Well I received a local code from West Point last week and so our competition can now take place. With it, and using the West Point Bridge Designer 2010 “free” software we can run a local/international free competition.

Who is the competition for – well my Reception(/Kindergarten) son can play the programme and create a working bridge, and my A-level(/Grade 12) students should be able to understand the engineering dynamics of tension/compression and the necessity of iterations.

I created a basic bridge – now the competition is on for my students to create a workable bridge for less – I wish them luck.

As a teacher I wish for two things; a) that students enjoy and learn from the experience, and b)  they also realise that there is a gap (if only small in some cases) between that of an experienced teacher and their own – we can all learn through play, but age and previous experience are an important facet of life. I may not be invinsible, but to beat me my students will need skill and/or initiative to win that should be beyond their years (and is certainly beyond their curriculum)!

Notes:
West Point Bridge Designer 2010 can be downloaded here – it is a free PC only programme.
There is a US student prize competition though others int he world may participate in a non-prize competition.
For teachers ther e is the option to set up a local contest using a Local Code from West Point – well worth doing.

@nahowie for updates on how we’re doing