This week the students were introduced to Arduino for the first time. We started with the basic blink sketch and one LED. We did this straight off of pin 13, without the need for the breadboard. I reinforced the concept of circuits, and we discussed the need for power as well as ground.
We deconstructed the blink sketch, looking mostly at the DigitalWrite and Delay commands. I had them experiment with changing the delay values. I also challenged them to modify the sketch such that it would make the LED blink three times, pause, then repeat. This was not as intuitive as I thought it would be, but we got through it. They realized that repeating the existing code three times with a long delay at the end worked.
We also took a look at the fade sketch, another basic sketch. Again we played with adjustments to the code so that they could make the LED fade more quickly or more slowly. They also discovered that they could adjust the amount of fade.
Students working at the same table realized that if they timed it correctly, they could sync their blinking patterns. At one point four students had each of their arduinos blinking at the same time.
I plan to cover sketches a bit more in-depth but also want to get the students started on their individual projects. That's all for now, I'm here in Queens, NY, and it's time to head to the World Maker Faire!
We deconstructed the blink sketch, looking mostly at the DigitalWrite and Delay commands. I had them experiment with changing the delay values. I also challenged them to modify the sketch such that it would make the LED blink three times, pause, then repeat. This was not as intuitive as I thought it would be, but we got through it. They realized that repeating the existing code three times with a long delay at the end worked.
We also took a look at the fade sketch, another basic sketch. Again we played with adjustments to the code so that they could make the LED fade more quickly or more slowly. They also discovered that they could adjust the amount of fade.
Students working at the same table realized that if they timed it correctly, they could sync their blinking patterns. At one point four students had each of their arduinos blinking at the same time.
I plan to cover sketches a bit more in-depth but also want to get the students started on their individual projects. That's all for now, I'm here in Queens, NY, and it's time to head to the World Maker Faire!
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