Throughout the course, student groups, that they call companies<\/em>, are formed to innovate together. \u201cThe students decide which projects they will do. Sometimes they even continue developing them into university.\u201d \u201cEye Buzzer\u201d is one of the 7 prototypes the \u201cDeblind Caps\u201d team made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The classroom methodology includes games to learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)<\/a>. \u201cWe observe the global scenario, in a transversal way that has to do with their lives, interests and pains,\u201d she emphasizes. The teacher believes that project-based learning broadens the future perspective of young people and shows the importance of continuing to study. \u201cIt is wonderful to learn with the students. The projects are also an excellent opportunity to recognize their realities and help them have more self-esteem: they can realize that they are capable of changing the world,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One issue that caught the team’s attention was accessibility for people with visual disabilities, after a cousin of a student mentioned that she was going to teach Braille. \u201cShe invited them to talk with teachers who give these classes and inclusion professionals from the Department of Education of Bucaramanga,\u201d she recalls. They then delved deeper into the problem, looking for data at global, national, and regional levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, they saw that there was a problem of upper body injuries suffered by this population. They brought this up in the \u201cCommunity of Inquiry\u201d, a space in the classroom where someone presents an idea and everyone asks questions. And at the same time, they continued researching in articles and scientific journals that tried to solve the same problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They then decided to create a mechanism that would detect and warn when a barrier was nearby. The idea was that it would be something that could be placed on the head, which is an area more vulnerable to impacts. The first stage was to test an automated system that would allow this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With further research, they arrived at a low-cost and functional formula. The programming was done with Arduino, an open-source electronic prototyping board. In addition, they needed Raspberry sensors, which are multi-platform single-board minicomputers and have a lower cost (depending on the model, the sensors can cost less than 40 US dollars). \u201cThe design and programming are done by the students. It’s very different from buying imported technology that you have to pay a patent for,\u201d she compares. They tested everything in class and the theories were validated in practice. The device worked: the sensors that indicated obstacles and the vibration and sound alerts were well connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting the prototype to work was just one part of the process. The team considered the user experience equally important. In total, they made four designs. The first was simpler, just to test the sensors. \u201cAfterwards, we started thinking about angles and movements. In the second, we had a beret that the group considered ugly. We replaced it with a cap and put the sensors on top. But we had to think about how to protect the device from rain or accidental bumps,\u201d recalls the teacher. In the Solve for Tomorrow mentoring sessions, a 360\u00ba camera was presented, attached with a magnet, and that was \u201cEureka.\u201d \u201cThat day we didn’t sleep, we met and worked to see how to integrate this camera into the cap. Finally, we came up with a design that was more effective and discreet,\u201d she concludes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n With these projects, we are teaching them to learn from mistakes. We say that you should always have a plan B, says Delgado.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n To validate the prototype, the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana was an ally. They participated in an event at the institution where they presented the project and a student with a visual disability offered to test the prototype. \u201cHe fell in love with the project and made some suggestions for improvement for the future, such as integrating a cane and installing a georeferencing system,\u201d she describes. Later, they had the opportunity to test it in other institutions and fairs with more people with visual disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project mentors helped the educator with materials that she continues to use in class, such as Design Thinking<\/a>, a methodology for developing answers or solutions to complex questions or problems. \u201cThey gave us work tools that I share with my classmates. It’s very practical and good knowledge,\u201d she says. Now, the young people are at university, studying Electronics and Biomedicine, but they are still interested in working on the project when they have free time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDiscussions inside and outside the classroom lead to the prototype<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n Eureka moment! <\/h5>\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA new vision of inclusion is born<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The teacher felt that the experience taught the students to communicate<\/a> effectively, whether in the production of the video or the final presentation. \u201cThey do everything themselves, with the tools they have and in their own language,\u201d she says proudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n