The first time I heard of the Arduino, I was uninterested and didn't really care enough to know about it. But when I got my hands on my first kit, I started playing with it and soon I realized that it was probably the best thing that I had come across. Not only does the Arduino make life a lot easier by using basic C commands, but the IDE is also user friendly. Also, the vast ocean of knowledge that is the internet which allows you to google for the strangest issues related to the Arduino and come up with a halfway decent solution to the issue.
Since I now consider myself a half way 'geek', I decided that I would volunteer with this years Arduino Day celebrations held at the National Design Centre and inspire people to use the Arduino in a way that would change their lives, the way it helped me. The first thing that struck me was how beautiful the location itself was- the NDC is an ancient building which has been renovated to accommodate makers and hackers alike and of course, designers. The Arduino day celebrations were held at two different levels, with the workshops (beginner and masterclass) being held concurrently on the lower floor whilst the showcase was on the higher level.
One thing I discovered from looking at the showcases was that people are insanely creative. There were various amazing things which had been made with multitude of Arduino products ranging from the Arduino Uno to the Lilypad to the Arduino Nano. There was even a booth where every product had integration of conductive fabric in it which allowed you to control things such as music at the tips of your finger (literally!). There was an awesome project: the monocopter which although being frightening, was quite the attraction and was a piece of work in itself. There were also people selling Arduinos to the enthusiasts.
The workshops was where most of the action I experienced took place. There were several sessions and for the beginner class, the participants were suggested to try their hands at self learning and clarify any issues with us (the volunteers). I greatly appreciated the enthusiasm all the participants showed, they were all very engaged with the learning process and had no qualms about asking question. What was even better was that majority of these participants were not young children, instead they were working adults or secondary school students who wanted to explore the world of easy programming and hardware control. I enjoyed the fact that they were willing to learn and asked questions even though they thought they were stupid. Sharing the knowledge I had and troubleshooting on occasion was quite thrilling for me as a volunteer and I was so engrossed in the whole process I hardly noticed the time pass by. What felt the most fulfilling for me was able to share my fondness for the Arduino with people who were enthusiastic and having a group of volunteers who enjoyed it just as much as me :D
Here's to all the participants at Arduino Day 2014- Singapore! It was a blast and hopefully we see more creative projects based off the Arduino <3
Since I now consider myself a half way 'geek', I decided that I would volunteer with this years Arduino Day celebrations held at the National Design Centre and inspire people to use the Arduino in a way that would change their lives, the way it helped me. The first thing that struck me was how beautiful the location itself was- the NDC is an ancient building which has been renovated to accommodate makers and hackers alike and of course, designers. The Arduino day celebrations were held at two different levels, with the workshops (beginner and masterclass) being held concurrently on the lower floor whilst the showcase was on the higher level.
One thing I discovered from looking at the showcases was that people are insanely creative. There were various amazing things which had been made with multitude of Arduino products ranging from the Arduino Uno to the Lilypad to the Arduino Nano. There was even a booth where every product had integration of conductive fabric in it which allowed you to control things such as music at the tips of your finger (literally!). There was an awesome project: the monocopter which although being frightening, was quite the attraction and was a piece of work in itself. There were also people selling Arduinos to the enthusiasts.
The workshops was where most of the action I experienced took place. There were several sessions and for the beginner class, the participants were suggested to try their hands at self learning and clarify any issues with us (the volunteers). I greatly appreciated the enthusiasm all the participants showed, they were all very engaged with the learning process and had no qualms about asking question. What was even better was that majority of these participants were not young children, instead they were working adults or secondary school students who wanted to explore the world of easy programming and hardware control. I enjoyed the fact that they were willing to learn and asked questions even though they thought they were stupid. Sharing the knowledge I had and troubleshooting on occasion was quite thrilling for me as a volunteer and I was so engrossed in the whole process I hardly noticed the time pass by. What felt the most fulfilling for me was able to share my fondness for the Arduino with people who were enthusiastic and having a group of volunteers who enjoyed it just as much as me :D
Here's to all the participants at Arduino Day 2014- Singapore! It was a blast and hopefully we see more creative projects based off the Arduino <3
