Lesson video

Hello.

My name is Mr. Hogan.

I am so excited to be learning with you today.

You have made a great choice to learn about physical computing with me.

We are going to have such a great time learning together.

I'll be supporting you with our learning during these lessons.

I am so pleased that you have decided to complete your learning with me today.

We are going to do brilliantly.

So the outcome for today's lesson is I can design a physical computing project and break down its functionality into simpler features.

It's going to be a really good lesson.

You might find it a bit challenging in places, but don't worry.

You can pause the video any time, rewind it, and go back and look over things if you don't understand them.

But it's going to be such a fun lesson.

I'm really looking forward to it.

We've got two key words this lesson.

So audience is the intended users of the physical computing project.

And we've got decomposed.

This is the process of breaking down a large task into several subtasks.

Designing a physical computing project lesson is divided into two.

We've got plan a physical computing project for an audience, which is the first part of the lesson.

And then we've got decompose the project into smaller parts.

So let's start with plan a physical computing project for an audience.

Physical computing is all about making things happen in the real world using code and electronic components like these.

You've got LEDs, crocodile clips, that's a little bit of tinfoil there to make a switch maybe.

So instead of just seeing things on a screen, you can make lights flash, sounds play, or even control motors to make things move.

To create a physical computing project, you carry out the following steps.

We're going to write code on a computer.

The code then interacts with sensors and other electronic parts.

Those parts then make things happen in the real world.

So this is an example of an LED blinking to mimic a firefly.

So we've written some code that you can't see to make the LED come on and go off and repeat this several times.

So you can see it actually happening in the real world.

Let's have a quick check for understanding.

Which of these best describes what physical computing is? Is it A, creating programmes that only work on a computer screen? B, Using code and electronics to make things happen in the real world? Or C, developing a programme to write stories about how computers work? Have a little think about it.

Remember you can pause the video at any time or rewind it even to re-look at some of the slides.

Let's have a look at the answer.

The answer is B.

Using code and electronics to make things happen in the real world.

Lucas is saying, "I wonder what kind of cool projects we could make with the micro:bit?" Izzy's response, "I can make a mood indicator.

I can change what colour LED lights up depending on what button I press." Yeah, that's correct.

Izzy is correct.

If you can look at the GIF, we can see that different LEDs are being turned on and turning off depending on what mood Izzy, in this case, is in.

Are they happy, sad or a bit indifferent? Lucas is saying, "I could make a heart beating project, but I don't know how to plan it." Izzy's replying, "We should think about what we need to do before we start to create the code." Yeah, Izzy is correct.

We need to plan out what we're going to do for our physical computing project, what code we need and what other stuff we may need.

These are the steps you'll be following while designing and building a prototype for your physical computing project.

So first of all, we're going to come up with a proposal and then decomposition, which is what we're going to do in our second part of our lesson.

We're then going to prototype the development, self reflect and feedback and then prototype the development again.

So that's a period of where like we look at our project, our plan and our prototype development and see if we can refine it and maybe make it better.

Then we're going to wrap up the prototype, so finish it off, look at the prototype and self reflect on it and see if there's any next steps that we can do.

So these are the three steps we're going to do whilst you are designing and creating a prototype for your physical computing project.

It looks really good.

I can't wait to see what you come up with and hopefully you'll find it really enjoyable.

So let's move on to a project proposal.

So this will help you plan your physical computing project.

In a proposal it describes what will be created, what problem will be solved, who the audience is, how it will work and the hardware components required for the project.

So you've really got to start thinking about all these things now to put into your proposal.

You've got to think about what we will create.

So for example, this heart, this paper model of a heart with the heart beating inside it, could be described as a paper model of a heart with a small LED inside it.

The light will turn on and off in a gentle pulse like a real beating heart.

What problem will it solve? Well this project helps people learn about how a heart works.

It's a fun way to teach others about health and science.

So hopefully you can see how these two questions help us in our proposal and it really gets you thinking about what you will be creating and what problem will it be solving.

In our proposal we need to think about the audience.

So in this case the project is for children and teachers who want to learn about the heart.

Also how will it work? Well the micro:bit will control the LED.

It will send signals to make the LED brighter and dim, a bit like a heartbeat.

And the micro:bit will be hidden inside the paper crafted heart.

Consider as well what hardware components are required.

So in this case we need a micro:bit, an LED light, wires to connect everything together, and a battery pack to power the micro:bit.

Let's have a quick check.

When planning a physical computing project, it's important to think about who will use it.

What is this called? Is it A, gathering components.

B, considering your audience.

Or C, designing the code.

Have a little think about the answer.

Remember you can pause your video at any time or rewind it to look at any other slides to help you.

Let's have a look at the answer.

So the answer is B, considering your audience.

We really do need to consider our audience when planning the physical computing project.

It's really important to know what they need, what's required, and what sort of, like I said before, what problem is it going to solve.

Time for a practise.

Task A 1.

Think of an idea now for a physical computing project using a micro:bit and describe A, what will be created, B, what problem will it solve, and C, who the audience is.

So it's over to you now to think of an idea for your physical computing project using a micro:bit.

It may take some time to think about what you're going to create.

That's fine.

You can pause the video at any time and rewind it to look at some ideas like the beating heart project.

Maybe you can create something similar or something totally different.

So a possible answer here for Task a.

So 1a.

What will be created? So you could create a firefly that blinks just like a real one.

It will have a little light that flashes on or off.

1b, what problem will it solve? Well, the firefly will brighten up a dull bedroom wall so they can be put on a wall of someone's bedroom.

Want to see who the audience is? This project is for anyone who wants to make their bedroom more interesting.

So now you have an example of a different physical computing project.

Hopefully you've come up with some great ideas, but maybe you want to take some time to refine your idea or even change it completely.

That's a totally great thing to do.

Task A 2.

For your physical computing project, describe A, how it will work and B, the hardware components required.

Remember to take some time, pause this video.

You may want to rewind it to the particular slide that will help you complete this question.

So a possible answer for our firefly physical computing project.

So 2a, how it will work.

The project uses a micro:bit and an LED light.

The micro:bit is programmed to turn the LED on and off in different patterns, just like a firefly's blinking light.

I can even experiment with different timings and patterns to make my firefly unique.

B, the hardware components required.

I will need a micro:bit and an LED and some wires to connect the LED to the micro:bit, and maybe a battery pack.

So my firefly can be portable and won't need to be plugged in.

So again, these are ideas for the firefly project.

Hopefully you've come up with some great ones yourself and can really identify how it will work and what hardware components are required.

Well done.

We're moving on to the second part of the lesson now.

So we're going to decompose the project that we thought of into smaller parts.

You're doing really, really well to get this far.

Perhaps you've had to pause the lesson a few times to think about your physical computing project.

But that's fine.

We need time to make sure that our idea will work properly.

So well done.

Now we're going to move on.

Decomposition is the process of breaking down a complex task or a problem into a sequence of simpler subproblems. So here we've got a diagram where we've got the main problem and then you divide that problem up, in this case, into three subproblems. It makes complicated problems easy to understand and solve.

Smaller tasks can often be worked on at the same time.

It helps you stay organised, makes it easier to find mistakes too.

So if a particular subproblem has a mistake in it, you don't have to go and look at all the other different subproblems. You know that you can just focus in on that one to find the mistake and correct it.

Let's have a quick check.

Which of these describes the process of decomposition? A, writing the code straight away.

B, making a problem more complicated.

C, breaking a problem into smaller manageable parts.

Or D, solving a problem without thinking about it.

Remember, take your time.

You can pause the video or rewind it.

Let's have a look at the answer.

It's C.

Breaking a problem into smaller manageable parts.

And we've called those little manageable parts subproblems. Lucas is saying, "I'm feeling stuck on my project.

I don't know what to do first or what order to do things in." Izzy is saying, "If you decompose your project, you can focus on smaller tasks instead of the whole project at once." Yeah, that's why we do decomposition so that we can break it down and concentrate on each smaller task.

Tasks can also be done at the same time as they do not depend on each other in order to complete the tasks.

The beating heart can be decomposed by breaking it down into three tasks.

So if you've broken down into crafting the heart, make the hardware and develop the programme.

None of these smaller tasks depend on one another.

If I felt I wanted to be a bit more hands on, a bit more physical, I could start making the hardware before I actually develop the programme.

Or I could do it the other way around.

I could develop the programme before I even crafted the heart.

So I'm going to start crafting the heart.

What things do I need to do? So I need to sketch the shape of the heart on the paper.

Then I need to cut it out.

And then I need to add details like veins or shading to make it look realistic.

And then plan where the LED will be placed in the heart.

So all these things I need to do when I start to craft the heart.

So the next sub task was make the hardware.

What does that mean? Well, in this case, I'm going to connect the micro:bit to the LEDs using wires.

I'm going to attach the battery pack to power the micro:bit.

And when I develop the programme, which is the last sub task, I'm going to write code to make the LED pulse like a beating heart.

Use a loop to gradually increase and decrease the LED's brightness.

Test the code to ensure the LED pulses smoothly and then debug any areas in the programme.

Let's have a quick check.

In a project with multiple tasks, when is it possible to work on some task at the same time? Is it A, when the tasks depend on each other to be completed? B, when the tasks can be done independently without affecting each other? Or C, when there is only one person working on the project? Take your time to think about the answer.

You're doing really well to get this far.

You can pause the video at any time.

Shall we have a look at the answer? It's B.

When the tasks can be done independently without affecting each other.

Let's have a quick practise.

So task B.

It's all about you decomposing your physical computing project.

1, what physically needs to be made? 2, what hardware components will be needed? 3, what will you need the programme to do? So this is you now decomposing your physical computing project idea that you had in the first part of the lesson.

So take your time.

Pause the video.

You may want to rewind and look at the examples that we went through before.

But do take your time and answer these questions.

So let's have a look at some possible answers.

So this is for the firefly physical computing project.

So one.

What physically needs to be made? So we need to draw the shape of the firefly on a card.

Cut out the firefly shape from the card.

Plan whether the LED will be placed in the firefly.

Two.

What hardware components will be needed? So the hardware components needed for the firefly will be like the LED, wires to connect everything together and a battery pack to power the micro:bit.

So hopefully these have given you ideas and if you've got your answers correct.

If you haven't, please add to them.

Let's have a look at the answer for 3.

What will you need the programme to do? So in the firefly project, we write the code to make the LED pulse like a firefly.

Test the code to ensure the LED pulses automatically and smoothly.

And then debug any errors in the programme.

Hopefully you've got something similar for your own project.

Well it may be something absolutely completely different.

But hopefully you've thought about what you'll need the programme to do.

So well done.

This is not a hard thing to do, to think about a physical computing project and then decompose it.

So really well done.

We're nearly at the end of the lesson.

So in summary of the lesson.

Physical computing projects can be designed to address problems for specific audiences.

And you can decompose complex plans into simple steps to help manage the development of a physical computing project.

So hopefully you've had a really good time and enjoyed yourself.

And we've got a really good idea about what your physical computing project is and also you've decomposed it into more simple steps.

Well done.