ReturnBring MakerSpace Projects to your Classroom: A Hands-on Museum of Circuits!
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Colorado Convention Center, Bluebird Ballroom Lobby, Table 18
Participate and share: Poster 
Trips and ToursPresenters
Session description
Purpose & objective
When we attended ISTE in 2023, we went with the purpose of finding real tools to bring back and implement in our classrooms. We feel like we were successful in doing this, and we want to share the best tools and processes that we learned, and teach easy ways to implement these tools. We also want to show what is possible if you take these separate tools and collaborate among a whole grade level to create a walk-through, hands on "museum" of circuitry.
Fourth Graders in our district learn about circuits, so we focused on ways to create circuits, and narrowed our materials to three main tools:
Makey Makey Kits: Participants can create interactive art, musical instruments and game controllers using just a Makey Makey kit, paper and a pencil!
MicroBits: Participants can code Micro:Bits circuits using makecode coding to run lights, motors, and other graphics.
Circuit Playgrounds: Participants can make circuits with Playgrounds using the makecode coding platform to create light shows, sound, and other interactive elements.
We will have photos and videos available to watch, which will show participants our school model and how we made this concept come to life at our school (and how it can be possible for them, too!). We will have laptop stations set up so that participants can have a hands-on experience with Makey Makey kits, Micro:Bits, and Circuit Playgrounds. We will also bring authentic examples of student work for them to interact with.
At the end of this session, our participants will walk away with the knowledge of how to use these simple tools, which are relatively low cost and easily accessible (and success can be had without the use of the tools as well).
Outline
We will have photos and videos available to watch, which will show participants our school model and how we made this concept come to life at our school (and how it can be possible for them, too!). We will have laptop stations set up so that participants can have a hands-on experience with Makey Makey kits, Micro:Bits, and Circuit Playgrounds. We will also bring authentic examples of student work for them to interact with.
At the end of this session, our participants will walk away with the knowledge of how to use these simple tools, which are relatively low cost and easily accessible (and success can be had without the use of the tools as well).
Supporting research
https://youtu.be/oQvcbLmNfok
https://makeymakey.com/
https://makecode.microbit.org/
https://makecode.adafruit.com/
https://learn.browndoggadgets.com/Guide/The+Clapper/245?lang=en
https://learn.browndoggadgets.com/Guide/The+Instant+Star+Guitar/441?lang=en
https://classroom.littlebits.com/inventions/light-up-safety-dog-tutu
https://classroom.littlebits.com/inventions/serial-music
Session specifications
Innovative Designer
- Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
- Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.
- Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.