7P7- Circuit Playground Express

Using Adafruit, I created a Circuit Playground with a sound sensor. I was inspired by the idea of making something interactive and responsive to sound. The main concept was to create a “reloading” effect that would activate whenever there was a loud noise. I thought it would be a fun and cool feature to experiment with, especially for projects like games or sound-based alerts. Overall, it was an exciting way to explore coding and electronics through something creative and hands-on. 

During this process, I learned how to make a game on a Circuit Playground. It was my first time turning code and hardware into something fun and interactive. I figured out how to use sensors and lights to respond to different actions, which made the game more exciting. I also learned how to troubleshoot problems when things didn’t work the way I expected. Overall, it was a really cool experience that taught me a lot about both programming and electronics. 

The seven standards of the class are Empowered Learner, Digital Citizen, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker, Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator. My project connects most closely with the Knowledge Constructor standard. This is because I had never used a Circuit Playground before and had to learn how it worked from scratch. I researched how to connect the components, use sensors, and write the code to make everything function properly. Through this process, I built new skills and knowledge by exploring something completely new to me. 

A challenge I overcame during this project was when Mr. Renner messed with my code. It totally threw things off and made my project act weird. At first, I wasn’t sure how to fix it, but then I decided the easiest solution was just to delete the messed-up part. Once I did that, I was able to rewrite the code and get everything working again. It was a funny moment, but it also taught me how to stay calm and fix unexpected problems. 

If I had the chance to do this project again, I would change how much stuff I put on it. I think I could have done more to explore all the features the Circuit Playground has to offer. There are so many cool things it can do, like using lights, sound, sensors, and more. Next time, I’d take more time to experiment and add extra features to make the project even better. It would be a fun way to challenge myself and see what else I could create. 

Hastings High School’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program offers a wide range of pathways, including Agriculture, Business Management, Computer Programming, Construction Trades, Culinary Arts, Digital Multimedia, Engineering Design, Finance, Insurance, and Marketing. My project connects most closely to the Computer Programming CTE program. I used coding to bring my Circuit Playground project to life, programming it to respond to sound and perform specific actions. This experience helped me understand how computer programming can be used in real-world, hands-on applications. It also gave me a taste of what a future in this field might look like. 

My project connects to careers in data science because it involves collecting and responding to data. Data scientists analyze and interpret information to help businesses make smart decisions. In a similar way, my Circuit Playground project used a sound sensor to detect noise levels and respond with programmed actions. This type of interaction is based on interpreting real-world data and using it to trigger specific outcomes. It gave me a small glimpse into how data can drive decision-making and create useful, responsive technology. 

ChatGPT helped me turn my short sentences into full five-sentence paragraphs for my project. I gave the ideas, and it helped me expand on them and make them sound more complete and clear. It made sure everything stayed in my voice but helped with wording, structure, and flow. ChatGPT also helped connect my project to class standards, the CTE program, and real-world careers. It made the whole process easier and more fun, and I’m really happy with how everything turned out.