1. What exactly is Arduino?
Arduino is a convenient, flexible, and easy-to-use open-source electronic prototyping platform. It includes hardware (various models of Arduino boards) and software (Arduino IDE). The hardware schematics, circuit diagrams, IDE software, and core library files of Arduino are all open-source, allowing for modifications to the original designs and corresponding codes under the open-source license.Arduino IDE is developed based on the processing IDE. For beginners, it is extremely easy to master while offering sufficient flexibility.Arduino can sense the environment through various sensors and can control lights, motors, and other devices to respond to and influence the environment. The microcontroller on the board can be programmed using the Arduino programming language, compiled into binary files, and uploaded to the microcontroller.
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Arduino Hardware Platform |
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2. What is the Chinese name for Arduino, and how should I refer to it?
China is a non-immigrant country, and obtaining a Chinese Hukou is much harder than getting a US passport. Therefore, Arduino has not yet been given a proper Chinese name since its introduction to the country, and since it is an Italian word, many people struggle to pronounce it. Some call it “Adu no”, while others call it “Adui no”. In the past two years, the word “two” has become popular, so some refer to it as “Er Zhu Yi No”, where “Zhu Yi”: “Zhu” is stressed, and “Yi” is lightly pronounced, then the two words are quickly combined into one sound. The “No” at the end is pronounced like the English word “no”. Friends who understand Italian like to call it: “Al Dinu” (which means brave friend in Italian). The dictionary dict.cn translates it as: “Alduino”, with different pronunciations for British and American accents. It doesn’t matter which pronunciation you use as long as it doesn’t affect communication. I like to call it “Adui no”, and it has never objected ^_^.
3. What can Arduino do?
The Arduino hardware development platform is easy to learn and widely used, serving as the hardware foundation for technology maker activities. Arduino is currently one of the most popular open-source electronic platforms among makers, and it is also a selectable platform for the intelligent design challenge projects in the intelligent control (microcontroller) competitions for middle and primary school students in Haidian District and Beijing.
As early as September 2014, at the Summer Davos Forum, Li Keqiang publicly called for “mass entrepreneurship and innovation”. In the past two years, a large number of maker spaces have emerged across the country, such as Chaihuo Maker Space and Zhongguancun Maker Space. Some quality primary and secondary schools have also introduced the concepts of maker education and maker spaces. Becoming a maker has become a dream for many young people, but having just dreams and ideas is far from enough; we need a software and hardware platform to realize our ideas. Arduino is currently one of the most favored open-source electronic platforms among makers.
Your digital TV, refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, air conditioner, air purifier, etc., are all controlled by microcontrollers. Arduino can do all these tasks. Previously, doing microcontroller development required learning a lot of hardware knowledge, and controlling ports was quite cumbersome. However, using Arduino as a development platform simplifies the process significantly; many complex and cumbersome low-level controls have been implemented by the designers of the Arduino platform, greatly lowering the entry barrier for makers, allowing even elementary school students to design and develop their own electronic creative products.
4. Who is suitable for learning Arduino?
Elementary school students, middle school students, university students, graduate students, and social personnel can all learn as long as they are interested. For university students and social personnel with strong self-learning abilities, like myself, buying a book or finding some materials online is enough to learn by doing, and completing a project will essentially master it.
For elementary and middle school students, it is best to find a tutor or enroll in a class. Otherwise, encountering difficulties and obstacles during the learning process can easily dampen their enthusiasm for learning. Doing it alone at home can be boring. A group of children of similar ages together adds a lot of fun to learning; communication and brainstorming can generate better ideas, and guidance from teachers can improve learning efficiency and help avoid detours.
Arduino Beginner Course is suitable for elementary and middle school students, allowing them to learn basic microcontroller programming based on Arduino smart cars, familiarize themselves with commonly used sensors and their applications, laying the foundation for advanced Arduino courses.
Arduino Advanced Course is suitable for elementary, middle, and high school students. Students propose creative projects, and groups work together through project analysis, design, implementation, debugging, and improvement steps to complete electronic creative projects, cultivating students’ computational thinking and STEAM learning abilities. It can also target intelligent design challenge projects in the intelligent control (microcontroller) competitions for middle and primary school students in Beijing, going through project analysis, design, implementation, debugging, and improvement steps to become proficient in handling intelligent design challenge projects; it can also target on-site programming projects in the same competitions, going through project analysis, design, implementation, debugging, and improvement steps to become proficient in handling on-site programming projects.
5. Is there any benefit to learning Arduino?
If students can undergo rigorous engineering training and ultimately complete a small project, this process will surely benefit them for life, much more than just performing well in a specific exam subject. Many graduates and entrepreneurs have provided feedback stating that working on technology projects in middle school greatly helped them, which has strengthened my confidence and determination to continue developing technology education.
In the short term, students who master Arduino can participate in on-site programming projects in the intelligent control (microcontroller) competitions for middle and primary school students in Beijing, intelligent design challenge projects, relevant projects in Beijing’s youth robot competition, and the Beijing Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition. Winning awards in these competitions can qualify them as science and technology special talents. Even if the special talent program is canceled, this will still be a highlight on their resumes and a plus for applying to top universities abroad.
6. Where can middle and primary school students learn Arduino?
Many middle and primary schools offer elective courses on Arduino. Learning in one’s own school is the most hassle-free, generally free or with a nominal fee. The computers and equipment are purchased by the school, and the technology teachers in public schools are basically free labor, with pay similar to that of hourly workers ^_^.
If the child’s school does not offer a course, parents can teach them themselves. There are successful cases, but many children during their rebellious phase are least likely to listen to their parents, and it can feel uninteresting for a child to learn alone. I have encountered rebellious children and have tried asking colleagues to teach them.
If none of the above options are feasible, then find a reliable tutoring class for the child. Spending some money on children’s technology education is the most genuine form of quality education; inadvertently, you might end up with a scientist or engineer in the family.
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