In Week 2 of our Designing Games Unit, designers started to dive deeper into the focus themes through the website resources as well as several Edpuzzle playlists that I created for them to build more understanding around the different themes.
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As the new semester starts, I love starting the first unit with games. This semester also brings some new resources through Games For Change.
This week we focused on playing games and identifying the components of a game. I have been finding a lot of ways to enhance my previous unit with the resources from Games For Change. Check out the teacher resources - Link My First Week of InstructionIn Week 3 of our Global Goals Design Unit, designers were challenged with different design scenarios to help build an understanding of some of the different Global Goals as well as different actions that could be taken to respond to the goals. My lessons were based off of Little Inventors STEM challenges - Link to Resource. I really appreciated these resources because of the embedded videos as well as focused challenges. Student ExamplesMentoring
For the mentoring this week, designers mentored the Oceans of Trash Challenge Module from Makers Empire.
This week designers explored the intersection of technology, coding, and creating inspired by Rosie Revere Engineer.
S - Design Thinking StoryOzobot Research
Designers teamed up to research influential woman coders in different industries, create a timeline of important accomplishments, color code the Ozobot path, and record their final research together on Flip.
T - Technology Exploration
Designers learned about how the radio function in the micro:bit works and practiced transporting virtual ducks and more.
E - Engineering Exploration
Designers learned about how servos work. Using the Bit:Explorer and micro:bit, designers coded a rotational servo.
M - Making
Designer were challenged to apply their radio and servo programming skills together.
Learning Target: Learn about, explore, and use different types of technology to make music.
S (Design Thinking Story) - Trombone Shorty
Success Criteria: I will learn about an American Musician who is influencing music today while watching an Edpuzzle to answer comprehension questions about the story.
T (Technology Exploration) - Evo Coded MusicSuccess Criteria: I will code my Ozobot Evo using Ozoblockly to create a musical light movement sequence and record my final design in Flip. My program will have a minimum of 3-5 notes, 2-3 movements, and 1-2 light changes. E - (Engineering Exploration) - Chrome Music Lab
Success Criteria: I can use Chrome Music Lab to create original music and share it to Flip using screen recording.
M - (Making) Micro:Bit Instrument
Success Criteria: I can create a cardboard instrument of my choice, add an original coded program to my Micro:bit, and share it in Flip.
Crossings by Katy Duffield
Crossings by Katy Duffield was shared with me at STEAM in the Park NERI this summer as well as the wood planks activity. I so enjoyed both the story and the activity that I wanted to create this learning opportunity for my designers too.
First designers listened to Crossings using Edpuzzle to respond to different questions about what they noticed as they listened to the story.
Makers Empire Strong Structures
Next to build a better understanding of bridge construction, I had the designers complete the Makers Empire module Strong Structures which is a combination of instructional videos and 3D design challenges.
Ozobot Animal and Bridge Crossing Challenge
So I wanted to just capture a week of learning for me as an educator, maker, and designer. I have been extremely fortunate to have connections that have been created through X and Pathfinders. I am always amazed at how invested different educational companies are in their products and how responsive they are to my comments on X.
Monday - Lectrify
A few months ago, I stumbled across a post about the Bit:Explorer created by Diego of Lectify. The not so funny thing was that we both presented on the same day with CodeJoy's Make-a-thon in August but I never attended his session. I find that this small world of makers is always ready to include you when you reach out.
I was fortunate enough to write a Donor's Choose for 20 classroom Bit:Explorers that helped push me to apply what I was learning with Hummingbird and Micro:Bit into another similar technology. I've included my playlist of Bit:Explorer because my designers have loved working with the device which we used for Talking Objects and Mini-Golf instead of the Hummingbird.
We also talked about the flex ball and printing using TPU as well as what happened when I dropped the ball and sent pieces of my Bit:Explorer flying. I learned more about using the Micro:Bit, the Bit:Explorer, and more which I am using as a model for the Global Goals Design Challenge that my designers and I are doing right now.
Reset Lever
FACT Tv Partnership
Besides learning new technologies, I am working on re-establishing partnerships to build our connections to the community. Mr. Craugh, our principal, and I have been meeting to start a partnership with FACT Tv, our local community television station. Check out our promo:
Nezha - Inventor's Kit for Micro:Bit
Pathfinders: Finch and Python
Sublimated Keychains by Amy Romeo
Lastly designers engraved using the Glowforge on the front or back depending on how they preferred the engrave.
Ask and Understand
The following day designers chose a coding challenge with the Micro:bit that connects to a Global Goal challenge using the Micro:Bit website. Student Reflections
Our designers debuted their designs with their mentor partners this Friday.
Using several days of designing interlaced with tutorial videos to expand coding options, the goal was to give teams a chance to really reimagine their initial design so that we would not have a mini golf course full of only windmills.
Micro:Bit Light Sensor EdpuzzleMicro:Bit Radio EdpuzzleDesigner ReflectionsBest Iteration Flip Student Designs
First IterationsStudent Reflections
Global Maker Day PresentationMakers Empire - Making MonstersCookiecad and Monster Making Cookie Cutters
LAUNCH of Talking Object in Flip
This project inspired by Cecilia Hillway's presentation at Make: Education Forum this past September was a challenge that required partners to work together both in their code and in their physical design. I'm going to start by showcasing the final product that was created through productive struggle.
Highlight and Fix
Create
Also plugging servos into the Bit:explorer incorrectly were aha moments. Reseting the micro:bit with a battery pack and then adding the micro:bit back to the Bit:explorer was part of the process for some teams who struggled to reach the reset button which is essential with iPads and micro:bits. Of course recognizing that a micro:bit can't be powered by a battery pack and the Bit:explorer at the same time was also an important discovery.
Navigate Ideas
Which code works better? I modeled the code that I had learned and quickly modeled how you can make mistakes. So I showed how both codes worked. No code is the only way to do something. My code has more than its share of room for improvement but it provided a starting point.
Understand
Having never done this project before, the only example that I had was the one that I created. It took me several hours to troubleshoot my design and I quickly realized that it was an important scaffold to show step by step how I created both the base of my physical design and my code.
Ask Questions
What do we need to know about the code? What do we need to know about the physical design? What do we need to know about servos? I used an edpuzzle to start building the understanding of one of the important components of the project.
Look, Listen, and Learn
Introducing the Bit:explorer as well as creating scaffolds for the use of the servo and a sample project built a beginning foundation to understand what we would be doing.
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