Arduino is an open-source hardware and software company, project and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control objects in the physical and digital world.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino

The Arduino microcontroller kits present a fantastic opportunity for students to dig into problem-solving in a real life way that gives them hands on programming experience and allows them to apply the academic skills they have developed in school to a real project. The students will benefit from the exposure to problem solving and programming which will prepare them for potential post-secondary opportunities and careers in Computer Sciences, Engineering and Technology.  The process of building and programming an Arduino project to complete a task integrates many capacities of student thinking without the student being distinctly aware of the learning.  This CoLab project brings together students of different ages, within different parts of our community, through exploration with Arduino microcontroller kits.  This project offers an opportunity where students are connected at the elementary, middle and secondary levels through an engaging and content rich curriculum.

This project proposes to purchase 20 Arduino microcontroller kits and to fund teacher releases for one half-day to refresh and plan curricular objectives.  The overarching objective for this project is to build opportunity for students to plan, code and build with Arduino microcontroller kits, and to develop leadership through supporting another class with the tool.  This will also allow students to peek into courses that will be offered at the high school in their Family of Schools, and to connect with potential careers in Computer Science, and the programs at TRU that can offer appropriate learning and preparation.