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Tinkering Fundamentals: Circuits

Approx. 6 hours to complete

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Course Summary

Learn the basics of circuit tinkering and prototyping with this hands-on course. Build your own simple circuits and learn how to troubleshoot common problems.

Key Learning Points

Create and analyze simple circuits using breadboards and basic components
Troubleshoot common circuit problems and learn proper safety procedures
Gain hands-on experience with circuit design and prototyping

Job Positions & Salaries of people who have taken this course might have

- USA: $40,000 - $70,000
- India: ₹200,000 - ₹500,000
- Spain: €18,000 - €35,000
- USA: $40,000 - $70,000
- India: ₹200,000 - ₹500,000
- Spain: €18,000 - €35,000
- USA: $65,000 - $120,000
- India: ₹400,000 - ₹1,000,000
- Spain: €25,000 - €50,000

Learning Outcomes

Create and analyze basic circuits using breadboards and basic components
Troubleshoot common circuit problems and follow proper safety procedures
Gain hands-on experience with circuit design and prototyping

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic knowledge of electricity and electronics
Access to basic electronic components and a breadboard

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Self-paced
Hands-on

Similar Courses

Electronics for Beginners
Introduction to Circuit Design

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Fran Blanche

Related Books

Description

The Tinkering Fundamentals course will offer educators and enthusiasts an opportunity to develop a practice of tinkering and making. We see tinkering as a serious endeavor—one that is generalizable across content and especially good at interweaving disciplines in a way that leads to complex projects and individualized learning opportunities. Tinkering has recently been introduced into the educational field as a potential driver of creativity, excitement, and innovation in science learning. It is seen by many as an effective means to engage in exploring STEM concepts, practices and phenomena. Tinkering typically blends the high and low tech tools of science along with a strong aesthetic dimension that supports children’s (and adults) self expression.

For over a decade, the Exploratorium has been developing science-rich tinkering activities for both children and adults. We see tinkering as a fun yet serious endeavor—spanning many disciplines and content areas and fostering connections between art, science, and technology. Learners follow their own path to understanding by investigating tools and materials and exploring questions that interest them. This opens up a wide range of possible answers rather than any “right” one, particularly for teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects in the classroom. This course centers on circuit-related activities, which offer a wealth of opportunities for thinking through making. In this course, we won’t just show you how we develop tinkering activities; we’ll also delve into why. We’ll focus on three important aspects: activity design around specific materials, facilitation strategies, and environmental organization. We’ll also share some guiding principles and learning indicators we’ve developed that can help you integrate tinkering into your elementary and middle-school science program. Whether you’re new to making or a seasoned tinkerer, we hope this course will help you take the next step! OUR APPROACH TO TEACHING This is a hands-on workshop, not a lecture-based class. Participation is essential! We want everyone to be making and tinkering together: trying things out, asking questions, sharing ideas, and reflecting together as a community. This is a wonderful chance to tinker and learn alongside people from all over the world and from all walks of life, so don’t be shy! PLEASE NOTE: Although this course will not have active instructor participation, we have put a great deal of effort towards creating a supportive space that encourages exploration. We’ll give you a few ways to get started; prompt you to share your own observations and experience as learners, designers and facilitators; and hopefully spark interesting conversations and discoveries along the way. While it’s not a requirement, we encourage you to take this class with a friend or colleague or meet with other people in your area: having support or doing activities with others will enhance your experience and help you stay engaged. REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS You will need several tools and materials to do weekly course activities. Pre-bundled materials are available from the Exploratorium store at www.artoftinkering.com. Please obtain all materials as soon as possible, well in advance of when you will need them in the course. Be sure to allow extra time for shipping and, if you are outside the U.S., for customs. In some cases, certain items may require assembly. Please refer to the Resources section to review this course’s activity guides.

Outline

Introduction to Tinkering
Welcome Video
Course Overview
Preview of Activities
Week Overview
Your turn
Course Overview
Course format
Credit Requirements

Initial Explorations
Seeing It In Action: Circuit Boards
Designing for Tinkerability: Circuit Boards
Inspiration: Shih Chieh (CJ) Huang
Making Circuit Boards
Classroom Connection: Circuit Boards
Pedagogical Perspective: Rob Semper
Week Overview: Initial Explorations with Tinkering
Your Turn

Learning Dimensions
Seeing It in Action: Scribbling Machines
Designing for Tinkerability: Scribbling Machines
Inspiration: Evil Mad Scientist
Making Scribbling Machines
Classroom Connection: Scribbling Machines
Pedagogical Perspective: Edith Ackermann
Week Overview: Identifying Dimensions of Learning
Your Turn

Tinkering Tenets and Personal Expression
Welcome to the Mid-Point of the Course
Sewn Circuits
Paper Circuits
Inspiration: Jie Qi
Pedagogical Perspective: Mike Eisenberg
Classroom Connection
Week Overview: Personal Expression Through Tinkering
Your Turn

Coding, Computation and Facilitation Strategies
Inspiration: Eric Rosenbaum
MaKey MaKey
Toy Take-Apart
Pedagogical Perspective: Gever Tulley
Pedagogical Perspective: Mitch Resnick
Week Overview: Computation, Deconstruction, and Facilitation
Your Turn

Putting It All Together
Pedagogical Meta Perspectives
Classroom Connection
Wrap Up of the Course
Pedagogical Perspectives
Week Overview: Putting It All Together
Your Turn

Summary of User Reviews

Learn about tinkering circuits on Coursera. Users have praised this course for its engaging content and interactive approach to learning. Pros include clear and concise explanations, interesting projects, and helpful feedback. Cons include technical difficulties with the online platform, lack of depth in certain topics, and limited opportunities for peer interaction.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

Many users have praised the course's engaging content and interactive approach to learning.

Pros from User Reviews

Clear and concise explanations
Interesting projects
Helpful feedback

Cons from User Reviews

Technical difficulties with the online platform
Lack of depth in certain topics
Limited opportunities for peer interaction

Recommended for you

Tinkering Fundamentals: Circuits

The Tinkering Fundamentals course will offer educators and enthusiasts an opportunity to develop a practice of tinkering and making. OUR APPROACH TO TEACHING...

Save Course