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Substantive Post (Challenge B #1)

bashar
1 Comment
Introduction to Arduino.

Arduino

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform composed of hardware and software. The hardware is composed of four main components: Input devices (microphone, light sensor, camera), output devices (speaker, LED light, motor), Arduino board (microcontroller), and connectors (wires). The Arduino software functions as an app to program the ‘brain’ of the Arduino board to execute a script that controls what the Arduino board does with the inputs and outputs.

The Video above exposes the learner to the basics of working with Arduino, doing so in an easy-to-understand manner and acting as a great introductory video on the topic. In the context of multimedia learning theories, the video excels at reducing the learner’s extraneous and intrinsic loads. More particularly, the video stays on topic and focuses on how a system using Arduino works. The speaker uses simple language, accompanied by imagery and diagrams to further explain the topic.

Additionally, the speaker reduces the learner’s intrinsic load by segmenting the information provided. For example, the video starts with the hardware, and explains how some inputs can interact with the system. Then, the speaker moves on to the outputs, explaining how they work. They move on to the Arduino board, which controls how inputs and outputs interact through wires. An example mentioned in the video was a light sensor (input) that detects brightness. When it senses low brightness, it sends a signal to the Arduino board through wires, and the Arduino board responds by increasing the brightness of the LED light. Overall, the video is very informative and enjoyable to watch.

References

What is Arduino. (2018). Arduino. https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction

One Comment

  1. Hi Bashar! It was fascinating reading your blog post. I’ve never heard of Arduino before. I thought you did a great job with talking about the hardware components and breaking it down, then showing how they all work together. I think that concrete scenario really supports your point about reducing intrinsic load because it simplifies a really abstract system. I thought that when you connected segmentation and reducing extraneous load was strong because the information was broken into smaller and logically ordered segments. However, I worry that the post only highlights the benefits of Arduino and doesn’t consider or mention some potential challenges learners might face. For example, are there situations where the hardware setup might become overwhelming for beginners even with the segmentation in the video? I think adding a bit of warning or note about this could make your post even more applicable and informative.

    Overall, I think your post was very well-organized and demonstrated a clear connection between the video and the multimedia learning principles we learned!

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