Digital tools for STEAM education and Makers pedagogy
Student training
Online, November 2024 - May 2025

This long-term practical course will focus on the tools that are interesting to implement STEAM education, and will address the way to practically realize the activities of experimentation, analysis, understanding, modeling, simulation, and spreading.
It will include learning how to use Python, implementation of methods of numerical computation, use of computer-based simulation and visualization, and geometrical computation.
After introduction sessions, this course will be project-based, with practical tasks to be done by attendees on a voluntary basis, and presenters will act essentially as coaches and tutors.
Program

Follow this link to attend online sessions when scheduled.

Saturday 23, November - First steps with Python and Jupyter notebooks

Objective of this session is that attendees will :
  • be able to use Python and Jupyter notebooks on their computers (local installation or online setup),
  • be comfortable with the notebook user interface of Jupyter,
  • have a good idea of the bases of the Python language,
  • be prepared and motivated to continue reading the introductive book :

Saturday 14, December - First steps with Python and Jupyter notebooks (cont'd)

Objective of this session is that attendees will :
  • be able to basically use the Python language through Jupyter notebooks

Saturday 18, January 2025 - Graphics computations using Matplotlib

Objective of this session is that attendees will :
  • be able to use matplotlib library of Python to define and compute graphics results
  • consider developing a jupyter notebook to explore a research project requiring graphics computations.

Saturday 1st, March - Simulation and graphics with Python - using Turtle Graphics

Objective of this session is that attendees will :
  • be able to use turtle graphics library of Python to draw graphics
  • consider developing a jupyter notebook to explore a research project requiring graphics computations.

Saturday 15, March - Randomness

Objective of this session is that attendees will :
  • understand how computers can mimic randomness
  • consider developing a jupyter notebook to explore a research project requiring randomness.

Saturday 5, April - Matrices

Objective of this session is that attendees will :
  • understand what are matrices as used by computers for numerical computations
  • be able to define and compute with matrices in Python, namely with the help of the numpy library
  • consider developing a jupyter notebook to explore a research project requiring matrices.

Saturday 17, May - Multi Agent simulation

Objective of this session is that attendees will :
  • get a good idea of what is multi-agent simulation
  • be able to define and compute some animation in Python, namely with the help of the Matplotlib library
  • consider developing a jupyter notebook to explore agents behaviours through multi-agent simulation.
More

Install Python and Jupyter locally

Course material

Jupyter notebooks are interactive documents.
Interact with Jupyter notebooks require accessing to a Jupyter notebooks server that can be locally installed (see above) or using an existing available server, as for example the Google Colab server.
Jupyter notebooks can be read online with nbviewer.