An Introduction to Arduino Coding: Using LEDs to a Make Traffic Light

Have you ever wanted to make a traffic light?   

You will be introduced to a microcontroller, called an Arduino, and learn some basic coding skills to turn on and off LEDs.  By the end of this class, you will have the knowledge to build and write Arduino code to control your own LED traffic light. You will learn the basics of circuit building using solderless breadboards and how to write code that will control the LEDs. This class will build the foundation needed for future Arduino classes. 

We will explore the general format of an Arduino program, called a "sketch" and learn the difference between void setup and void loop.  They will also learn a few simple Arduino coding commands, such as  "pinMode," "digitalWrite," and "delay" so that you will be able to turn on and off the built-in LED.   In this class, we will modify a simple sketch, called "Blink," in several ways in order to control the blinking frequency LED.  

Students do not need to have any prior knowledge about the Arduino or have any previous coding skills.  The class will be taught through an internet-based  Arduino simulation program, called TinkerCad, which will be screen-shared with the students.  Students may work along with me using their own Arduino, if they have them, or on TinkerCad.  

IMPORTANT:  If you are using an actual Arduino, you will need to have access to a computer and not just a chromebook or tablet because the Arduino IDE does NOT work on those devices.

Students will participate in the lesson by sharing their observations, predicting what will happen when the blink sketch is changed, and suggesting ways to modify the sketch to get to the desired outcome. After several guided examples, students will be challenged to alter the code to satisfy certain specifications.