tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post7264762416495027450..comments2024-03-27T15:13:24.764-04:00Comments on Computer Science Teacher: Time to Include More Hardware Devices in Teaching Computer Science?Alfred Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575057876858763822noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-20394246111814550002017-07-30T16:32:20.841-04:002017-07-30T16:32:20.841-04:00I think the more varied opportunities you offer, t...I think the more varied opportunities you offer, the more likely you are to motivate students. Some students really enjoy the physical aspect of putting together a robot and the programming it. While others don't - they're all individuals. The variety of offerings is what really matters at the end of the day.<br /><br />On a side note, I just came across a really cool piece of hardware the other day called Arduboy. It's like a mini-Gameboy built on the Arduino platform. https://arduboy.com/<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03199737984486910607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-73189030260332358102017-07-30T07:43:46.908-04:002017-07-30T07:43:46.908-04:00I'm not sold on the motivation thing - there a...I'm not sold on the motivation thing - there are all types - some will be motivated by the hardware some not.<br /><br />If you strip away all the physical playing - the wiring up, the configuring and all - you're left with a shiny different input or output tool. That's really what we're talking about with the Micro:bit. Instead of printing to the screen, you print to the LED grid. Instead of typing in the temperature, you can read it from a sensor.<br /><br />This is a good thing -- most people prefer playing games with a gamepad or joystick than a keyboard and us old timers loved making our computers say things like "Do you want to play a game?" instead of just printing to the screen. <br /><br />This allows for more variety in inputs and outputs and hence applications. This is a good thing. If we do go to the physical level - arms, wheels, etc. we can introduce a variety of other concepts as well but then we get to the setup and teardown problems as well as all the other issues that kept me from doing hardware based stuff over the years.<br /><br />Mike Zamanskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15069276938781711576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-43025530397605091792017-07-26T15:02:23.460-04:002017-07-26T15:02:23.460-04:00I use Mindstorms robots occasionally in my classes...I use Mindstorms robots occasionally in my classes. What I have found is their effectiveness depends on the kids. Some do not get into them while others learn a lot. Are they worth the hassle? Sometimes. Not all kids are identical which is a problem with many curriculum plans. What works for one group is dead fish for another. That is why I like to have a whole bunch of tools I can use. Robots, Micro:bits (just got 20 a couple of weeks ago), multiple game engines (Unity, Gamemaker), multiple line code languages, multiple block languages, and stray things like CS Unplugged. What is an issue with this approach is budget and time. Robots can be expensive for something that might be a flop with some students. I hate to gamble with the school's money but sometimes it is worth the risk. Even if the kids do not identify with things like robots it is still something they should explore.Garthnoreply@blogger.com