In their current unit, “Computer Hardware,” Mr. Simkanich’s 7th grade Computer Science students are combining coding, building circuits, and problem solving, as they program various hardware using our Arduino kits. They’re exploring basic machine architecture — the processor and memory — through the lens of the Sparkfun Redboard and the circuits they are building.
First, students “build” virtually and code online, using Tinkercad.com, experimenting with different commands and virtual hardware and tools. Then, after testing their work on the computer, they build the actual circuits and program them using Arduino software. The final step is to make things happen in real life; in the lesson pictured here, students collaborate to display and control a message on an LED screen.
Throughout the unit, students build, test, and execute different circuit projects virtually and with actual hardware, preparing them for their final project. Synthesizing and applying what they’ve learned in Science and Computer Science, students will use Arduino to design, build, and program a hydroponics system that utilizes various sensors and pumps to grow basil.
