While working on the wearable devices project with students, there have been a number of “light bulb” moments where students connect a new piece of knowledge or they discover something about their project they did not yet realize. The project that I have students complete for the Kenan Fellows is a wearable device project where they have to research, design, and build a wearable device for rescue workers that uses sensors to monitor and communicate variables of the surrounding environment (amount of light, temperature, etc.…). From the beginning, students had numerous “Ah-Ha” moments when researching sensors and their application to our lives. They learn about medical sensors (digital thermometers), motion sensors (automatic doors), light sensors (streetlights), gas sensors and more. While conducting research on what types of sensors there are and how they work, they realize how many times each day they encounter sensors.

Once they have researched sensors their functions, they then learn about how electrical circuits arrange to power these sensors. This is another “light bulb” moment because a large number of them do not realize how the electronic devices they use heavily every day (gaming systems, alarms, cell phones, car electronics, household appliances, etc.…) utilize circuity in addition to sensors. The tools that students use every day and are expected to use in their future (both professionally and personally) can be complex and, by providing knowledge of how they work, students can use them more effectively.

As student develop their wearable devices, they use the engineering design process. This involves having to design a program that will run the device. Majority of the students have never written code and this was a challenge for them. As they were working with coding, you would hear every so often an exclaimed “Yes!” or “Finally!” which were examples of them solving errors in their program. When an error occurs in their code, it tells them about where it is located but not how to fix it. Once they were able to identify the error and fix it, they had that “Ah-Ha” moment. The same thing occurred for when they were wiring their devices together. Numerous time there would be errors in the connections they would have to identify and fix. Here too is where many “light bulb” moments occur.

It is for these moments that I personally teach. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a student finally make the connections and understand that learning has occurred. Many times, a student will learn more from making the connections themselves rather than having knowledge read aloud to them for them to memorize and regurgitate later.