Middle School, Computer Science Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 2)

Introduction to Arduino

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-12th

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10 reviews

This lesson plan will introduce your students to physical computing: the process of building circuits and programming a microcontroller (an Arduino UNO®) to interact with them. The lesson is broken into seven activities that will walk your students through the basics of setting up the Arduino and interacting with circuit parts like LEDs, buttons, and resistors. This introductory material will help prepare your students for more advanced Arduino projects. Read more

Program a Sound Level Meter to Help Protect Your Hearing

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever said, "That hurt my ears!" when someone yelled loudly right next to you? Do you cover your ears when a fire truck drives by with the sirens blaring? It is good to protect your ears—even sounds that do not "hurt" can cause hearing damage if you are exposed to them for too long. In this project, you will program a device that alerts you when sounds have exceeded safe levels long enough to cause hearing damage. Read more

The Point of a Parabola: Focusing Signals for a Better Wireless Network

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever been annoyed by poor Wi-Fi reception for your phone, tablet, or laptop? Do you wish there was something you could do about it? In this project you will learn how to build a parabolic reflector that you can attach to the antenna of a regular wireless router to help boost its signal. Read more

Build an Electronic Piano with a Raspberry Pi

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Lights and music make a great combination! Getting sound and lights to complement each other just right helps set the mood for everything from DJ parties and concerts, to theater shows, the circus, and ballet performances. You can put together your own lights and music show using a Raspberry Pi. Check out the video to see what this simple, but fun, project looks like. Once you have the basics down, you can keep tinkering with the circuit, the sounds, and the program to make fancier versions… Read more

Building Personal Medicine Apps to Help Patients

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Remembering to take medication or perform a test regularly, consistently, and at specific times can be difficult for elderly people with short-term memory loss, or teenagers absorbed in activities. With mobile devices becoming our constant companions, could a smartphone or tablet offer a solution? The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has created a simple tool making it possible for anyone who has a computer and Internet access to create a reminder app. It is easy, quick, and… Read more

How Does Distance Affect Wireless Signal Strength?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Are you ever annoyed by a poor Wi-Fi signal? What about when you try to send a text message, and it just won't go through because of poor cell service? Have you ever wondered what factors affect the strength of your signal and the speed of the connection? If so, this project is for you! Read more

Imagine Ways that Artificial Intelligence Could Change the World

STEM Activity

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99 reviews

AI is all around us and changing our world—often for the better, but sometimes with unintended consequences. In this activity, you will imagine and explore the potential benefits and dangers of an artificial intelligence solution you imagine. Let your imagination flow and see where it takes you. Read more

Make a Color Detector App to Help Colorblind People

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Do you know anyone who is colorblind, or are you colorblind yourself? What if you could carry a device in your pocket that could identify colors for you? Many people already carry around the device they need to do this - a smartphone! Since phones have built-in cameras, you can make an app that uses the camera to identify colors. In this project you will use a program called MIT App Inventor that makes it easy for anyone, even with no programming experience, to design your own mobile app. Read more

Make a Mood Tracker

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

How do you feel right now? Do you remember how you felt a few hours ago? How about yesterday or last Wednesday? What if you could track your emotions throughout the day and use this information to help improve your mood and well-being? In this science project, you will program a simple, pocket-sized device that you can carry around with you to log your feelings whenever you want or on a specific schedule. Read more

Teach a Computer to Recognize Road Signs

STEM Activity

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How do driverless cars know how to recognize different road signs? They use something called machine learning. In this activity you will teach a computer to recognize different road signs using photos that you take yourself and a tool called Teachable Machine by Google®. The better the training data, the more accurately the program will be able to recognize different types of signs. Read more

Middle School, Computer Science Projects, Lessons, Activities (59 results)

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