Pre-Washington Thoughts and Realizations

A month ago, Dr. MC told us that we were going to Washington DC to present to many people and meet congressmen and senators, we didn't know what to think, or how to react. Now, a little more than one week until the day we leave for DC, I finally know what to think, and what I realized in the past month about organizing a presentation working with a team.

Organizing a Presentation

Organizing a presentation is no easy task. The hardest part, in our case, is getting our LittleBit rover ready for presenting. The rover has gone through many prototypes, but every day, a new problem seems to pop up. Be it the wiring, batteries, or treads, there is always something that goes wrong. As a Maker Ambassador, I have learned to deal with problems as they arise, and if I can't solve them, I work around them. If I can't find a pair of small treads for the rover, but have a lot of large treads, I alter the rover's wheels so they fit in large treads instead. Of course, these are only problems with the "prop". Preparing for questions people may ask is another hard part. My fellow Makers and I must be ready to answer any question. This means we have to know exactly how the LittleBits and our rover works. However, as much as we plan, we all know, deep down, that there will always be that one technical glitch, or that one question, that will stump us. When that happens, we will only be able to improvise, and come up with our best answer, or solution to the problem.

Working With a Team

Working with a team is no easy thing, but working with a group of eccentric and quirky Makers is even more of a challenge. At first, our largest problem was communication. I would come upstairs to work on the rover, only to find that it was disassembled. Then, I would have to waste twenty grueling minutes rebuilding the parts of the rover that were completed yesterday. Also, sometimes a team isn't focused. It's good to fan out and each work on a different part of the presentation, but eventually, a team needs to come back together and fit together the different "pieces" or parts they are working on, into a final presentation. We as Makers divide up our jobs, but we are inclined to completely ignore what another group is working on. In other words, working together is not easy. The most valuable lesson that I learned from this experience is that you can't always get people to do what you want to complete. Instead, you have to work with them, and compromise.

Being part of Makers this year in PRISM has taught me many important life lessons, and valuable skills that I will use for the rest of my life.