Learning Programming

For the weekend, you have some reading, some research, some programming, and some writing to do.

Reading: Studying Programming

First, start with chapter two from Studying Programming. It should be an easy read.

There are followup questions in Moodle.

Research: The Arduino in Automation

We built a Diavolino; this is just a variant on the Arduino. Before we dive into programming ours, we should develop a sense for what people use them for.

  1. The many uses… How are Arduinos used in the world today? Search for articles, videos, or other examples of how people use their Arduino. Come up with 5 uses you think are pretty amazing, whether it is for a plane that flies itself or an auto-tracking paintball cannon.

  2. Sensing and Automation. I’m particularly interested in sensing and automation tasks. Specifically, I’m interested in things people do to measure and automate their lives. This might be on their person (sometimes grouped under the notion of quantified self) or in their homes (referred to as home automation). Find between 5 and 8 examples of how the Arduino (or similar) can be used for these tasks. Rank them in terms of what you find most to least useful/valuable.

Add your uses to the database in Moodle. You’ll need the project title (or something close), the URL, and a short description for each entry.

Gidget, Continued

Continued the next set of exercises in Gidget. There’s around seven in each round.

Introducing the Arduino

To the best of your ability, write an introduction to a report. Specifically, the introduction should introduce the Arduino. What is it, and what is it capable of?

  • Assume your audience is a student studying electronics.
  • Assume your audience has never heard of the Arduino before.
  • Assume your audience has a short attention span, but kinda thinks this is cool.

You’re looking for roughly a one page introduction, possibly two. Your goal is to take the research you did in the previous section, plus your reading in Studying Programming, and see if you can reflect it back as understanding and clarity in your introduction.

Submit your introduction to Moodle when you are done.