The Future of the Linux club
In February of 2014 the Linux club applied for a grant for Arduino microcontrollers and Raspberry Pi Computers. The future of the Linux club is with these two devices. The club members will learn how to program in C with the Arduinos and Python with the Raspberry Pis. Hardware will also be taught with this. I will be the primary instructor of these topics with assistance from Temour Raza; a high school junior.
The microcontroller and minicomputer grant
Abstract of Grant
This project aims to bring open source prototyping hardware to Needham High School students. The Arduino and Raspberry Pi platforms were originally designed to be used by students to learn about computer science and electrical engineering. With the Raspberry Pi students will learn about the basic Linux operating system including command line usage. They will also learn the Python programming language which is a skill in very high demand for developers right now. Another skill which could potentially learned with the Raspberry Pi is web hosting and network programming.
The Arduino platform is a simpler and lower level device. Students using this device will learn the core of embedded programming. Basic circuitry would be covered as well as the C programming language. Learning C is an integral part of learning programming as a whole. Potential projects made with the Arduino platform could be networked switches, digital signage, motorized panoramic camera mounts, networked weather sensors, digital lighting controllers, RFID markers, and many more. With the small size and low power requirements of the Arduino hardware it is also possible to make custom portable gadgets.
Benefits
The benefits to Needham Public School Students are that this project will provide an environment encouraging students to define their own engineering problems and come up with solutions.
This project is innovative because there are no open ended projects at the high school that enable students to build whatever they can think of with likeminded others. The Needham High School robotics club is similar in what they do. They too learn a low level programming language and work with some electrical components. However, the majority of the projects they work on are for the FTC robotics competition. The things they make are solutions to the problems thought up by those who run the FTC and so they don't actually choose what to make. The hope for the Linux Club project is to give the students what they need to solve the problems they come up with. Additionally we would not use the Tetrix robotics kit that the Robotics Club uses which limits what they can make.
Around 8-10 students will be impacted. Some of the smaller projects made within this grant may be demoed at other Needham schools to get children interested in the programming and technology opportunities available at the high school. Students who work on this aspect of the club may be eligible for community service.
Details of Proposed Project
The educational goals are to teach students basic and intermediate programming skills and electrical engineering. The project is related to Needham High School's computer science curriculum but is student run and is not an official part of Needham High School curriculum.
There will be around 8-10 people involved. The two most knowledgeable people will teach peers how to program the devices and how to connect the wiring. This will be done through a combination of presentations, lectures, and hands on tutorials. This will take place in one of the NHS computer lab. The project will be worked on during Wednesdays from 2:35 to 4:00. Additional days may be allocated as is necessary.
Proposed Schedule
The Arduino portion of this project would begin before April break and would continue through till June. There is a possibility that some work would be done over the summer but that is not definite. Starting in October of the 2014-2015 school year, the Raspberry Pi portion of the project would start. This would continue throughout the year until students have demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the topics covered. Students would use what they know from the Arduino with the Raspberry Pi so integrating the two products will not be difficult.
Specific Methods of Evaluation
The success of the project would be evaluated by how much the students have learned in the remainder of the 2013-2014 school year and the 2014-2015 school year. The successes and failures of individual student's projects are how the success or failure of the overall project would be judged.
This project aims to bring open source prototyping hardware to Needham High School students. The Arduino and Raspberry Pi platforms were originally designed to be used by students to learn about computer science and electrical engineering. With the Raspberry Pi students will learn about the basic Linux operating system including command line usage. They will also learn the Python programming language which is a skill in very high demand for developers right now. Another skill which could potentially learned with the Raspberry Pi is web hosting and network programming.
The Arduino platform is a simpler and lower level device. Students using this device will learn the core of embedded programming. Basic circuitry would be covered as well as the C programming language. Learning C is an integral part of learning programming as a whole. Potential projects made with the Arduino platform could be networked switches, digital signage, motorized panoramic camera mounts, networked weather sensors, digital lighting controllers, RFID markers, and many more. With the small size and low power requirements of the Arduino hardware it is also possible to make custom portable gadgets.
Benefits
The benefits to Needham Public School Students are that this project will provide an environment encouraging students to define their own engineering problems and come up with solutions.
This project is innovative because there are no open ended projects at the high school that enable students to build whatever they can think of with likeminded others. The Needham High School robotics club is similar in what they do. They too learn a low level programming language and work with some electrical components. However, the majority of the projects they work on are for the FTC robotics competition. The things they make are solutions to the problems thought up by those who run the FTC and so they don't actually choose what to make. The hope for the Linux Club project is to give the students what they need to solve the problems they come up with. Additionally we would not use the Tetrix robotics kit that the Robotics Club uses which limits what they can make.
Around 8-10 students will be impacted. Some of the smaller projects made within this grant may be demoed at other Needham schools to get children interested in the programming and technology opportunities available at the high school. Students who work on this aspect of the club may be eligible for community service.
Details of Proposed Project
The educational goals are to teach students basic and intermediate programming skills and electrical engineering. The project is related to Needham High School's computer science curriculum but is student run and is not an official part of Needham High School curriculum.
There will be around 8-10 people involved. The two most knowledgeable people will teach peers how to program the devices and how to connect the wiring. This will be done through a combination of presentations, lectures, and hands on tutorials. This will take place in one of the NHS computer lab. The project will be worked on during Wednesdays from 2:35 to 4:00. Additional days may be allocated as is necessary.
Proposed Schedule
The Arduino portion of this project would begin before April break and would continue through till June. There is a possibility that some work would be done over the summer but that is not definite. Starting in October of the 2014-2015 school year, the Raspberry Pi portion of the project would start. This would continue throughout the year until students have demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the topics covered. Students would use what they know from the Arduino with the Raspberry Pi so integrating the two products will not be difficult.
Specific Methods of Evaluation
The success of the project would be evaluated by how much the students have learned in the remainder of the 2013-2014 school year and the 2014-2015 school year. The successes and failures of individual student's projects are how the success or failure of the overall project would be judged.
This is the first project that the Linux club is working on. The objective is to make a random LED blink every hundredth of a second. The phenomenon is that while only one is on at a time, two or more appear to be on simultaneously. The circuit for this project is in the picture to the left. The image was made with Fritzing, the open source prototyping software.
first_arduino_presentation.pptx | |
File Size: | 1266 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
artificialpwm.ino | |
File Size: | 0 kb |
File Type: | ino |