Every middle and high school in Canada should be teaching Arduino.
Kits like the Starter Kit and Rover V2 have everything needed to inspire and push a new wave of talent towards post secondary programs such as ITC (programming) and EET (electronics).
Time to drop those boring C++, VB, and Java courses (in middle & high school)
Just saying 
I’ve been teaching C/C++ at a post secondary level since 1989, so I’m somewhat of a fan of it being a first language. But its (deserved) reputation has caused much fear.
If you know C++, any other new language tends to be “just like C++”.
I propose that Arduino be the platform to teach “intro programming”. SShhhh… don’t tell them it’s C++… it scares people.
Adding numbers, button click events, database connectivity etc. is not exciting anymore. (some never thought it was)
Servos, blinking lights, Rovers that are “thinking”… now that’s good Return on Investment on laborious hours of programming.
Arduino can invigorate the ITC and EET fields in much the way the “toy PCs” spawned a new society in the late 70s and 80s.
Get those inspired new programmers/electronic hackers to us in post-secondary… we’ll take it from there.
Absolutely.
I taught an “Intro to Microprocessors” course to a group of EET students in the fall… for most it was the first time they had written any code, using the Arduino Starter Kit. Very positive experience. It replaced an ancient Assembler curriculum, so it wasn’t much competition
As part of the course, they had a complete month to do an independent project. I suggested they Google “Top Arduino Projects” for inspiration. What an incredible array of projects they delivered even with their rudimentary programming skills.
This platform has so many possibilities, I want to get the message to middle and high schools that they should have their Tech teachers checking it out.
And RobotShop has excellent customer service BTW. I’ve had things arrive before I thought the order had even gone out. If you’ve noticed a slight spike in products to NB, that’s me pushing Arduino curriculum in two programs.
Kudos.
Would you have “ideal” hardware you think would be perfect for this level?
We tend to agree that programming is certainly an important skill to have. However, it’s important to note that C is the basis of Arduino, though that can indeed be learned afterward.
Being able to see how code can make something physical happen would really raise interest, and it does not necessarily need to be robotic - you can make interactive clothing, presentations and more.
The Arduino Starter Kit you carry is absolutely perfect for middle and high school… it is literally a complete “course in a box” that can easily be managed by any Tech teacher. Plus the resources online are endless, as you know.
At the college, we quickly outgrew the UNO’s capabilities, and our fully equipped labs have most of the bit&bobs that come with the kit. Most of the students ordered Megas for their projects for the added memory & ports.
I’d love to see the RobotShop put together or carry a kit like the SainSmart Mega 2560 R3 Practice Starter Kit … I think it has more to offer college level.
We have a small “Intro to Robotics” course where we used Arduino Sumovores for the first time, from another platform formerly used. It allows the 1st year students to accomplish something with a limited skillset, while having an exciting competition based outcome.
We also have a couple complete Arducopter 3DR Y6’s on the way from another supplier. We would have been more than happy to order from you if you had carried them.
Our Arduino strategy is in its infancy, but the students are quite excited about this new direction.
