10/12/2021

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC[1]) is helping high school computer
science students become makers by providing a grant to purchase Raspberry Pi
computers and Arduino microcontrollers. California High School computer science
AP teacher Sean Raser said he believes that a hands-on approach is the most
effective way for students to learn and retain knowledge. The class would aim
to accomplish this through encouraging students to invent their own systems
using the Raspberry Pis and Arduinos. By combining these devices with sensors,
motors, other electronics, and computer code, students would have the
opportunity to learn complex technical concepts first hand.

Raser's challenge has been acquiring enough hardware for all students in his
class. With limited resources, his program has been limited to a small number
of students, however.

A $9,950 ARDC grant hopes to change that by allowing Raser to give all of his
students the opportunity to participate. The funds will allow him to provide
students with Raspberry Pi and micro:bit computers, Arduinos, and the other
components.

Raser plans to transform part of his classroom into a makerspace that is
accessible to all students at California High School, located in San Ramon.

"The results have been extraordinary. The students' creativity and passion for
learning truly thrive as a result of being able to bring their own ideas to
life," Raser said. One student, for example, is using a Raspberry Pi Zero and a
variety of sensors to record flight data during a model rocket launch. Another
has built an automated attendance taker using a Raspberry Pi and RFID sensors.
Raser's hope is that these experiences will nudge these students into careers
as engineers and scientists.

ARDC is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and internet
technology. In 2019, ARDC announced the sale of some 4 million consecutive
unused AMPRNet[2] internet addresses, with the proceeds to establish a program
of grants and scholarships in support of communications and networking research
with a strong emphasis on amateur radio. ARDC, which manages AMPRNet, said it
planned to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and
scholarships that have significant potential to advance the state of the art of
amateur radio and of digital communications. 

[1] https://www.ampr.org/grants/
[2] http://www.ampr.org/amprnet/

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