Hands-On Learning: Arduino in the Classroom

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

Steve Jobs once said, "Technology alone is not enough. It's technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing." I wholeheartedly believe this. Our human experiences and history combined with technology will be our future.

My students are a diverse, curious, inventive, and energetic group of sixth graders in a Title I school in New Jersey.

They take great pride in their school, and are proud of their accomplishments. They enjoy hands-on learning, and are delighted when I can infuse technology into a lesson. These students do not always have access to learning opportunities outside of school, and their parents are often too busy making ends meet to provide opportunities for learning beyond our school. If given the opportunity to try different activities and experience material from interdisciplinary lessons, these students can achieve great results! Our teachers are constantly looking for ways to enhance our students' learning with innovative programs. Many of these students have not been exposed to the possibility of technological careers. The future job market is uncertain for today's students, and especially for urban students. The more they are exposed to in school, the better their options.

My Project

My vision for these Arduino kits is to implement an elective class that introduces students to the world of computer programming, basic electronics, troubleshooting, and problem solving. Although most students can easily navigate the user-friendly operating systems of today's electronics, few have any idea on how these devices work. Arduino allows students to become familiar with electronics theory, code programming, problem solving, and troubleshooting. I will introduce students to the basics of electronics safety, fundamental electronics theory such as Ohm's Law, and work with them to build projects and program the Arduino interface to make their projects work. For example, I picture a group of students working together assembling servos, motors, LED's, sensors, etc. Arduino coding allows students to improve and revise the programming as needed. Once all of the assembly and coding is complete, imagine the look on the students' faces when their creation blinks and comes to life!

I believe this project will be beneficial to my students because it will expose them to the "nuts and bolts" of technology, and students must plan and visualize the use of space, use math to calculate voltages, use critical thinking to solve problems, and use a variety of other 21st century skills to execute a project.

This project will show students how the human-computer interface works, and introduce them a world of possible careers in the technology and engineering fields.