Utilizing Smartphones for Approachable IoT Education in K-12
Distributed computing, computer networking, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are all around us, yet only computer science and engineering majors learn the technologies that enable our modern lives. This paper introduces PhoneIoT, a mobile app that makes it possible to teach some of the basic concept...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/24/9778 |
| _version_ | 1797455287741841408 |
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| author | Devin Jean Brian Broll Gordon Stein Ákos Lédeczi |
| author_facet | Devin Jean Brian Broll Gordon Stein Ákos Lédeczi |
| author_sort | Devin Jean |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Distributed computing, computer networking, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are all around us, yet only computer science and engineering majors learn the technologies that enable our modern lives. This paper introduces PhoneIoT, a mobile app that makes it possible to teach some of the basic concepts of distributed computation and networked sensing to novices. PhoneIoT turns mobile phones and tablets into IoT devices and makes it possible to create highly engaging projects through NetsBlox, an open-source block-based programming environment focused on teaching distributed computing at the high school level. PhoneIoT lets NetsBlox programs—running in the browser on the student’s computer—access available sensors. Since phones have touchscreens, PhoneIoT also allows building a Graphical User Interface (GUI) remotely from NetsBlox, which can be set to trigger custom code written by the student via NetsBlox’s message system. This approach enables students to create quite advanced distributed projects, such as turning their phone into a game controller or tracking their exercise on top of an interactive Google Maps background with just a few blocks of code. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:52:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-174808c140434da9a47faeafa65b576b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:52:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-174808c140434da9a47faeafa65b576b2023-11-24T17:55:11ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202022-12-012224977810.3390/s22249778Utilizing Smartphones for Approachable IoT Education in K-12Devin Jean0Brian Broll1Gordon Stein2Ákos Lédeczi3Computer Science Department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USAComputer Science Department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USAComputer Science Department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USAComputer Science Department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USADistributed computing, computer networking, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are all around us, yet only computer science and engineering majors learn the technologies that enable our modern lives. This paper introduces PhoneIoT, a mobile app that makes it possible to teach some of the basic concepts of distributed computation and networked sensing to novices. PhoneIoT turns mobile phones and tablets into IoT devices and makes it possible to create highly engaging projects through NetsBlox, an open-source block-based programming environment focused on teaching distributed computing at the high school level. PhoneIoT lets NetsBlox programs—running in the browser on the student’s computer—access available sensors. Since phones have touchscreens, PhoneIoT also allows building a Graphical User Interface (GUI) remotely from NetsBlox, which can be set to trigger custom code written by the student via NetsBlox’s message system. This approach enables students to create quite advanced distributed projects, such as turning their phone into a game controller or tracking their exercise on top of an interactive Google Maps background with just a few blocks of code.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/24/9778IoTmobile devicessensorsuser interactionblock-based programming |
| spellingShingle | Devin Jean Brian Broll Gordon Stein Ákos Lédeczi Utilizing Smartphones for Approachable IoT Education in K-12 Sensors IoT mobile devices sensors user interaction block-based programming |
| title | Utilizing Smartphones for Approachable IoT Education in K-12 |
| title_full | Utilizing Smartphones for Approachable IoT Education in K-12 |
| title_fullStr | Utilizing Smartphones for Approachable IoT Education in K-12 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Utilizing Smartphones for Approachable IoT Education in K-12 |
| title_short | Utilizing Smartphones for Approachable IoT Education in K-12 |
| title_sort | utilizing smartphones for approachable iot education in k 12 |
| topic | IoT mobile devices sensors user interaction block-based programming |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/24/9778 |
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