Arduino is everywhere. Integrating Arduino into your computer science curriculum only makes sense. Arduino boards are cheap… but they are not free. Here is a solution to that little problem.
While nothing beats the satisfaction of actually building something that accomplishes a task or solves a problem… there is a definite learning curve. And while the boards are cheap, they are not free. What teachers really need is a way to teach some of the basics without risking damaging actual components needlessly.
We all know that there will be times when electronics will make that little sizzle sound and be dead. Errors happen, but if we have a way to minimize those errors, all the better.
That is the beauty of TinkerCad. TinkerCad is an online resource that allows you to construct Arduino projects digitally. Yes… digitally. So, how do you take advantage of this great resource?
First, head over to tinkercad.com and sign up for an account. Play with it, get to know it. When you are ready to sign students up, you will want to have them associate their account with yours. If students are under 13 years of age, they will need a code to bypass the age requirement, or their parent will have to approve their subscription via email. The code is made by clicking the TEACH link at the top right corner of the screen when you log in.
Once you get the students all signed up, you’re ready to roll. Now, TinkerCad offers more than just circuits. They also have an entire section for designing 3D objects. That, however is a whole different blog post.
Click the link on the left that says CIRCUITS. Then click the green button that says CREATE NEW CIRCUIT.
Next, you get to start building. TinkerCad defaults to basic circuit components. You can change those setting near the top right of the screen, as shown below.
Now, as far as building actual digital Arduino projects, I typically give the students a set of predetermined projects. Assuming they are new to electronics and Arduino, they are the standard first 15 projects for Arduino… you know, make the LED blink, make the push button work, etc.
You can let the kids create here without fear of killing any electronics. You may need to show them the basics of how to use the program, such as connecting wires, starting simulations, etc… but generally, kids figure this stuff out pretty quickly. I make a point of showing an actual Arduino board (I use Elegoo branded boards and kits) and show them that they are virtually identical to the online boards.
From here, the kids are creating and learning the basics of how to connect components, what components do, and how they interact. The kids love it. I love it. Most of all, it saves money in the beginning stages of creation.
So, head over to TinkerCad by AutoDesk and get started now.