Go Hack Something - Where Education and Technology Meet

Ross is out yet again but Will has more details about exciting the Gaming Bootcamp events happening around Sioux Falls and the state. Native American Gaming Bootcamp: 3-day camps and free Funded by AT&T, huge thanks to them Have six planned around the state; Sioux Falls, Chamberlain, Mission, still planning a few Bobby, our instructor, brings a lot of Native culture into the program Gaming Bootcamps in Sioux Falls: Over 35 kids joined us this summer and 4 mentors or helpers Built 7 games in 5-days. Most games allow the kids to explore and create Custom Doodle Jump this year, huge success Always have a handful of kids who build their own custom games Host onsite at Raven and DocuTAP; great being on location, the kids love it Take-away Lessons:​​​​​​​ We want kids to learn and understand the basics of coding. It’s not just a “play games” camp even though I could easily host “play games” camps all-day long! amazed as how well the kids understand writing code and the creativity. We really need to do a better job allowing kids to learn and explore. Links: http://www.sdgamingbootcamp.com/ http://native.sdgamingbootcamp.com/

Just Will this week providing an update on wrapping up the Hack Sioux Falls Event that kicked off a few months ago. He also shares a couple other great regional events that took place. One being the GenCyber camp at DSU in Madison SD: the largest GenCyber camp in the country sponsored by NSA & AT&T Various guest speakers, mostly women in cyber careers including Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Heather Wilson Take-away Lessons:​​​​​​​ We need to expose more kids, not just girls, to all technology fields. Cyber, programming, hardware, microcontrollers, electronics There are camps and activities, you need to seek them out. It is so hard to get the message out about events. We will do our best to let you know about local events we hear about Links: https://www.cybher.org/camp/ https://www.gencyber.camp/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Infinity-Mirror-With-Ultra-Sonic-Sensors/

A local Sioux Falls School requests some additional STEM activities and Will delivers. The SFC Coding Club was born. http://sfc-games.sdgamingbootcamp.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTA02T5gsVo Will & Ross also discuss content and course distribution platforms, their nuances, and the effort that goes into building course for using as learning tools as well as generating extra income. https://www.udemy.com/gaming-bootcamp-mentor-training/

Will discusses where to purchase all the electronic supplies he mentions on the show as well as address some questions about cost and things to look out for. He also recaps how the local hosted event for Arduino Day 2018 went. When purchasing electronic supplies: 99% of what is needed can be purchased from Amazon & eBay Great success with eBay Exceptions with solder, LED strips, wires misrepresented, expect some dead components Arduinos, ESP8266, sensors, resistors, ICs, What NOT to buy from eBay: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Solder; anything where performance is critical, high-end audio-amps, flash drives High voltage, test equipment, batteries & battery banks, Stuff “too” cheap probably is missing protection Keep in mind, virtually everything is made in China Take-away Lessons: Start simple, because you may decide not get into it A simple sensor kit is a good way to start: Arduino breadboard wires PIR ultrasonic LEDs Youtube is a great resource for how-to and demonstartion Links: https://www.ebay.com/ https://www.amazon.com/ https://sparkfun.com/ https://adafruit.com/