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Grade: Middle School

PLTW Course: CSIM (Computer Science for Innovators and Makers)

Submission type: Project: Blinking Sign

Project overview:

In the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Computer Science for Innovators and Makers unit, middle school students learn about programming both hardware and software, and how to combine them to create interactive systems. After learning to program a micro:bit, for the Blinking Sign project, students apply that knowledge to design and program an animated LED sign using letters, symbols, and images to share a message of their choosing.

Student submission: 

Select judge feedback: 

“Hello… I work for Toyota Research Institute, designing and building self driving cars for testing and research. I really enjoyed looking over your project, and hope my feedback will prove useful to you now and in your future work. Your group did a great job with this assignment! I really like the positive message that you chose to display on your sign. The use of audio tones is a good way to grab the users attention, and draw them to your sign. Next time, you may find it useful to crate a flow chart to plan through your code before you write it. Thank you for letting me look at your work. Coding can open you up to a world of opportunities, and you are off to a great start. Keep it up!” – Senior Manager, Toyota Research Institute

“Hi – I’m Ross and I’m a software engineer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. I think you’ve done a really good job here. I’m impressed that you used the sound functionality of the software. You even played a specific tune. Have you thought about using one of the buttons or gestures? It’s great that you used two “for” loops. Using loops is a great way to improve logic flow. Of course, your message that “you are loved and important” is a really nice thought and always helpful to hear. Good luck.” – Software Engineer, Liberty Mutual

Award: Presentation Award

School: Dr. Philip Coakley Middle

Teacher: Cristina Serradas