#572 – Technology Instruction with Charlie Larrabee

The Amp Hour Electronics Podcast

01/10/22 • 74 min

Chris knows Charlie from going to college together. Charlie inspired Chris to dive deeper into electronics.
Charlie got started with a RadioShack 130 in 1 kit (apparently Sparkfun still sells these!)
RadioShack training showed Charlie that they were more interested in selling batteries and phone subscriptions. Now they’re selling Cryptocurrencies? (ugh)
What do aspiring electronics students do now that there are no stores?
Kids seem to like Snap Circuits
Charlie was teaching with the Microbit but has switched to Adafruit’s Circuit Playground
Classrooms can sign up to talk with the space station, at least for a few more years. The ISS is going to be decommissioned at some point (no plans before 2028) and then might be replaced by private stations.
Communication for students between 6 and 14 can vary wildly.
For many kids, it’s about tying learning back to the top level.
Wimsherst generator / machine
How do you teach things that are less intuitive, like programming? Make things as visual as possible
There are lots of teaching resources on Code.org
Abstraction isn’t possible before young brains reach a certain age / developmental level.
Learning good habits
“Kids these days”
Linking technology to modern examples: How do children understand an iPad and compare it to the electronics they work on in class?
Chris talked about Consumption vs Creation
A handheld Spectrum Analyzer (SA) is a great way for young people to understand radio
Charlie is a ham radio enthusiast and enjoys DXing
Outside of teaching, Charlie also works on designs with vacuum tubes. He also has a project mimicing non-linearities of tubes using JFETs.
Building resiliance hapeens when you build confidence
Interactions with parents
Commonsense.org helps parents and teachers understand how children can safely interact with elements of the internet.
Positive Discipline
Charlie is now teaching with CircuitPython on the CircuitPlayground. There is an experimental module with uses WebUSB to program the boards, which enables them to use Chromebooks for development (commonly used in US schools)
Line folllower that reads colors
Chris asked Charlie about developing electronics and attempting to sell into the education ecosystem. Their mutual classmate (and former guest) Zach Fredin did this with the NeuroBytes
Olimex makes a $4 (6) robot kit
Find Charlie online
- QRZ.com
- larrabeelabs.com
- ssesh.org

Explicit content warning

01/10/22 • 74 min

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