SLIS 761 Post #8 - Arduinos

When reading through the course content this week, I kept seeing Arduinos mentioned and it piqued my interest. I had heard the name before, usually in discussions about projects that use mini circuit boards, like the Raspberry Pi, so I thought that it was a type of single-board computer. Looking into it further thought, I discovered that while they can both be used for similar projects, they are actually two different types of circuit boards that work well in different ways. As outlined in the article, What are the Differences Between Raspberry Pi and Arduino?, “Arduino is a Microcontroller based development board, the Raspberry Pi is a Microprocessor (usually an ARM Cortex A Series) based board that acts as a computer” (Teja, 2021, para. 9). So, the Raspberry Pi is a small computer, and the Arduino is a small circuit board that can be programmed to control operations, like motors, sensors, and lights. While useful for automating robots, Arduinos can also utilize a lot of different sensors that can detect light, gas, motion, and temperature, which can be used for a wide variety of projects.

While looking for more information about Arduinos and how they function, I came across Colleen Graves’ (2016) blog, Create, Collaborate, Innovate. Of particular interest to me, was the post titled, “For the love of Arduino – Getting Started.” She begins the post by going over her history with using Arduinos and gives examples of early projects and links to starter kits. What I like about this post is that she makes Arduinos sound very approachable. As someone who does not know a lot about coding, just reading about programming microcontrollers seems like a lot to take in. The projects and kits that Graves highlights in the post seem both interesting and like they could be done by an amateur, like myself.

Some examples of beginner level projects:

In many of the readings from this week, Arduinos are mentioned in relation to robotics projects. The Makerspace Playbook, which comes from the Makerspace Team (2013), states that a robotics curriculum, “supports basic skill development in collaboration, programming, mechanical design, and creation skills (woodworking, soldering, sewing, etc.)” (p. 34). Of those skills, collaboration, programming, and soldering are the three that I think most directly relate to Arduinos. In the article, The What and the Why: Pair Programming in Education, Brenton O’Brien (2019) writes that some of the benefits of having two students collaborate on programming is that it can lead to less errors in the code, better engagement and knowledge sharing, and an increase in metacognition. The increase in metacognition comes from the students, “comparing how their partner thinks to how they themselves think” (para. 17). The sharing of knowledge is what makes think that these kinds of projects are well suited for the library.

Here are examples of some really advanced projects:

The one thing that makes me hesitate about suggesting the purchase of Arduinos is the cost. The boards themselves, are not too expensive, the smallest board costing $12.90 and the medium-level starter board having a retail cost of $23. The real cost is in robotics kits and other add-ons, which make the total cost end up in the over $100 range. Multiply that by the demand and the cost could become substantial. If that financial hurdle can be cleared through grants and donations though, I think that it would be worth it, as it would allow for patrons from various income levels to engage with and learn from this technology.

References

Graves, C. (2016, November 23). For the love of Arduino – Getting started. Create, Collaborate, Innovate. https://colleengraves.org/2016/11/23/for-the-love-of-arduino-getting-started/

Makerspace Team. (2013). Makerspace playbook. Maker Ed. https://makered.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Makerspace-Playbook-Feb-2013.pdf

O’Brien, B. (2019, November 4). The what and the why: Pair programming in education. Edison. https://meetedison.com/pair-programming-in-education/

Teja, R. (2021, April 5). What are the differences between Raspberry Pi and Arduino? Electronics Hub. https://www.electronicshub.org/raspberry-pi-vs-arduino/#Comparison_of_Raspberry_Pi_vs_Arduino