1. Week 01

This week I worked on programming with arduino.

Changing intensity of light

I used a development board — Arduino UNO — and focused on just one part of the assignment. I decided to start a project about light intensity. My idea is to connect the changes in light intensity with movement used in traditional art-making. For example, in drawing, we control line thickness and tone through pencil pressure. I want to explore how this concept can be translated into a digital interaction using light.

I experimented with programming light intensity on the Arduino UNO and will continue developing this idea. In the next step, I plan to add sensors, like a pressure sensor or a light sensor, to link physical input (like pressing or moving) with light behavior. Later, I might include actuators to create more interactive responses — such as dimming, fading, or pulsing lights that respond to the artist’s hand.

VideoLink

Code example

 /* 
  AnalogReadSerial Reads an analog input on pin 0, prints the result to the Serial Monitor.
  Graphical representation is available using Serial Plotter (Tools > Serial Plotter menu).
  Attach the center pin of a potentiometer to pin A0, and the outside pins to +5V and ground.
  This example code is in the public domain.
  https://www.arduino.cc/en/TutorialBuiltInExamples/AnalogReadSerial 
*/

/* Fade two LEDs in three brightness grades: Low, Medium, High */

// Pin Definitions
const int LED1 = 9;  // First LED connected to pin 9 (PWM pin)
const int LED2 = 10; // Second LED connected to pin 10 (PWM pin)

void setup() {
  // Set the LED pins as outputs:
  pinMode(LED1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(LED2, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  // Fade both LEDs in three stages of brightness
  // Low Brightness (0-85)
  for (int brightness = 0; brightness <= 85; brightness++) {
    analogWrite(LED1, brightness);  // Set LED1 brightness
    analogWrite(LED2, brightness);  // Set LED2 brightness
    delay(10);                      // Wait for smooth fading
  }

  // Medium Brightness (86-170)
  for (int brightness = 86; brightness <= 170; brightness++) {
    analogWrite(LED1, brightness);
    analogWrite(LED2, brightness);
    delay(10);
  }

  // High Brightness (171-255)
  for (int brightness = 171; brightness <= 255; brightness++) {
    analogWrite(LED1, brightness);
    analogWrite(LED2, brightness);
    delay(10);
  }

  // Fade back down to 0 brightness
  // High to Medium
  for (int brightness = 255; brightness >= 170; brightness--) {
    analogWrite(LED1, brightness);
    analogWrite(LED2, brightness);
    delay(10);
  }

  // Medium to Low
  for (int brightness = 170; brightness >= 85; brightness--) {
    analogWrite(LED1, brightness);
    analogWrite(LED2, brightness);
    delay(10);
  }

  // Low to 0
  for (int brightness = 85; brightness >= 0; brightness--) {
    analogWrite(LED1, brightness);
    analogWrite(LED2, brightness);
    delay(10);
  }
}

Gallery

Reflection questions

Do you bring several disciplines together in your teaching? Do you collaborate across subjects? What are the opportunities and challenges?

I bring several disciplines together in my teaching. I have conversations with teachers from other subjects — for example, with the IT teacher, we discuss how to connect programming tasks with digital art. I have also talked with the physics teacher about the relationship between light and color. Conversations with literature and language teachers focus on combining poetry or literature with art, such as making theatrical decorations, illustrations, or creating shadow theatre performances.

Art and design are naturally connected with geometry as well, and I collaborate with other teachers around these ideas. I feel that knowledge is not something discrete; there is a connection across all disciplines. In teaching, we should think about three aspects: emotional, intellectual, and experiential learning. The challenge is to combine disciplines in a way that they are not seen as separate areas, but as interconnected parts of the learning process. T This kind of teaching also needs more time. Teachers might have difficulties organizing their curriculum and adjusting it to the projects. We should also think about how we grade students in this system.

How do you envision a makerspace in your school? If one exists, how would you improve it?

We already have two makerspaces, called labs. However, I think we should make them more comfortable and better organized — especially in terms of storage and working spaces. Currently, different grades work with different materials and techniques in the same makerspaces, but the needs of lower graders are not the same as those of higher classes. Organizing the spaces to fit these different needs would make them more effective and enjoyable for everyone.

Are you applying computational thinking in your teaching? How? How could it help you?

I would like to use computational thinking more actively. Different students have different strengths — some are very good at math but feel that art is “not for them.” Introducing computational thinking into art activities would help these students feel more confident and engaged. It could also support the development of synesthetic skills, like “seeing” sound, making connections between senses, and bridging the “left” and “right” sides of the brain. Computational thinking would allow students to better understand patterns, sequences, and logical structures within artistic processes, making art more accessible and meaningful for a wider range of learners.