Mr. Michael Nordstrand
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) class will be a one semester class. In the class students will learn to build electronic circuits which will be controlled using a microcontroller. The microcontroller will be programmed by the students, using a programming language called Pbasic. A microcontroller is a simple computer of a type that can be found in many commonly used items, such as microwave’s, automobiles, dishwashers, washing machines, watches, the list is very long. Once the students become comfortable programming the microcontroller they will use their skills by building and programming an autonomous robot.
We will be using two different "textbooks" for the class. The first book we will use is actually a PDF file that is freely available from the company that makes the robot kit, a company called Parallax, this is the link to their home page:
www.parallax.com
The PDF file is titled "What's a Microcontroller"? We will use this book for the first quarter. When we advance to actually constructing the robot we will use the book entitled "Robotics with the Boe-Bot."
The robot kit contains everything necessary to build and program the robot, you need to provide a computer that has the windows operating system. All of the programming software and supporting instruction manuals is available as freeware.
There will only be limited mathematics in this class, mostly simple ratios. I will demonstrate all math skills that are required. Students will need to be comfortable using a computer. Students will learn to identify common electronic components. They will learn to read simple electronic circuits and how to build these circuits on a circuit prototype board.
Students will also learn to program their microcontroller using a simple, yet powerful programming language. Students are expected to be able to communicate via email and to share documents, using Google drive, with the instructor, and to be able to read documents I will share with them.
Most of the grading will be project based, there will not be many exams. Students will not have homework simply because they will not have the equipment at home to practice building any of the circuits. At home they can review the "What's a Microcontroller" PDF and they can read my shared class notes. On weekends I can make arrangements for students to borrow their lab equipment.
Grading policy:
As required by school policy 75% of your grade will be determined by your exams (summative assessment) , the remaining 25% of your grade will be determined by your homework. Simple assignments will be considered to be homework, whereas more complicated projects will be considered to be exams. I will discuss this with the students when it becomes relevant.
Grades.
I will use the school wide grading scale
87.5% - 89.49% B+ 67.5% - 69.49% D+
83.5% - 87.49% B 63.5% - 67.49% D
79.5% - 83.49% B- 59.5% - 63.49% D-
Although I only demonstrated with the “B” and “D” grades, the same breakdown will be used for the other grades, with one exception, there is no A+. If you receive a grade lower than 59.5% you will receive not pass the class.
If you find yourself falling behind, or not comprehending something as well as you feel you should, ask for help. I am available before, or after school and during 5th period.
General rules for all classes
1. Show respect to all members of the class.
2. When the tardy bell rings you must be in the classroom, not stepping through the door. I will give you one warning, after that you get detention. I will not discuss the point with you, if I say you are late, then you are late.
3. If you take the bathroom pass you must fill out the appropriate sections before you leave the room. The pass does not give you latitude to roam around the school, you can go to the bathroom and/or get a drink of water. If you violate this rule you may get detention. Only rarely should you need to use the bathroom pass, .
4. Do not talk when I am talking - it is rude and interferes with your classmates' ability to learn. Repeated violations of this rule will result in detention, or if I feel it is warranted you will be sent to the office.
5. When I give you time to work in class I expect you to actually work. This particularly important in this class because you will not be able to do any programming at home. When you are in my class you will work, not goof off. I will not allow you to sleep in class. You many not put your head on the desk or in your arms. I expect you to be paying attention, eyes open, head up right.
6. Do not leave your seats before the bell rings, and remember it is I who dismisses the class, not the bell. You will not line up by the door waiting for the bell to ring, instead you should remain seated in your assigned seat.
7. When you submit homework make sure you have:
a. Your first and last name on it. If you give me homework with only your first name you will be required to practice writing your full name 50 times, if you want me to accept that homework assignment. In your professional life you will use both names, so you might as well get used to it.
b. If the homework is several pages long make sure the pages are stapled together.
8. When I give you time to work in class you may quietly work with other members of the class, however the operative words are work quietly. If I feel that you are wasting your time, or getting loud, I will not allow you to work together. I will not argue this point with you.
9. If you miss class it is your responsibility to find out what assignments you missed. I will never accept an assignment after the chapter exam, so if you were absent it is your responsibility to make up the work as quickly as possible.
10. If you are absent the day before an exam (the review day) you will be expected to take the exam at the same time as everyone else. If you are absent on the day of the exam you will be expected to take the exam on the first day you return to class. I will make an exception to this if you were absent for more than two days.
11. I will not tolerate academic dishonesty. If you are caught cheating you will receive zero points on that quiz or exam. I will also require you to take all subsequent quizzes or exams in a closely monitored environment, since your honesty will now be questioned. If I think you were cheating I reserve the right to have you take another similar exam in a monitored environment, if the scores are vastly different, then you were probably cheating and will receive zero points.
General Study hints
I expect students to do the projects and read what they are assigned. I also encourage them to explore and to attempt to write programs above and beyond what I assign. They will learn more if they play with the programming language. Students must expect to make mistakes, because they will make them. There is nothing wrong with making a mistake; the only thing that is wrong is when you don't learn from them. Here is a quote that I like, “If you are not making mistakes then you are not working on difficult enough problems, and that is a mistake.” I don't remember the source of the quote.
This is the first semester that this class has been offered, and owing to that the class structure may be modified if I discover that what I am doing is not working as expected. Students will be advised on any changes prior to the changes being incorporated. Feedback for students will be solicited, and negative comments will not adversely affect student grades. This class will be a work in progress, at least for the first couple of semesters.
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) class will be a one semester class. In the class students will learn to build electronic circuits which will be controlled using a microcontroller. The microcontroller will be programmed by the students, using a programming language called Pbasic. A microcontroller is a simple computer of a type that can be found in many commonly used items, such as microwave’s, automobiles, dishwashers, washing machines, watches, the list is very long. Once the students become comfortable programming the microcontroller they will use their skills by building and programming an autonomous robot.
We will be using two different "textbooks" for the class. The first book we will use is actually a PDF file that is freely available from the company that makes the robot kit, a company called Parallax, this is the link to their home page:
www.parallax.com
The PDF file is titled "What's a Microcontroller"? We will use this book for the first quarter. When we advance to actually constructing the robot we will use the book entitled "Robotics with the Boe-Bot."
The robot kit contains everything necessary to build and program the robot, you need to provide a computer that has the windows operating system. All of the programming software and supporting instruction manuals is available as freeware.
There will only be limited mathematics in this class, mostly simple ratios. I will demonstrate all math skills that are required. Students will need to be comfortable using a computer. Students will learn to identify common electronic components. They will learn to read simple electronic circuits and how to build these circuits on a circuit prototype board.
Students will also learn to program their microcontroller using a simple, yet powerful programming language. Students are expected to be able to communicate via email and to share documents, using Google drive, with the instructor, and to be able to read documents I will share with them.
Most of the grading will be project based, there will not be many exams. Students will not have homework simply because they will not have the equipment at home to practice building any of the circuits. At home they can review the "What's a Microcontroller" PDF and they can read my shared class notes. On weekends I can make arrangements for students to borrow their lab equipment.
Grading policy:
As required by school policy 75% of your grade will be determined by your exams (summative assessment) , the remaining 25% of your grade will be determined by your homework. Simple assignments will be considered to be homework, whereas more complicated projects will be considered to be exams. I will discuss this with the students when it becomes relevant.
Grades.
I will use the school wide grading scale
87.5% - 89.49% B+ 67.5% - 69.49% D+
83.5% - 87.49% B 63.5% - 67.49% D
79.5% - 83.49% B- 59.5% - 63.49% D-
Although I only demonstrated with the “B” and “D” grades, the same breakdown will be used for the other grades, with one exception, there is no A+. If you receive a grade lower than 59.5% you will receive not pass the class.
If you find yourself falling behind, or not comprehending something as well as you feel you should, ask for help. I am available before, or after school and during 5th period.
General rules for all classes
1. Show respect to all members of the class.
2. When the tardy bell rings you must be in the classroom, not stepping through the door. I will give you one warning, after that you get detention. I will not discuss the point with you, if I say you are late, then you are late.
3. If you take the bathroom pass you must fill out the appropriate sections before you leave the room. The pass does not give you latitude to roam around the school, you can go to the bathroom and/or get a drink of water. If you violate this rule you may get detention. Only rarely should you need to use the bathroom pass, .
4. Do not talk when I am talking - it is rude and interferes with your classmates' ability to learn. Repeated violations of this rule will result in detention, or if I feel it is warranted you will be sent to the office.
5. When I give you time to work in class I expect you to actually work. This particularly important in this class because you will not be able to do any programming at home. When you are in my class you will work, not goof off. I will not allow you to sleep in class. You many not put your head on the desk or in your arms. I expect you to be paying attention, eyes open, head up right.
6. Do not leave your seats before the bell rings, and remember it is I who dismisses the class, not the bell. You will not line up by the door waiting for the bell to ring, instead you should remain seated in your assigned seat.
7. When you submit homework make sure you have:
a. Your first and last name on it. If you give me homework with only your first name you will be required to practice writing your full name 50 times, if you want me to accept that homework assignment. In your professional life you will use both names, so you might as well get used to it.
b. If the homework is several pages long make sure the pages are stapled together.
8. When I give you time to work in class you may quietly work with other members of the class, however the operative words are work quietly. If I feel that you are wasting your time, or getting loud, I will not allow you to work together. I will not argue this point with you.
9. If you miss class it is your responsibility to find out what assignments you missed. I will never accept an assignment after the chapter exam, so if you were absent it is your responsibility to make up the work as quickly as possible.
10. If you are absent the day before an exam (the review day) you will be expected to take the exam at the same time as everyone else. If you are absent on the day of the exam you will be expected to take the exam on the first day you return to class. I will make an exception to this if you were absent for more than two days.
11. I will not tolerate academic dishonesty. If you are caught cheating you will receive zero points on that quiz or exam. I will also require you to take all subsequent quizzes or exams in a closely monitored environment, since your honesty will now be questioned. If I think you were cheating I reserve the right to have you take another similar exam in a monitored environment, if the scores are vastly different, then you were probably cheating and will receive zero points.
General Study hints
I expect students to do the projects and read what they are assigned. I also encourage them to explore and to attempt to write programs above and beyond what I assign. They will learn more if they play with the programming language. Students must expect to make mistakes, because they will make them. There is nothing wrong with making a mistake; the only thing that is wrong is when you don't learn from them. Here is a quote that I like, “If you are not making mistakes then you are not working on difficult enough problems, and that is a mistake.” I don't remember the source of the quote.
This is the first semester that this class has been offered, and owing to that the class structure may be modified if I discover that what I am doing is not working as expected. Students will be advised on any changes prior to the changes being incorporated. Feedback for students will be solicited, and negative comments will not adversely affect student grades. This class will be a work in progress, at least for the first couple of semesters.