STEAMLabs, a non-profit community makerspace from Ontario, Canada, has launched an Internet of Things (IoT) teaching kit to help students and teachers navigate the world of connected devices, 3D printing and software development. The teaching kit was officially launched recently at the Toronto International Film Festival, ‘digiPlaySpace’ by a team of grade six students who used the material to construct models of Ontario’s power system.
The IoT teaching kit was designed to help non-experts learn to teach fundamental principles of engineering and computer science in fun and engaging ways. The team of students who presented the power model used 3D printing, Spark Core microcontrollers, LEDs and other electronics to build it, said a press release. They developed software programs with Arduino coding, HTML, CSS and Javascript and used real time data to demonstrate Ontario’s mix of power generation technologies and model the challenges facing the power system.
According to research by the ‘.CA Community Investment Program’ and Ipsos Reid, 82 percent of Canadians agreed that young people should graduate from high school with basic skills to help them succeed in the digital economy, such as computer coding skills. The team at STEAMLabs directly supports this goal.
Through the Community Investment Program, .CA funds projects that demonstrate the capacity to improve the Internet for all Canadians. The .CA team manages Canada’s country code top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. A member-driven organisation, .CA represents the interests of Canada’s Internet community internationally.
STEAMLabs is for children, as well as adults, and serves as an entry point into the world of high tech making by providing them with the digital fabrication tools and skill training. Participants can join a workshop, class or summer camp on Arduino Robotics, 3D printing, video game programming, among others.
STEAMLabs will now be holding a free training session on June 5 for educators wishing to learn how to use the teaching kit.
Image Credit: STEAMLabs
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