Makey:Lab gets young people into programming
Make: magazin is presenting an innovative experiment kit called Makey:Lab at the Maker Faire in Hanover. Developed in collaboration with the IoT workshop at the Birkenfeld Environmental Campus of Trier University of Applied Sciences, the project aims to excite young people, starting at age 14, about programming, natural sciences and project thinking. At the same time, it should convey a sense of digitalization and environmental awareness.
“With the Makey:Lab we want to build our own sustainable system, which we will accompany with various special issues. Depending on the topic, the Makey:Lab can grow to include new functions,” explains Daniel Bachfeld, editor-in-chief of the Make: magazin. The heart of the kit is a microcontroller board which is programmed graphically in a similar way to the Calliope single-board computer. Two environmental sensors make the measurement of various environmental data such as temperature, humidity, air pressure and air quality possible.
At Maker Faire Hannover, the Make editorial team will distribute 700 blank boards in the shape of the mascot Makey, completely free of charge. “Makey is very popular in the maker scene and creates a cooler look for the board,” emphasizes Bachfeld. A QR code on the board leads to a landing page with further information about the hardware, software, magazines and release dates. The project aims to demonstrate practical applications from everyday life. “We want to excite young people about digital technology and show its usability. For example, the use for a better perception of our environment,” explains Bachfeld. “These can be very
practical things from everyday life. This way, the CO2 content in the air can be made visible, and you can also find out whether or not there is alcohol in your beer or you can visualize the chemical compound while baking bread.”
The collaboration with the Birkenfeld environmental campus of Trier University of Applied Sciences, which is considered Germany’s greenest university location and is among the top 3 in the global green-metric sustainability ranking, underlines the focus on environmental aspects. The campus will also be represented at the Maker Faire and is going to present its IoT2 workshop and the makerspace INNODIG. The Makey:Lab project innovatively combines the teaching of technical skills with environmental awareness. It enables young people to immerse themselves in the world of programming and environmental technology without extensive prior knowledge.
Thanks to the playful approach and the possibility of continuously expanding the system, Makey:Lab offers a promising platform for long-term learning and experimentation in the field of digital environmental technology.
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