Learning during the summer vacation? Unthinkable for many pupils, but with the "Digital World" vacation course led by Prof. Dr. Sabine Sachweh and the IDiAL team, this was even possible in a fun and playful way! From August 12 to 14, twenty-two pupils from grades 5 to 10 were able to immerse themselves in the "digital world" in the "digital workshop" at Evingen Castle. They learned exciting things about computer science in their everyday lives and how to write their own programs.
On the first day, they learned about and discussed current topics in the digitalized world, such as "Data and its processing", "IoT and networked devices" and "Artificial intelligence". The IDiAL team used the example of cars parked in a parking lot to show how we encounter computer science every day and how we can influence it ourselves. Collecting data from this and recognizing correlations in the data are processes that the students also find in their personal video recommendations from their favourite apps such as TikTok. Finally, they ventured into a data adventure in an escape room with "CyberWatch Global" to save the internet from intelligent hackers. The students used the knowledge they had gathered to create posters with the help of AI.
On the second day, the students tinkered with algorithms. Using simple everyday examples, such as brushing their teeth or cooking a meal, they learned what algorithms are and how they are constructed. On the PC, they developed a lawnmower robot that drives through a virtual garden on the "Scratch" platform. Finally, they steered small robots through winding labyrinths in the computer game "Luanti".
The end of the vacation course invited students to take part in practical mini-projects with the beginner-friendly "senseBox" environmental measurement system. On the third day, the students were quickly able to assemble a temperature measuring station using their algorithm skills. Not only was the temperature shown on a display, but also via an LED that flashes when it gets too warm. In a larger project, the students worked with the IDiAL team to build a greenhouse that controls itself. With enthusiasm and a few sensors, they helped to ensure that the greenhouse is automatically illuminated in the dark or that the plants are automatically watered with a water pump when the soil is dry.
The "Informatik all inclusive" project is funded by the Ministry of Business Studies, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia with funds from the European Union (funding code 34. EFRE-20300034).