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University Newsletter

Using Microcontrollers to Teach Logic and Programming Class for Grade 3 to Adult March 23

Problem solving and Logic are foundational skills for all student learning.  The availability of under $20 microcontrollers provides and opportunity to engage students in visual, high interest lesson activities to develop those skills.

Schools have 1:1 laptops or tablets available and the new Illinois C.S. Standards require the content. Microcontrollers offer an opportunity for teachers to meet those needs.

Session to be offered in-person, but streamed and recorded for those not able to attend.  Examples will use the Micro:Bit controller designed  for teaching, but the activities will adapt to Arduino and Raspberry-Pi, devices as well.  The session will guide participants through a variety of sample lessons using block coding to program the controllers.

The primary focus is on creating instructions to transfer to the device. Depending on time and the makeup of the group, additional activities will try interfacing controllers with external LED lights and motors using instruction sets to control them. The capstone will be to collect data by reading temperature, light, motion sensors. All sample activities will be appropriate for classroom use and able to be adapted from primary to secondary.