It's presently global "Hour of Code" week,& - largely out of educational interest- I've called by several local kids slanted sessions here in Wellington (NZ). At one I was delighted to note Disney's new "Frozen" based LOGO already in keen use. Girls were predictably VERY taken with Anna & Elsa ! BYOD screens abounded, but -sigh- there was a total absence of "connectivity". Nothing was aimed at controlling real world hardware - I sadly didn't see a single bare wire... As Obama, Gates, Apple & Google all support HoC values, then surely we've a duty to roll up sleeves & shift gazes from screens to -gasp!-catering for real world needs?
At another site however (with sessions spread over 3 rooms) our ever energetic Andrew Hornblow ran hands on breadboarded PICAXE (pre programmed) & RPi activities. Kids loved the colourful LEDs supplied- he maybe could have based things around LED Xmas Tree lights! Other rooms offered such state of the art e-approaches as Scratch,Hummingbird Robotics & pleasingly MakeyMakey - the latter's "banana interfacing" proving predictably appealing for youngsters !
I've diverse thoughts on the HoC concept,but increasingly sense something "take home" (perhaps at a modest charge) & with Android interfacing could sustain youthful e-interest & acquaint them with real world tech. fish hooks & gotchas. Kids may otherwise consider electronics & coding NOT as sweat,tears and algorithms,but rather fun & entertainment akin to a glorified game... Sadly all too many such starry eyed school leavers begin tertiary IT/engineering training, only to get blown away by the physics,maths,stats,theoretical circuitry &/or coding discipline. (I speak from extensive university experience).
But here's a thought. Android smart phones & tablets are now at near throwaway prices (entry level US$30-$50 here in NZ),so using them merely as control & display engines appeals. Apps. could be pre written & readily WiFi installed at the HoC/classroom/whatever (scouts etc) sessions- folks would simply be asked to bring along an Android device. Naturally the devices inbuilt Bluetooth may suit control & monitoring, but organising a cheap & friendly BT receiver on the "take home" item may be an i$$ue.
Instead of BT I ponder Android headphone jack I/O may allow IR LEDs to control/config. a PICAXEd item? Although these IR dongles are available commercially (~US$5-10),they can be readily wired up yourself with basic components at hand (phono plug/IR LEDs/heatshrink etc) -see here and here. Any thoughts ? Stan.
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Footnote: FWIW (and after ~12 years with PICAXEs) I'm largely submitting this as an alert that the blisteringly rapid rise of other electronics/IT/data processing approaches may so skew the e-experiences of the next generation (& their parents/educators),that our esteemed PICAXEs may be left in e-limbo ...
At another site however (with sessions spread over 3 rooms) our ever energetic Andrew Hornblow ran hands on breadboarded PICAXE (pre programmed) & RPi activities. Kids loved the colourful LEDs supplied- he maybe could have based things around LED Xmas Tree lights! Other rooms offered such state of the art e-approaches as Scratch,Hummingbird Robotics & pleasingly MakeyMakey - the latter's "banana interfacing" proving predictably appealing for youngsters !
I've diverse thoughts on the HoC concept,but increasingly sense something "take home" (perhaps at a modest charge) & with Android interfacing could sustain youthful e-interest & acquaint them with real world tech. fish hooks & gotchas. Kids may otherwise consider electronics & coding NOT as sweat,tears and algorithms,but rather fun & entertainment akin to a glorified game... Sadly all too many such starry eyed school leavers begin tertiary IT/engineering training, only to get blown away by the physics,maths,stats,theoretical circuitry &/or coding discipline. (I speak from extensive university experience).
But here's a thought. Android smart phones & tablets are now at near throwaway prices (entry level US$30-$50 here in NZ),so using them merely as control & display engines appeals. Apps. could be pre written & readily WiFi installed at the HoC/classroom/whatever (scouts etc) sessions- folks would simply be asked to bring along an Android device. Naturally the devices inbuilt Bluetooth may suit control & monitoring, but organising a cheap & friendly BT receiver on the "take home" item may be an i$$ue.
Instead of BT I ponder Android headphone jack I/O may allow IR LEDs to control/config. a PICAXEd item? Although these IR dongles are available commercially (~US$5-10),they can be readily wired up yourself with basic components at hand (phono plug/IR LEDs/heatshrink etc) -see here and here. Any thoughts ? Stan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnote: FWIW (and after ~12 years with PICAXEs) I'm largely submitting this as an alert that the blisteringly rapid rise of other electronics/IT/data processing approaches may so skew the e-experiences of the next generation (& their parents/educators),that our esteemed PICAXEs may be left in e-limbo ...
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