Question for book buyers
How likely would you as a Retail 1.0 or Retail 2.0 owner be to purchasing a book that required your kit plus the Education Resource Set?
One of my editors is following our recent discussions and the question has been raised about taking the Overlap Kit (Lauren's image) and adding the Resource Set.
By adding the $80 Resource Set to the Overlap Kit, writers would have a pretty substantial parts inventory to build from... but is the price of the Resource Set going to deter sales of books that would use this inventory (RS plus OK)?
Thoughts?
One of my editors is following our recent discussions and the question has been raised about taking the Overlap Kit (Lauren's image) and adding the Resource Set.
By adding the $80 Resource Set to the Overlap Kit, writers would have a pretty substantial parts inventory to build from... but is the price of the Resource Set going to deter sales of books that would use this inventory (RS plus OK)?
Thoughts?
Comments
I've been teaching robotics in an extracurricular fashion; I had a group last year using the NXT 1.0 Retail kits, I have a group this year using the NXT 2.0 kits (and am thinking of getting the unofficial upgrade kit for my own NXT 1.0 set), and am working with a school where we hope to get some serious funding to obtain educational kits (without the educational resource set).
My first feeling is to say: give me some techniques that I can use with any kit. And yet, while I really appreciate the techniques, I am always amazed how difficult it is to build a robot from scratch with the NXT set. Having some instructions that work are invaluable for a new learner (and many of them will be stymied if they had to adjust the design). [It also helps to see the technique used in context.]
The investment to just get an NXT kit is substantial enough that it is really hard to ask for something on top of that.
I might still buy the book, but, every time I open up one of the books I have that does require the resource kit, I think, "Darn. It'd sure be neat to have the parts to make these things."
If I could get an add-on kit for half the price (perhaps a custom upgrade kit over bricklink), I'd be a lot more interested, and wouldn't feel so bad telling roboticists around here that the upgrade kit is a worthwhile investment.
Ok to answer your question - if I saw a cool book with great robots in it that we wanted to build but it stated up front it would require the Education Resource kit, would I buy the book? The book would not only have to have great bots in it but give me the tools to extend that. But yes I would buy the book and get the education resource kit.
LEGOmom