I am new to using Arduino and am currently using an Uno. I will be teaching year 9 girls how to begin programming with Arduino and I am very excited.
However, I am interested to know if anyone has some cool ideas for projects that will really grab and engage teenage girls. I have outlines to teach the the basics, LED lights, traffic lights, stepper motors and gearing to name a few.
I am just interested to see if there are any projects that you feel would be more engaging for teenage girls than others.
Why are they taking the class? Is it part of a techy stream, and they are already happily engaged with science and maths; or are they part of a more shall we say arty stream, where they might be a bit more difficult to fire up?
If the former, they may be happy to work with Arduino for its own sake, perhaps loving the nuances of cunning algorithms and the calculations involved in moments of inertia; if the latter they might need more context, and need to see the application of the Arduino in sculpture, or music, or whatever.
Either way, fantastic to see you here and embarking on an exciting undertaking.
This is "Physical Computing".. and it goes beyond the Data..Code..Algorithms perspective. THIS page might help..
The simple thing to start with is a low-end Robot Kit.
DISCLAIMER: I make and sell such kits!!! But there are many possibilities; just check Amazon...
Personalization of the robots is fun; some schools have added 3-D printed CowBoy hats, "Dreamer" boas etc. etc. And changing the robot's "behavior" by changing code is another activity.
When students "Get" that.. they can start to design Other Stuff that is based on that concept:
Turning lights on and off are a good starter, and writing a phone app to do the same from a phone may be interesting. This may be challenging for any 9-year old.
I don't know what year 9 means. What age are the girls?
Interactive art has lots of options - for example things that respond to the viewer, a loud BANG if you touch the "do not touch" sign or eyes that follow you or lights that change colour with changing sounds or the distance of the viewer. Or things that change over time so it is hard to see the same thing twice.
Data collection as part of science exploration is another avenue to explore. For example to measure acceleration and prove that lighter things fall as fast as heavier things (within reason) - or find the point at which the comparison breaks down (down - feathers )
I guess your students attend a junior high school. You will find here :
a compilation of several Arduino boards and accessories realized by a french teacher for his junior high school students.
It's in french but Google trad will help you to decipher what it is all about.
In fine, I would say that the only limit to the projects you will undertake with your team will depend mostly on your own level in embedded computing developments and your budget.
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