Guiding lights: a classroom light system for knowing when to chase aurora

In Manitoba, the longitudinal middle province of Canada, we are fortunate enough to live under the auroral oval. This oval is the common trajectory of the northern lights (aurora borealis) as they illuminate the skies over the northern horizon. A primary challenge of seeing the aurora is being able to identify, with some degree of accuracy through evidence-based data, when to go outside. There are several scientific data values that provide insight as to when to venture beyond the light pollution of urban centers for a clearer view of the ethereal lights. A simple measure for this is called the planetary index (Kp) based model [1, 2]. Within this model, values range from 0 to 9 based on the disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field as a result of the plasma stream ejected from the Sun known as the solar wind. Simply, a fast solar wind causes great turbulence resulting in an intense geomagnetic storm and a higher Kp value.

I encourage preservice teachers to be aurora chasers for interest, curriculum connectivity, and place-based authenticity [3]. This article is designed to tell a two-part story of the innovation and use of a simple and inexpensive technology that draws online data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and uses a carefully crafted program to command an LED strip light system to flicker specific colours based on the Kp-index values (see figure 1). Our innovation was inspired by Robinson's solar wind monitor made within a school geophysics project [4]. The first part shares the steps, challenges, and insights from how a team led by undergraduate student Karen Latimer innovated the lights.

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The second part describes the themes of questions asked by the unexpected volume of curious people arriving to the lab to see the lights. Three distinct areas of inquiry were collated to be: (a) about the technology, (b) about the aurora, and (c) about the potential use of the lights in classrooms and greater community spaces.

This project is positioned at the intersection of three theoretical frameworks. The PIC-RAT framework [5], which expands from Hughes, Thomas, and Scharber's [6] model of distinguishing the purpose of technology integration in classrooms into areas of: replacement (R) where the technology replaces traditional teaching, amplification (A) intending to amplify student learning, or transformation (T) where the technology provides a learning experience not possible in the absence of the technology, encapsulates the essence of this project. Kimmons [5] introduces three additional contexts superimposed over the initial three categories based on the relationship teachers have with the technology by further discerning the intended use of the technology for students as passive (P), interactive (I), or creative (C). This additional layer illuminates the purpose and manner in which technology is integrated [7]. In our project, the construction and integration of the lights are creative (C) and transformative (T). The amalgam of creativity and construction within a transformative integration of educational technology can be visualized through Evard's [8] extension on Papert's [9] concept of constructionism, in contending that people actively learn while creating and making.

Constructing the lights emerged from a place of curiosity, passion, and inquiry with a vision for greater use by schools, community centers, and by the public. This process was rooted in teaching and learning science through inquiry [10] as the nature of our project began and progressed through student innovation and curiosity. The lights began as a student-led inquiry for those directly involved, and became a demonstrated inquiry for passersby. This sentiment underlies the nature of our classroom, and what I hope preservice teachers take with them on their pathway towards becoming in-service teachers.

Beginning with seeking deeper insight into when to go outside to see the aurora, our team began studying the coding and project ideas provided by NASA [11] to make this user friendly for our lab as the prototype for use beyond our classroom. For this part of the project we chose to use the Philips Hue Bridge (henceforth 'Bridge') and Philips Hue Strip Light system (henceforth 'lights') [12]). As we researched comparable LED systems, this one was selected for cost to application ratios, reported functionality, and ease of usability. We coupled this hardware with an accessible application programming interface (henceforth API) and Python module found on github.com.

We then began the process of designing our lights by determining the parameters from which the light system would be engaged. The parameters we selected were three-fold. First, the light system would activate in our room during the school day. Despite the laboratory nature of the room comprised of raised and lowered lab benches, gas spigots, a fume hood, and cupboards full of data collection and laboratory equipment, I maintain this as a community space open and accessible for building and fostering positive educational relationships. As such, our lab is a place where people directly or indirectly involved in our class often visit.

Second, the lights needed to be permanently affixed. Underlying this parameter was to model the realities of teaching and learning, especially with technology. This project prepares preservice teachers for purposeful and feasible technology integration skills that are transferable to different contexts and technologies. With the intention of designing something that did not require daily installation and removal, it provided a context for preservice teachers to model choices they will make as future teachers in terms of criteria, constraints, and considerations of integrating technology into their classrooms. To this end, a reason strip lights were chosen was that they had an adhesive backing which made for easy installation under the white board (see figure 2).

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The final parameter was that the program was coded to run off my laptop computer. The reason for this was to ensure the lights would only flicker when I was in the lab, as this would prevent the lights from activating if another class used the space.

After establishing these parameters, we determined the logistics of engaging this system. The key challenge for us was to connect the Bridge directly into the Wi-Fi router that serves the lab as a critical performance criterion is for the Bridge to transmit the appropriate signals. With the assistance of the university's Information Services and Technology personnel, a special hardwired port was identified in our room and made accessible for this connection. A secondary complication was revealed immediately as these lights needed to run off the secure University Wi-Fi, which is password protected. In terms of design time, overcoming this problem took the most time. In the end, we solved this problem by running the lights off a secondary network generated by a travel Wi-Fi-router.

The second aspect to this was the realization that the code interacts with the Philips API in the Bridge to communicate the instructions to the strip lights. There are three main functions detailed in the Python code. First, the application must connect to the Bridge using the API. Retrieving the IP address of the Bridge and creating the username is done through the API utility developed by Philips. These values are hard-coded into the program and allow the Python program to interact and control the lights. Second, the system needs to retrieve the Kp-index data from NOAA. The data is contained in a JavaScript Object Navigation (JSON) file retrieved over the internet connection to the public on the NOAA website [13] and parsed in the Python code.

The last step was the logic function that controls the light itself. Using coding skills, and some trial and error, the colours of the flickering light were assigned based on the average Kp value calculated from the JSON input file. The light attributes are manipulated in the code and sent to the Bridge API. Below is an example of one day of Kp-index values retrieved from JSON (see figure 3).

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In an effort to share this project with readers, we have developed an implementation guide, with technical details and artifacts that can be found at: https://github.com/klatimer1/KP-Project.

The activated light system was first introduced to preservice teachers within our Teaching General Science course. Embedded within the Grade 9 astronomy curriculum, teaching, and learning segment of the class, interest in the lights grew rapidly.

The lights flicker their representative colour (see table 1) every 10 min. Kp value and probability of seeing aurora are directly proportional, as in a low Kp value reflects a lower probability of seeing the ethereal lights in the northern sky.

While truly just a strip of flashing lights, they serve a much greater educational purpose. Their presence and coloured flickering became a source that evoked inquiry-based questions from both students and colleagues. It became a tangible and concrete source of curiosity about the aurora, the technology, and the application of the system. In fact, there were so many inquiry questions, the lights acted as a launch point for higher order thinking. Overall, our learning became so much richer because of it. In this light, three separate themes emerged from these discussions.

4.1. Theme one: questions about the lights

4.2. Theme two: questions about the aurora

4.3. Theme three: generated ideas for use in both classrooms and community spaces

As we seek to guide teachers towards meaningful physics and technology applications in their classrooms, it is necessary to shift away from the habit of technology for technology's sake. By bringing external interests and passions into the classroom and focusing on a relevant local astronomical phenomenon, it became possible to design a system that uncovered and implemented a natural relationship between coding and physics for place-based, authentic technology integration. The lights, despite their simplicity, invited people to further their learning.

This was not designed as a research study. It is an innovative idea to inspire and provide a model for practitioners and teacher educators interested in bringing technology into their classrooms in ways that are meaningful to people and relevant to the content and context. This was a happenchance occurrence as a result of designing the light system out of my passion, and my students' interests and expertise, and having the external curiosity in it be unexpected. From this I draw attention to two items. First, this project is an example of what can happen when educators are engaged in their own learning and pursuits. This surely cannot be all of the time, but it is something that can act as a model for teachers who wonder if they should pursue their interests. Second, people are curious about science. People may have been turned off by 'school science' sometime throughout their academic careers, but this does not necessarily mean that they are uninterested in the natural world. Here in Manitoba, Canada, we are fortunate enough to see the northern lights on a semi-predictable basis. Having a light system that helps in identifying the probability of their manifestation is both interesting and an example of how technology integration can be aligned to the physics content.

With thanks to Karen Latimer, and Dr. David Mandzuk (University of Manitoba), and Dr. Elizabeth Macdonald and the STEM Lab (NASA) for their support and contributions to this work.