Happy Holidays to all of our loyal readers. We’re looking forward to another great year of sharing learning resources with you. Enjoy these past posts for ideas on extending the fun from holiday gifts, especially if those gifts include LEGO or Apple devices. LEGO Creator – Creative Building Ideas Using Existing Bricks Musical Instruments on [...]
Archive for the ‘Electronics’ Category
Guest Post-Making a Lemon Battery
Posted by ginac on December 20th, 2011
There has been growing criticism that K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in the United States is insufficiently preparing students for college and the workforce. Teachers interested in revamping their curriculum with live demonstrations of scientific phenomena may wish to consider demonstrating basic principles of physics and chemistry by making a lemon battery [...]
DIY Makers Bring Neuroscience Research to Everyone
Posted by ginac on December 2nd, 2011
Enterprising engineers and graduate students are creating low-cost devices and methods for conducting basic neuroscience research. Using iPads, apps, blue LEDs, and other off-the-shelf items from Radio Shack, products like Backyard Brains are cropping up to support the DIY biology hacking movement. Building affordable scientific instruments is perhaps the biggest hurdle to accessible research in [...]
Posted in Biology, Chemistry, Electronics, Make, Science, technology 
Tags: backyard brains, Biology, DANA Foundation, DIY, hacking, Makers, Neuroscience 
Comments OffHandy iPod touch Hack for the Electronics Geek
Posted by ginac on December 1st, 2011
This over-the-top hack for the iPod touch is both fun and useful. The iPod touch is a handy device for checking email, listening to music, and managing your calendar, but it is a handy reference device. In fact, by attaching a mini microscope and downloading the free Resistor Color-Code app, the iPod touch becomes a really geeky [...]
Posted in Electronics, technology Tags: Electronics, Hack, hacks, IPod Touch, mini microscope, resistor color-code app, resistors Comments OffCool Projects and Resources for Budding Electronics Hackers
Posted by ginac on November 29th, 2011
Hacking with electronics is an important part of the maker culture. With the open source Arduino prototyping platform, young people are creating increasingly sophisticated and interesting “hacks” that deal with cameras, computers, and more. What better way to learn about design, engineering, and technology than through electronics! As fans of both the maker culture and electronics, [...]
Posted in Design, Electronics, technology Tags: Adafruit, Altoids tins, Arduino, binary, Breadboarding, Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, make, resistor color codes Comments OffApple Products Top Kids’ Wish Lists
Posted by ginac on November 21st, 2011
Anecdotally, it is obvious that Apple products are kid-magnets. Children find the devices simple to use, easy to hold, and powerful extensions of their imaginations. With so many cool apps to draw, read, listen, interact, and play, the devices are replacing toys atop children’s’ wish lists. In addition to the apps, the devices themselves are [...]
Posted in Electronics, Learning Methods, News, technology Tags: Apple, iPad, iPhone, IPod Touch Comments OffUnschooling and the Maker Culture
Posted by ginac on November 10th, 2011
Unschoolers are radical mavericks who approach learning 180 degrees in the opposite direction from traditional education. Unschoolers learn in an unstructured environment almost completely devoid of teachers, separate subjects, grades, tests, or quizzes. Instead, unschoolers hack together their learning palette from many sources to create a truly personal learning experience. Unschoolers are active learners who [...]
Posted in Crowdsource, Eclectic Homeschooling, Economics, Electronics, Interdisciplinary, Learning Methods, Make, News, social change Tags: DIY, Hack, make, maker, Maker culture, Open source, Tim O'Reilly, UnCollege, Unschooling Comments OffSteve Jobs – Living Outside the Box
Posted by ginac on August 25th, 2011
Although it is very sad that the iconic Apple founder and leader has had to step down to focus on his health, it is inspiring to see such courage and grace in the face of incredible personal adversity. As most are aware, Steve Jobs has battled pancreatic cancer since 2004.It is likely that his health [...]
Posted in Culture, Design, Electronics, Music, STEAM, technology Tags: Apple, Arts, Humanities, iPad, IPod, NeXT, OSX, Pixar, STEAM, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee Comments OffHow to Turn Your iPod Touch into a Microscope
Posted by ginac on August 23rd, 2011
4th Generation iPod touch devices are amazing. The latest version of the iPod touch comes standard with a built in microphone, digital camera and a video camera. If the camera and video camera weren’t cool enough by themselves, just attach an inexpensive mini microsope to create a portable, inexpensive scientific exploration tool any young learner [...]
Posted in Eclectic Homeschooling, Electronics, Make, Science, technology Tags: Apple, Biology, Hack, How-to, IPod Touch, ipod touch microscope, make, microscope, mini microscope, Science Comments OffRadio Shack’s The Great Create
Posted by ginac on August 17th, 2011
Radio Shack’s back in the do-it-yourself (DIY), maker business! For the average family, Radio Shack has always been the obvious place to buy specialized electric components for a DIY project. Now, the Radio Shack website, The Great Create, provides quality video demonstrations and instructions on creating some very nice DIY projects. Although a bit light [...]
Posted in Activities, Electronics, Make, technology Tags: DIY, Electronics, make, Radio Shack, Robotics Comments Off
