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Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (Cor 13:7)
Makerspaces, sometimes also referred to as hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs are creative, DIY spaces where people can gather to create, invent, and learn. In libraries they often have 3D printers, software, electronics, craft and hardware supplies and tools, and more.
The maker movement and Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) have grown in popularity over the years and are now becoming a big part of the curriculum with most schools. As a teacher, it can be tricky to keep up with the changes! I have found Edx courses a great way to learn new things!
I just started a course on “Arduino Programming, from novice to ninja“, in which you learn to program using basic electronics and Arduino, and see that anyone can become a maker!
Arduino is an open-source computer hardware and software company, project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control objects in the physical and digital world (Wikipedia). Although the programming was a bit tricky, it was fun making the projects! And the Arduino kit is inexpensive, which you can get from Banggood.com which includes cool things like LED lights, motors etc.
The great thing about using Arduino is the range of disciplines you can learn, from coding to maths and even literacy! And for those students who don’t get into the books, this could be the hook to learning you have been looking for! Here is an example of the coding to make a light blink;
/*
Blink
Light the LED for 1 second,
then turn it off for 1 second.
*/
// Number of the pin connected to the LED:
int led = 13;
// the function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin ‘led’ as an output.
pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
}
// this code runs over and over again as long as there is power
void loop() {
digitalWrite(led, HIGH); // light LED (send 5V to the pin)
delay(1000); // wait 1000ms = 1s
digitalWrite(led, LOW); // turn off LED (0V to the pin)
delay(1000); // wait another second
}
Looking for some learning this summer? Arduino could be a fun experience that you can take back to school next term! Find out more about Arduino by visiting the Arduino website.
Borrow an Arduino kit!
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