One of the new challenges is specifically for Fusion 360 and is open to all grade levels. However, you have to be 13 or older to get Fusion 360 now. It wasn’t age restricted like this in previous years. So, what are middle school VEX kids supposed to do since they can’t get Fusion 360?
@tweber this is a real concern many school districts are facing in that any packages that require students to register with age 13 restriction is not likely to be allowed by the school district (and by extension, employees must not connect students to these sites).
Also, as a matter of equity, others have noted that middle school aged kids don’t reach 13 until 7 or 8th grade, so shutting out younger members within a grade but allowing others is not something we can encourage.
My recommendation is that Online Challenges be revisited with the licensing / registration lens. It may well be that challenges that have these age limits should not be available to “middle school” level. Yes, I know RECF is a global organization. Then perhaps RECF should have regional challenges.
No one will care if a parent downloads Fusion for their under-13 kid to use at home, but if a school wants to provide Fusion for use by a bunch of students, that’s a different story.
Correct - this is a year of many challenges and barriers. We have students ask if their parents could take them to compete in person using school purchased robotics gear. Official district answer “absolutely not”. School is remote, so all in-person activities are off the table.
It is a harsh reality in many ways. District and the city is fighting hard to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 … End of the tunnel is no where in sight.