Skip to content

Week 1

For this project, I used an Adafruit board to create a noise-activated lamp. The objective was to design a system where the lamp would turn on and off in response like a clapper. The project combined the use of the lamp we had previously built but programmed it again with MakeCode.

Objectives

  • Students will learn how sound sensors can detect noise levels (such as clapping) and trigger actions.
  • Students will combine coding (MakeCode) and digital fabrication (laser-cut lamp) into a functional project.
  • Students will apply basic conditional programming (if/then statements) to control the lamp based on sound input.
  • Students will test, troubleshoot, and refine their projects to improve reliability and responsiveness.

Materials

  • Adafruit board (like Adafruit Circuit Playground Express)
  • Alligator clips (if necessary to connect to LED lights)
  • A lamp or light shade connected to the Adafruit board (to make a lamp please reference my previous project in Module 3-3)

Process

  1. Open MakeCode for the Adafruit board and code the lamp to respond to a noise threshold, such as turning on when a clap is detected and turning off with another clap.

  2. Program the logic by inputting the sound level to control when the lamp turns on or off by using a simple conditional statement to turn the light on if the sound level exceeds a certain threshold.

  3. Connect the alligator clips to the corresponding pins that were referenced in your block coding if required to connect to to LED lights.

Did you bring several disciplines together in your own teaching? Do you collaborate with teachers in other disciplines? What are the opportunities and challenges.

I focus primarily on digital fabrication and technology. While I don’t currently collaborate with teachers from other disciplines, I am discussing a potential partnership with MAST Academy, which is renowned for STEM education. This could create opportunities for interdisciplinary projects in the future.

How do you envision a makerspace in your school? How does it look like? If you have one already, how would you modify it.

My ideal makerspace is a hands-on, student-driven environment with 3D printers, laser cutters, microcontrollers, and robotics kits. I would enhance my current space by adding more structured workstations for electronics and coding projects which is my not one of my strong suits.

After the definiton of computational thinking? Are you somehow using computational thinking in your teaching? How? Do you think you can take advantage of computational thinking? How?

Yes, I use computational thinking in activities like coding, 3D modeling, and problem-solving challenges. I encourage students to break down projects into smaller steps, debug their designs, and optimize their solutions.

sample photo sample photo sample photo