Preface

      This book provides a guide to learning microcontrollers (μCs), appropriate for educators, researchers, and makers. Microcontrollers constitute a popular type of embedded computers. This technology has been experiencing, in the last decade, the widespread dissemination of do it yourself (DIY) culture and gradually shifting away from electronic engineering (EE) discipline (where it was originally meant to be used). The today's wave of the ready‐to‐use and stackable μC board systems and the shareable – over the internet – libraries, render feasible the rapid development of microcontroller‐based applications. Furthermore, the modern μC programming methods have managed to abstract the low‐level tasks, and consequently, today's technology can also be utilizable by the computer science (CS) discipline. However, to learn, in in‐depth, how to develop microcontroller‐based products, one has to pay particular attention to practices related to the hardware domain as well. The current effort exploits the modern development tools and programming methods, while also providing a scholastic examination of the critical, hardware‐related practices on microcontrollers. Through a series of carefully designed example codes and explanatory figures, the book provides to the reader a unique experience on establishing a clear link between the software and hardware. The latter constitutes perhaps the most challenging area of study, which could be considered as the basis for making the passage from “have knowledge of” to “mastering” the design of microcontroller‐based projects and applications. The book also features a theoretical background appropriate for instructors and educational researchers, which provides to the reader a unique perspective on the educational aspects related to the process of microcomputer programming and application development.

Chapter 1 is structured with scientific rigorousness and is primarily addressed for educators and educational researchers. The chapter first introduces a novel classification of today's embedded computer systems, in terms of the tasks linked either to the CS or EE discipline. This interdisciplinary technology between the two disciplines aims at helping readers clarify the possibilities, limitations, and learning difficulties of each category. Then the chapter provides a unique perspective on the educational aspects of microcomputer programming and application development. The original analysis applies to the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model, and attempts to clarify why the programming language should be considered as the technology integration, toward helping students create their knowledge about the subject matter. It also justifies why the employed technology may arrange the tutoring more appropriate for either the CS, or the EE, discipline. Subsequent to that analysis, the chapter explores the additional endeavor required to understand the capabilities of microcomputer technology and addresses the coined micro‐computational thinking (μCT) term in order to describe the thought processes involved in the solutions, carried out by a microcomputer‐based system. The μCT term is not differentiated from the existing and well‐known computational thinking (CT) concept, but is rather addressed to reveal the thought processes related to the application development with embedded computers. Because of the maker movement in education (and the fact that microcontrollers constitute a low‐cost and easily accessible technology that can be straightforwardly incorporated within any makerspace), it would be wise to consider an upcoming turn to the educational research efforts related to microcomputer programming, at expense of (or complementary to) the conventional computer programming courses. This attempt would raise questions such as: “What is the difference between programming a regular computer and a microcomputer? How could we arrange the content knowledge of a technical subject matter without too much focus on the specified technology?” This chapter applies to such issues and provides information that can be used as a reference guide for further educational research in microcontrollers, and embedded computers in general. Moreover, in order to understand the today's impact of microcontroller technology on the maker industry,