Middle Schoolers Get a Peek Inside Technology

Middle schoolers get a peek inside technology

PUBLISHED DEC 4, 2013 AT 1:28 PM (UPDATED DEC 4, 2013)

This article was written for their school newspaper, the HMS Press which is advised by Joseph Bolen. It was authored by Halsted Middle School seventh graders Madison Leonardo, Lauren Ehrenberg and Bryan Tekley

Have you ever wanted to know how your phone works? Do you ever wonder how your computer works or how a TV works?

Well, with SparkFun you learn how all electronics can work.

We can learn by developing with an experiment, or build something as small as a electronic microcontroller. Designing something as big as a 3D MakerBot printer is what we learned from SparkFun!

In SparkFun you learn the value of computer coding, and programming arduino. Arduino or “Rdweeno” is an Italian made electronic micro controller.

SparkFun helps us learn about technology by them showing us cutting edge high tech inventor kits. What the students did at that SparkFun session was to build our own prototype electric circuit.

“SparkFun is so interesting because we can learn how to control a machine such as a 3D Printer,” according to Mr. Hofmann.

How did we get SparkFun to come to Halsted Middle School? That's what you're probably thinking in your head.

Well the varsity robotics team at Newton High School were using some of their parts, and Mr. Hofmann went on their website, and contacted them.

He found out that we could be a tour stop on the SparkFun National tour. Once-business owner, inventor, and scientist Mr. Alex Cable learned about the opportunity. Our local high tech partner, Thorlabs, then sponsored Halsted Middle school for $2,500 so Mr. Hofmann could get SparkFun to come to Halsted to teach the sixth through eighth graders. They also left us with the 20 inventor kits that SparkFun had sent to the school.

The SparkFun crew of three headed up by Mr. Jeffrey Branson, drove all the way from Colorado in a motor home and they continue to drive all around the United States to teach students like us.

SparkFun teaches students from college to elementary school!

“Its so cool that we get to learn how to make computers, TVs, iPhone circuits and more!” We hear it coming from all the students.

Seeing everyone's faces when they were learning from SparkFun was priceless, they didn't know what to expect.

Walking into technology that day I thought it was going to be so boring, but when we started working it was so much fun!