Are you ready for creative coding and crafting?
…and if you think this is just for kids, think again!
Thank you for signing up to Glow Your Own, also known as GYO.
If you’re new to this, or are one of the hundreds of people who’ve joined in before, welcome!
There may be a lot of information that’s new to you, so please bear with it.
This page is about the sessions, how to get your kit and how the programme will be run.
We promise it will all make sense over the six weeks.
The six sessions
Wednesdays 11 October—15 November
See listings and book for all six GYO 2023 sessions
You’ll get the most out of the project by coming to all six sessions, either hosted live online or on demand later.
5—6pm is an online class hosted on Zoom: the GYO team brings together people from several science and arts organisations who will join in coding and making while you follow along at home. There is a lively chat box if you have a question, but we ask that your cameras and mics are turned off because the recorded session will be hosted on YouTube later — for you to watch the sessions in your own time.
Subscribe to the IF Oxford YouTube channel for automatic updates
6—6.30pm is a troubleshooting session continued on Zoom: this is the opportunity to get live help on anything that isn’t working as it should. The recording is stopped and we invite cameras and mics to be turned on to go through every snag that’s cropped up. In the final half hour, the team answers questions and sometimes gets ideas for the next session, so you can either leave or stay connected for this part whether or not you’ve got to the end of the session’s lesson plan.
There are worksheets to help you follow along. Worksheets will be emailed to those registered for GYO 2023 and also available for download from the GYO pages.
Get your Arduino kit
If you already have an Arduino kit, you can use it again. Everyone has similar GYO materials so we can work through the coding and circuit building together.
If you you need to get a kit, there are three options for you:
- you can request a free kit from the Festival (UK only)
- you can request a kit from the Festival and make a donation of your choice (UK only)
- you can buy your own kit/s
Get your LED Arduino kit for GYO 2023
IF Oxford is a registered charity and has received a small grant from STFC to cover the full or partial cost of the Arduino kits so everyone can develop new digital skills.
Terms and conditions are here: smartsurvey.co.uk/s/GYO_2023_KIT
If you want to buy your own kit from Amazon, this is what you need:
Complete kit (Arduino and components)
If buying these separately, you will need:
Basic Starter Kit (No Arduino)
Tinkercad and the online classroom
Online learning can be difficult, but GYO tries to make it as simple as possible.
The live workshops use Zoom: zoom.us
The coding happens using Tinkercad: tinkercad.com
There is no cost to participate or to use these online platforms. Everyone who signs up to GYO 2023 gets a unique code to join a virtual classroom on Tinkercad, which takes the format: gyo #### (three letters and four numbers.)
You don’t have to use the code we send you to use Tinkercad, but if you do, the GYO team can access your code blocks remotely. This makes it easier to help if things aren’t working properly for you.
The computer you use for Tinkercad needs a USB (type A) port.
You can use two devices with screens (eg. a computer and a phone), or if you have enough space on your computer screen, you can follow along with Zoom and Tinkercad open at the same time.
tinkercad.com/classrooms-resources
Alternatively, you can catch up with the on demand video.
Glow Your Own 2023 is a collaboration between:
