Notes from the Field

What we see in competitions and classrooms: what works and what does not. Real experience, not hard rules.

• For teachers How to Make a Maze Game in Scratch: Step-by-Step Code and a Ready Project File A timed maze game in Scratch 3 played with the arrow keys: drawing the backdrop, the code, common mistakes, second-level ideas and a downloadable project file.
• For teachers How to Make an Apple Catching Game in Scratch: Step-by-Step Code and a Ready Project File An apple catching game in Scratch 3 where a basket catches apples falling from the sky: score and missed variables, random falling, game over, common mistakes and a downloadable project file.
• For teachers What Happens in Technology and Design Class? Grades 7 and 8, 2026-27 In 2026-27, grade 7 follows the new curriculum and grade 8 the old one. What happens unit by unit, plus the rules on workshops, homework, splitting classes, assessment and the exhibition.
• For teachers Robotics Coding Elective Semester 1, Exam 1 Questions and Answer Key (2026-27) A sample semester 1, exam 1 for the Robotics Coding elective under the new curriculum: 7 open-ended questions plus a backup question, a scored answer key, a topic map and exam rules.
• For teachers Robotics Coding Elective Yearly Plan 2026-27 (Level 1, Week by Week) A Level 1 yearly plan for the Robotics Coding elective under the new curriculum: 37 weeks, theme hours, holiday and exam weeks, activity ideas and the rules for writing a plan.
• For teachers How to Start a Robotics Coding Club: A 2026-27 Guide for Middle Schools The official way to start a robotics coding club in middle school, the paperwork, a no-materials yearly club plan, the advisor's extra pay hours and the 2026-27 TÜBİTAK calendar.
• For teachers Who Can Teach the Robotics Coding Course? The 2026-27 Rules in Türkiye Which subject teachers teach the Robotics Coding elective, what happens if the school has no IT teacher, and who can teach it in a private school? With the regulation articles.
• For teachers What Happens in a Robotics Coding Class? The 2026-27 Curriculum and a Lesson Plan What do students do in the Robotics Coding elective under the 2026-27 curriculum? Two levels, four themes, class hours, no-materials activities and a sample lesson flow.
• For teachers When Is Code Week 2026? How to Take Part, Certificates and a Ready-Made Lesson Plan EU Code Week 2026 runs October 10-25. Steps for teachers to add an activity, certificate requirements, ready-made unplugged and computer lab lesson plans, and bulletin board ideas.
• For teachers What Is Block-Based Coding? Free Tools and Your First Four Classes What is block-based coding, how is it different from text-based coding, and which free tools need no account or work offline? The flow of the first four classes for grades 5-6.
• For teachers Unplugged Coding Activities: 10 No-Materials Activities for Middle School 10 unplugged coding activities for grades 5-6, done with paper, pencil and the board. With timing, steps, the computer equivalent and the curriculum learning outcome.
• Competitions Tuna's Competition Notes Not hard rules, just what we saw on the field: why team spirit comes before everything, why doing a few things very well wins, and how iteration and focus grow the robot.
• Robotics Resistor Color Code: Chart, How to Read It, and a Calculator How to read the resistor color code: a clear chart, 4, 5 and 6-band examples, a two-way calculator, an LED resistor calculator and series / parallel math.
• Robotics How to Use a Breadboard: How the Holes Connect, Power Rails and a First LED Circuit What is a breadboard and how do you use it? How the holes connect inside, the + and − rails, wiring an LED, resistor and button, measuring current. Try a virtual breadboard.
• Robotics How Stepper Motors Work: Arduino Control with 28BYJ-48, ULN2003 and A4988 How does a stepper motor work? Full and half steps, unipolar vs bipolar, ULN2003 and A4988 wiring, Arduino code and a steps-per-mm calculator.
• Robotics What Is a Potentiometer and How Does It Work? Pins, Arduino Wiring and an LED Dimmer What a potentiometer is, how it works and how to wire its 3 pins to an Arduino. Read it, dim an LED, pick linear or log taper, and turn a live knob.
• Robotics Transistor as a Switch: How a Transistor Works, with an Arduino Motor Example How a transistor works as a switch: drive a motor or LED from an Arduino with an NPN. E-B-C pinout, base resistor math, flyback diode and a simulator.
• Robotics What Is a Servo Motor and How Does It Work? Arduino Wiring, Code and Angle Control What a servo motor is and how it works: pulse width and angle, Arduino wiring and code, 360 degree servos, servo vs stepper, plus a live signal sandbox.
• Robotics How to Use a Multimeter: Battery, Resistance, Continuity and Current (With Pictures) How to use a multimeter and read it: what DCV, ACV, DCA and hFE mean, plus testing batteries, resistors, broken wires and current, step by step with a virtual meter.
• Robotics How DC Motors Work: Direction and Speed Control (H-Bridge, PWM, L298N) How does a DC motor work? Brushes and commutator, H-bridge direction control, PWM speed control, L298N wiring and Arduino code, with an interactive sandbox.
• Robotics What Is a Capacitor? How It Works, Types, Formulas and the 104 Code What is a capacitor and how does it work? Types, symbols, Q=CV and τ=RC, reading the 104 code, testing, safe discharge and robot uses, with an RC charging lab.
• Robotics What Is a Relay and How Does It Work? NO, NC, COM and Arduino Wiring What is a relay and how does it work? NO, NC and COM, wiring a relay module to Arduino, a self-latching circuit and testing a relay, with an interactive demo.
• Robotics What Is Arduino and What Is It Used For? Uno Pinout, First Sketch, Uploading What is Arduino, what is it used for and how does it work? Uno vs Nano vs Mega, the Uno pinout, installing the IDE, uploading code and your first LED sketch.
• Robotics PID Tuning Guide for Robots: How to Tune Kp, Ki and Kd (FTC Examples) How to tune PID on a robot: P first, then D, I last. Animated graphs, a live tuning sandbox, a symptom table and FTC Java examples for arms and drive.