Stemiverse 0045 – Sanjin Dedic on mechatronics, mining, and creating educational resources 

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In this episode, Dr. Peter Dalmaris and Marcus Schappi talk with Sanjin Dedic.

Sanjin has a B.Eng in Mechatronic Systems majoring in Robotics and Computer Vision and spent several years working industry as an Engineer.

He then retrained as a teacher and taught Systems Engineering and Digital Technologies at a secondary level. Recently he has been developing a series of technology programs for G.A.T.E.WAYS (gifted and talented education) covering everything from coding to robotics, to applied mathematics and microcontrollers.

These programs have been delivered to students in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, and Queensland.

As head of eLearning at Techxellent, he has combined his technological expertise with his educational experience to create innovative teacher training programs and resources.

This is Stemiverse Podcast episode 45.

Stemiverse podcast is brought to you by Tech Explorations, a leading provider of educational resources for Makers, STEM students, and teachers. Go to techexplorations.com to see a complete list of our books and courses covering the Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and electronics.

Show Notes

• [spp-timestamp time=”00:00″] Introduction – Introducing Sanjin Dedic
• [spp-timestamp time=”01:42″] Marcus’ news
• [spp-timestamp time=”03:45″] Greetings
• [spp-timestamp time=”04:59″] Sanjin talks about his background in mechatronics and the oil industry, what brought him to teaching and teacher training, and his current work in developing curriculum and testing it out on gifted kids
• [spp-timestamp time=”08:27″] Why did Sanjin study mechatronics?
• [spp-timestamp time=”09:08″] What Sanjin was using during his studies between 2003-2007: microcontrollers, breadboards, machine language and MATLAB, Eiffel (object-oriented programming language)
• [spp-timestamp time=”10:24″] Being a dropout
• [spp-timestamp time=”11:29″] Sanjin’s experience at the Australian National University, feeling that he was not being taught engineering in a practical sense
• [spp-timestamp time=”14:50″] How did Sanjin carry his experience and knowledge from the mining industry sector to education and has there been an influence?
• [spp-timestamp time=”17:09″] Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
  • [spp-timestamp time=”19:06″] The story of Dropbox
  • [spp-timestamp time=”21:13″] The minimum feature set that is required to support a product
  • [spp-timestamp time=”22:52″] Finding the smallest possible amount of work you need to get valuable real-world feedback
  • [spp-timestamp time=”23:40″] Applications of the MVP in Education
• [spp-timestamp time=”26:53″] The process of writing reports is something that should come after building a prototype that works
• [spp-timestamp time=”28:25″] What should a good report be like and what should it contain? Persuasive speech, answering all the “whys,” information that is essential
• [spp-timestamp time=”30:38″] The media used for reports and presentations today – Tools like Prezi and Tinkercad
• [spp-timestamp time=”32:20″] Keeping notes
• [spp-timestamp time=”34:44″] Sanjin’s preferred Electronics Kit for teaching: Arduino Zero to Hero
  • [spp-timestamp time=”35:21″] DFRobot – Quality Arduino Robot IOT DIY Electronic Kit
  • [spp-timestamp time=”35:39″] Arduino Zero to Hero | Udemy Course
  • [spp-timestamp time=”35:46″] Arduino Zero to Hero Kit (Pre-order) – Little Bird Electronics
  • [spp-timestamp time=”35:55″] Process and outcome of The Arduino Zero to Hero Kit
• [spp-timestamp time=”37:46″] Using processing on the desktop or processing.js
• [spp-timestamp time=”38:05″] What is Processing? – Turtle Logo (programming language) for Kids
• [spp-timestamp time=”39:47″] “Processing is to Programming what Arduino is to Electronics”
• [spp-timestamp time=”41:54″] Arduino web editors such as Codebender
• [spp-timestamp time=”43:26″] The New Way: BBC micro:bit MicroPython
• [spp-timestamp time=”44:10″] What makes a good curriculum in STEM according to Sanjin
• [spp-timestamp time=”55:01″] What is “special” about G.A.T.E.WAYS (gifted and talented education)?
• [spp-timestamp time=”56:59″] People with high IQ are faster learners
• [spp-timestamp time=”01:00:21″] Sanjin’s current challenges: Setting up trials for online programs with Gateways using Zoom and Repl.it – Preparing eight lessons of teaching micro:bit
• [spp-timestamp time=”01:01:52″] Rapid Fire Questions
• [spp-timestamp time=”01:02:02″] Who has been the most influential in shaping the way Sanjin teaches? Colin Chapman, and Buck Darmon, his mentor at Keysborough College
• [spp-timestamp time=”01:04:26″] Sanjin and Peter discuss Sanjin’s favorite app, Kanban Flow, and Productivity tips
• [spp-timestamp time=”01:12:08″] How does Sanjin boost his confidence in teaching STEM subjects?
• [spp-timestamp time=”01:14:50″] Parting thoughts and advice for Educators just starting out: “Have short learning units,” “break things down into structured and open-ended.”
• [spp-timestamp time=”01:18:37″] Sanjin’s course in Techxellent: Getting Started with Scratch
• Sanjin’s Contact Information: Email, Twitter, Facebook Page, YouTube, Website, Online Courses