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Curriculum Planning
According to social scientist and researcher Brenè Brown (2012), vulnerability is defined as emotional risk, exposure and uncertainty. Where vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage, and it is the act of letting ourselves be seen or to be honest. Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change since you allow yourself to step forward and confront your inner self and transcend beyond what is considered ‘safe’. (Brown, 2012) My experimentation with learning about and using the Raspberry Pi (Rpi) has definitely been a learning curve, which had me feeling very vulnerable to begin with. It was something that I would not have chosen to take part in, since I haven’t had positive experiences with programming, hardware vs. software computer skills and digital making. I definitely took a risk to dig a bit deeper into and understand the inner workings of digital making without a strong background. However, by simply jumping in, I’m intrigued and want to learn more, as I see such potential in implementing digital making into the classroom. Over the course of three and a half weeks I bought my Raspberry Pi, learned about it’s uses, learned how to program with Scratch, learned how to program with Python, and started to do small projects using the GPIO header on the Raspberry Pi. I faced everything from frustration, joy, confusion to the feeling of success and satisfaction. There were a few realizations, that I would like to point out that at the end made a lot of sense to me. Particularly after going through some struggle and then figuring things out. #1 The Simplicity of the Raspberry Pi It’s pretty neat to get up close and personal with the device. Simply attach your monitor with an HDMI cable, a power source and you’re set to go. I see how this would be beneficial to support the use of this device in developing countries. However, I have to admit, I’m so used to having a portable device and with touch features, that it was a slight adjustment. I planned on attaching a small LCD touch screen, but was not able to connect it, as I would have liked too. It was taking too long for me to figure out how to attach and configure it to my Rpi. I thought it would be better to come back to it after a break and with a clearer mind. #2 The Digital Maker Continuum That’s right, there is a continuum that one goes through in order to become a ‘digital maker’. Starting off as a Creator, becoming a Builder, then a Developer, and finally a Maker. (Raspberry Pi Foundation, 2019) Each stage builds on skills and knowledge. The last time I did any kind of coding was in high school, and I stopped there which also stopped my progression into becoming a ‘Maker’. However, just through both personal and professional experiences the creator and builder was always in me. It was just a matter of time, practice and additional efforts to make the jump into becoming a developer and maker. For more information visit the Raspberry Pi Foundation. #3 Scratch is much more Visual than Python!As I tried out the different platforms for coding, I found that Scratch was much easier to learn, due to its visual nature. Python, on the other hand, was a challenge, but doable. I felt a bit nostalgic with Python, since it reminded me of Turtle, from the mid-1980s. I could see how Scratch would be a good scaffolding program to introducing and practicing simple to complex coding. In addition to this, it may be a bit more accessible to students with learning difficulties, due to the colour coding and visual coding shapes. With Python you are actually using specific language to code, which would require some instruction, time to learn and practice. However the challenges may have seemed, through trial and error and some direction from online projects - I was able to create a few pieces of evidence as shown in the images and videos below.
Through my feeling of vulnerability, I come out realizing the potential of what could be done with the Rpi. Is it for everyone? No. However, it could be used to promote computer science as a multidisciplinary tool “especially at a school level, and to put the fun back into learning computing” (Raspberry Pi Foundation, 2019). Most importantly, I feel, it is also essential to reference the 'Digital Maker' continuum. There is a process and educators should consider this while planning and integrating aspects of maker education into the curriculum. References:
Brown, B. (2012). Listening to Shame. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame/up-next Raspberry Pi Foundation. (2017, January 23). The Raspberry Pi Foundation's Digital Making Curriculum. Retrieved from https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/digital-making-curriculum/
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