Notebooking Tips?

Chit-Chat / Rumor Mill
#1

So this year, I am planning to make a really good notebook. But, I am still not very experienced and need some help. Some people use binders, but I heard that personally judges like notebooks better. Should I use Autodesk and print out online sketches of the robot? How detailed does everything need to be? Should I use pen or pencil to sketch?

Also I am award that the category for this may be off. If it is will someone help me with what category to put it under?

THANKS! -Kfc from Team 404

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#2

Anyone? :joy: Ok then just me.

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#3

there are plenty of good forum posts about notebooking, try doing a search

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#4

Ok thank you a lots!

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#5

I’m currently doing the notebook for my second year in a row and here are some tips-

  • first, introduce the game, make sure you explain the objectives of the game and some info about rules and scoring and feild setup
  • make a game brief explaining the constraints of the game, objectives, and any strategies
  • make pages showing your design brainstorming
  • initial thoughts and goals of the game
  • always explain what you are doing and why you are doing it
    -make labels diagrams and pictures ( I draw everything and have a single key, and at States the judges said they were very impressed by the diagrams over regular photos)
  • write what you do every day and why
  • best tip I learned my first year because I knew nothing about vex someone with no vex knowledge should understand what you did and could replicate it, so I just made it to where I could understand it
  • research other notebooks online via YouTube, vex forum, reddit
  • use a bound, handwritten notebook
  • Include your programs! And add little side notes explaining what it is doing and why you want this, don’t only rely on the programs comments
  • have multiple handwritings
  • write EVERYTHING in pencil first then go back with pen to avoid mistakes, if a mistake is made, just cross out with a single line and move on.
  • if you are desperate to cover a really big mistake, (I don’t recommend doing this unless having the mistake will ruin your entire notebook) cut some paper from a spare notebook and line it up so you can tell it was covered
  • don’t put off the notebook till the last minute, it won’t work out
  • don’t stress about being prefect, the judges just want to see your design process, what you did, why, and where your robot is going.
  • look up rubrics for design reward on the official vex site
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#6

If you want, I could possibly show some pages from my Turing point notebook

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#7

Thank you so much and yes that would be great!

#8

Please tell me if this link doesn’t work…
Also, I did tabs that I gave a key for one the first page of the notebook, which is a sample page that is made that is made so anyone knows how to navigate your notebook. Then for competitions, I did what is seen and then would write a reflection about what we did correctly and what needs to be changed/ improved.

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#9

I requested approval im girlscoutcadette

#10

Also know, I am a perfectionist and was unhappy with how my Turing point notebook turned out, so I am currently making a Very rough, rough draft, editing it through a digital version for spelling, grammar, wording, formatting, etc, and then also reflecting on my old notebooks and improving from that so this years final draft notebook better. So you could try making a rough draft and using your old notebook and try improving from what you didn’t like or didn’t do well with that.

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#11

It has been shared…

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#12

Its ok and thank you so much

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#13

I just started looking through but your sketches are REALLY NICE and I like that you did a log for each day bc that was an idea I had.

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#14

Thankyou so much. And yeah… each drawing maybe took 2 hours. Last year, since we had three practices each week, they were grouped, but I am on a very very productive team this year so I’m changing the format to each practice being it’s own “project” in the TOC.

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#15

Should I try anything with autodesk?

#16

Let me ask my teammate real quick because he knows more about that than I do

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#17

Yes, he said that you should definitely add some and that judges like seeing different types of media ( photos, autodesk and CAD, drawings, etc)

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#18

Ok cool tell him I said thank you!

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#19

He said hopefully he’ll tell you hi at worlds.

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#20

My top tip is to always, like @erose said, make rough drafts. I personally write everything out in a google doc. This also is nice because if you have an idea, you can write it down, no matter where you are. Good luck!:grin:

5 Likes