~e; -- Integrated Circuits and Binary Logic --

[human being <human@electronetwork.org>]

The following is a preview of the Electromagnetic
Education section and how its future content will
be developed. While it uses an example from the
field of electronics, ultimately the goal is to bring
various disciplines and knowledge systems into
relation through cultural awareness, to build upon
this towards a literacy of electromagnetism, then
to integrate studies in various fields, such as, say,
using microcontrollers and sensors in architecture.

-- Integrated Circuits and Binary Logic -- (1 page)
http://www.electronetwork.org/education/logic/

Feedback, comments, suggestions are much
appreciated, especially ideas on what may be
interesting content to develop, to learn more
about electromagnetism, in small enough to
comprehend content-segments, though to also
get at the larger 'cultural' role, issues of literacy
and teaching. This is just a start, and it is likely
unrepresentative as it is not going to rehash
electronics curriculums or EE or IT, instead it
will be relating the basics in other areas.

The main section has yet to be designed, this is
the first content, and it may be related through an
encyclopedic format- it is still unknown. Yet the
page which the above content will be linked is at:
http://www.electronetwork.org/education/  (though
it is still blank and will be until more content can
be developed to a sense of order to this section).

For instance, one of my favorite things to do
(and it is a great learning experience with
little people), is to take things apart and to
try to figure out how something works. Thus,
a future section of the EM Education section
will have a short presentation on this method,
what can be learned, how it may be approached,
and what tools work best (have yet to get a set,
yet small screwdrivers are a necessity in this).
Then, taking apart a mouse (as was done just
yesterday) one can learn about the IC chip in
there, how a ball mouse uses gears for tracking
location (x,y) and how components such as a
capacitor and resistor can be found on the
circuit board inside. A group of students could
dismantle a computer in the same way as a
biology class does a specimen, and to learn
about how computers and electromagnetism
work, by pulling out electromagnets, power
supplies, hard drives, computer processors,
and to relate these to how the major systems
function (memory, power, heating/cooling)
as if a biological or other regulated system.
Just by taking apart a harddrive or a floppy
drive, and accessing a 'how things work'
book online or offline, a wealth of knowledge
is available for teaching basic concepts that
includes mathematics, history, economics,
physics, manufacturing, geography, material
sciences, electronics, engineering, research
and design and development (origins of the
harddrive, first instances of). And it would be
up to a teacher how to teach this, what may
be the most relevant, and to break the taboo
of taking apart things to learn, while also to
show a way to take things apart safely, how
to not get hurt or deal unnecessarily with the
toxic aspects and how to dispose of things.

(two things, there are great artifacts inside a
  floppy disk drive- around the disk itself there
  may be a ceramic magnet circle, which is then
  inset into a larger circular form with what looks
  much like an electromagnetic for reading/writing
  to the plastic disk, very similar in aesthetics at
  least. also, in a ball mouse, if one can get at
  the artifact that includes both the ball and the
  immediate encasement, it has dials that roll
  with the ball and is a great kinetic sculpture.)

So, the approach and goal of EM Education
is to offer several sketches of possibilities of
ways that this realm of ideas can be brought
into relation to current curriculums, discourses,
industries, skillsets, and other aspects-- that by
learning more about these dimensions it may
help in the betterment of society and EM culture.

brian

  brian thomas carroll: research-design-development
  architecture, education, electromagnetism
  http://www.electronetwork.org/bc/

  the electromagnetic internetwork-list
  electromagnetism / infrastructure / civilization
  archives.openflows.org/electronetwork-l
  http://www.electronetwork.org/list/