this article, that isn’t always the case. Being perfect can cost far more than good enough. Also, as I’d like to demonstrate, the habits that might get you an A+ might also leave you with a B or C if you fail to optimize.

I’ve never been a perfectionist. I’ve always been aware of the costs of going beyond good enough. Despite this seemingly poor attitude towards work, it hasn’t hurt me in the slightest. By optimizing instead of attempting perfection, I’ve managed to maintain a grade hovering between an A and A+.

How Optimizing Works

The traditional studying approach is to learn everything perfectly and with equal force. I believe this approach will only lead to a nervous breakdown.

An optimizing approach says that learning everything perfectly is impossible. However, by investing more time on critical details and less time on unimportant ones you can get a better grade with less time invested.

Read the rest of the article here.

A couple of ideas that I have had on Electronic Experimentation.

1. LED Flashlight
2. Wind Generator – Small Scale – power a home
3. Home Alarm System
4. Computer Modification – build a new box
5. Boost your Wireless Signal
6. Sound System