Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

What To Cover In a Short "DIY Tech" Course?

Posted by timothy on from the when-bedazzler-is-not-enough dept.

edumacator writes "Our school is working hard to provide our students with relevant opportunities of study. We have a short 'seminar' period that meets three days a week for thirty minutes. I've chosen to teach a seminar on 'Home Grown Technology' even though I'm an English teacher and only an amateur techie. If you had thirty minutes, three days a week, for nine weeks, what would you teach a group of high school students? I'm considering the Wii-mote smartboard and multitouch displays, but I'm afraid I'm overreaching."

4 of 256 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Teach them something useful by tloh · · Score: 3, Informative

    How about starting off with the proper use of a multimeter? Just being able to find out the current/voltage/resistance conditions on various rigs have served me well in the past.

    --
    Stay sentient. Don't drink bad milk.
  2. Re:Go with basics by basementman · · Score: 3, Informative

    Because nothing says a good time like Electrostatic Discharge.

    --
    A Magic the Gathering Article and Forum Aggregator
  3. Re:Teach them something useful by Dexx · · Score: 3, Informative

    How to use a multimeter, how to solder, what electronics bits do and how they all fit together. Start with the basics.

    --
    Feel the fear and do it anyway.
  4. Re:A long-lasting technology by clockwise_music · · Score: 5, Informative
    • Show them how an engine works by getting them to coil wire around a magnet and hook it up to an LED.
    • Then move onto car engines and show how it's the same idea. Then explain how to turbo charge an engine.
    • Computer stuff that you need to know but are never taught: How to safely open up your box, take it apart and put it back together
    • The difference between memory and hard disk space and what paging is. Get a computer and take it down to 128 meg of memory and see what happens. Use perfmon.
    • Basic electronics, multimeter usage, soldering iron - all very handy. Take a stuffed electronic guitar in (just cut a wire or whatever) and show them how to fix it.
    • How to not put personal stuff onto the internet and explain what happens if you do. Then try it with a "John Smith" registered on facebook, myspace etc. Then google the person next week.
    • How the internet works - do a quick HTML website and explain it all
    • Explain how there's more to the world than just the USA and yes, you can actually go to those countries. (sorry, low blow)
    • Show how to back up your data and explain why! Different possibilities such as a local HD, external HD, external computer, using an internet backup provider.
    • Sewing. Seriously. Sew a zipper onto a jacket. Fix the holes in your socks. Make some trakkies (don't know what you yanks call them).
    • Bike maintenance and fixing. How to adjust everything, what tools you need. How to make it more efficient. Get people to bring in their bikes.