This Coding Platform Guide aims to provide teachers with ideas on how to choose a platform and how to get there as easily as possible.
TIPS
- 5 months before you start coding lessons in e-textiles, meet with your school tech administrator and get the permissions worked out. We aren’t kidding—start this process early!
- 1 week before you start coding lessons in e-textiles, test your student platform by uploading code to a Circuit Playground. Do not skip this step! Upload your code to the Circuit Playground. Until you do, you can’t be sure that it will work like you expect.
Select which type of coding platform you will be using:
Desktop Computer
When you have access to desktop computers for use by students, the best option is to install the Arduino programming environment from one of the links below. you will need ADMINISTRATOR RIGHTS to install these onto your computers. This program is FREE, WORKS OFFLINE and SAVES CODE TO THE COMPUTER.
Select your system below to go to that INSTALL GUIDE.
This choice is the best if your class uses Chromebooks and a good internet connection. These apps are based on the web, meaning that any code compiling is happening on servers far far away.
TIPS
- If using something for which students need a password (i.e., Arduino Create), store students’ usernames and passwords in your classroom for emergency access if they forget them. Otherwise they may lose all of their code (unless they are linking to their own email for password recovery).
- Schedule a reminder to END your subscriptions at the end of the class to avoid paying for it when not in use.
Compare Web-Based Apps
Use the chart below to help you decide which web-based app will be the best fit for your classroom and school. Click the image to expand, or view a pdf version here.
