Activity 1 – Buzzer Intro
Refer to this page for this activity. Do NOT copy and paste the code — type it in (or you won’t learn anything…).
Note that the 100 Ω resistor is optional. You can leave it out for simplicity (and extra volume!).
Once you have the basic buzzer program working, research for loops and modify the program so it loops from 100 Hz to 10,000 Hz in 20 Hz increments and then down again, infinitely.
Save this program as “buzzer_1”.
Activity 2 – Metronome
Write a program that exactly mimics this metronome:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sZD0Avi8Qs
You will likely want to refer to the Tone reference page for assistance. (Read the syntax carefully for an important tip!)
Note: for this assignment I want you to use the tone() function using this syntax:
tone(pin, frequency, duration)
When I see you for marking be sure you can explain the “math” involved in setting the metronome frequency.
Save as “metronome”.
Activity 3 – Star Wars
This activity also uses two LEDs. Have fun with it! [Source]
Save as “star_wars”.
Activity 4 – Twinkle Twinkle
Using the Star Wars program as a starting point, adapt it to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
You can delete any references to the LEDs.
Save as “twinkle”.
The pre-course questionnaire can be found here.
Remind.com is a service that I will use to send email and text notifications to students and parents.
To subscribe, please follow the directions in the relevant document:
If you have a smartphone please install the app from
here.
Students, look for the assignment on Google Classroom.
Teachers, see my blog post about this assignment here.
Big Ideas
- What are some cool advancements in electronics and computers? (“Cool Tech”)
- How do I install operating systems such as Linux or Windows?
- How do I network and configure computers?
- What software will I install and use?
- What kind of computer programming (coding) will I do?
- How will I build and program circuits like a computer-controlled traffic light or an Arduino?
- How do binary and digital logic make computers work?
- What careers are related to computer technology and what education will I need for them?
- What safety practices must I follow when working with electronic circuits and computers?
- What are some environmental, ethical, and security issues related to computer technology?
Course Overview
This course introduces students to computer systems, networking, and interfacing, as well as electronics and robotics. Students will assemble, repair, and configure computers with various types of operating systems and application software. Students will build small electronic circuits and write computer programs to control simple peripheral devices or robots. Students will also develop an awareness of related environmental and societal issues, and will learn about secondary and postsecondary pathways and career opportunities in computer technology.
Course Outline/Resources
Always in development! Note that the ordered specified here is NOT the order the topics are learned. As in true “broad-based” or “project-based” fashion, the topics will be addressed as needed, depending on the projects chosen each semester.
This is a work in progress and will be updated throughout the semester.
https://i.imgur.com/j0vVavW.gifv
I always encourage students to use the personal Google account for school work so they still “own” the data after they leave high school.
But what if they haven’t, and they’re above to move on to a postsecondary school or the workplace?
There are basically two options:
- Move your data to your personal account
- Download your data
To move your data to a new account, just visit https://takeout.google.com/transfer and enter the relevant information. Just be sure you have enough disk quota in your personal account or you may run into trouble.
To download your data, visit https://takeout.google.com/settings/takeout and select the data you want to download. Note that this can take a long time, depending on how much data you have in your Google account.
Assignment
Over the semester, you will be asked to do two informal presentations related to “Cool Tech”, one each half semester. Most students will choose to present on something technological (computer hardware, software, game platforms, entertainment hardware, etc.) that is relatively new, but you may also choose something else with the permission of your instructor.
Your presentation must be centered around a Google Slides slideshow. You must submit the form to get your topic approved and prepare a short slideshow to present to the class. Be sure the title of your slideshow includes the name of the topic and the course code.
Sources of Material
Relevant Expectations
ICS3C
- D3.1 explain how emerging technologies can affect personal rights and privacy (e.g. video surveillance, cyberbullying, identity theft);
- D3.2 describe some emerging technologies and their implications for, and potential uses by, various members of society;
- D3.3 describe some of the solutions to complex problems affecting society that have been or are being developed through the use of advanced computer programming and emerging technologies (e.g., monitoring and regulating electrical supply and demand; using facial recognition programs to verify the identity of persons entering a country; analysing criminal activity by overlaying crime data on satellite imagery; analysing large-scale meteorological data to predict catastrophic storms).
ICS3U
- D2.1 demonstrate an understanding of emerging areas of research in computer science (e.g., cryptography, parallel processing, distributed computing, data mining, artificial intelligence, robotics, computer vision, image processing, human–computer interaction, security, geographic information systems [GIS]);
- D2.2 demonstrate an understanding of an area of collaborative research between computer science and another field (e.g., bioinformatics, geology, economics, linguistics, health informatics, climatology, sociology, art);
- D2.3 report on an area of research related to computer science, using an appropriate format (e.g., website, presentation software, video).
ICS4C
- D3.1 describe the evolution of some emerging programming languages;
- D3.2 investigate and report on innovations in information technology (e.g., webcasting, VoIP, multiplayer online gaming) and their potential impact on society and the economy;
- D3.3 describe programming requirements for a variety of emerging technologies (e.g., web programming, smartphones, embedded systems).
ICS4U
- D3.1 explain the impact of a variety of emerging technologies on various members of society and on societies and cultures around the world and on the economy;
- D3.2 investigate an emerging technology and produce a report using an appropriate format (e.g., technical report, website, presentation software, video).
TDJ3M
- C2.1 research and compare technological eras (e.g., agricultural, industrial, information), and describe ways in which societal needs influenced these eras;
- C2.2 research and describe cases where technological design has improved the quality of living (e.g., fireproofing, prosthetic limbs, air purifiers, catalytic converters);
- C2.3 demonstrate an understanding of ways in which history, trends, culture, and geography have inspired technological design.
TGJ4M
- C2.1 independently research and report on political, economic, cultural, and/or environmental issues that affected technological innovations in the past (e.g., traffic congestion spurred development of compact vehicles, increasing population density led to the construction of taller buildings);
- C2.2 describe examples of how culture, economics, and politics could influence the future design of products and/or processes (e.g., environmental awareness and rising costs for fossil fuels could increase the development and use of alternative energy sources);
- C2.3 describe how technological change affects society (e.g., developments in telecommunications, health care, and robotics).
TGJ2O
- C2.1 demonstrate an understanding of social standards and cultural sensitivity and use appropriate and inclusive content, images, and language in communications media productions (e.g., including people from different races, cultures, and backgrounds in media productions; portraying minority groups with respect and sensitivity; avoiding sexism, homophobia, and cultural or racial bias);
- C2.2 describe the effects of recent changes in communications technology and applications on society and the economy (e.g., effects arising from the use of devices such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants [PDAs], and portable media players and from the emergence of computer-based social networks, user-generated web content such as wikis and blogs, and easy-to-download music file formats);
- C2.3 identify emerging communications technologies and describe their potential impact on society and the economy;
- C2.4 describe legal concepts and issues relating to communications technology and media production (e.g., copyright, privacy rights, consent);
- C2.5 describe social and ethical issues relating to the use of communications technology (e.g., promotion of hatred, irresponsible use of the Internet, cyberbullying, cultural appropriation).
TIJ1O
- C2.1 describe some of the effects that technological innovations of the past have had on society (e.g., effects on health, on people’s ability to travel and communicate, on living standards, on education) and the economy (e.g., creation of new types of jobs, automation of factories);
- C2.2 describe how society is being affected today by various new and emerging technologies (e.g., electronic messaging, Global Positioning System [GPS], wireless access, hybrid vehicles, nanotechnology, biotechnology);
- C2.3 describe economic, ecological, social, and safety considerations facing consumers when they make choices between particular products or services (e.g., natural versus synthetic materials, renewable versus non-renewable resources; inexpensive products created in developing countries versus more costly products created domestically; higher-priced products with additional safety features versus less costly products without them);
- C2.4 demonstrate an understanding of, and respect for, cultural and social diversity as they develop and create various products or services (e.g., prepare foods from various countries around the world, use video or graphic images that are representative of the school population, demonstrate hairstyles from various cultures, compare traditional landscaping styles of different cultures);
- C2.5 describe how social and economic factors influence the development and use of technology (e.g., high fuel prices and safety concerns influence automotive design, rotating blackouts speed the development of energy alternatives, people’s desire to be connected with family and friends drives telephone and wireless device design).
