Fashion Meets Function: Creating Wearable Tech in the Classroom

Outline

Session Title: Fashion Meets Function: Creating Wearable Tech in the Classroom
Total Time: 60 minutes
Time Content & Engagement Process / Audience Interaction
0–5 minutes Welcome & Introduction Overview of session goals, introductions of presenters, and framing of session purpose. Interactive poll or show of hands to gauge attendees’ prior experience with wearable tech. Presenters invite quick audience input to build connection.
5–15 minutes Defining Wearable Tech in Education Explore what wearable technology looks like in middle school classrooms, highlighting creativity, engineering, and coding. Present student examples and short demonstration videos. Audience Q&A and group discussion on potential classroom applications and student engagement benefits.
15–25 minutes Design Thinking in Action Walk participants through the student design cycle: brainstorming, prototyping, testing, and iteration, emphasizing creativity and problem-solving. Peer-to-peer discussion: participants share how they currently integrate design thinking or PBL in their teaching.
25–40 minutes Hands-On Microchallenge Participants engage in a guided design challenge using LED circuits or a digital simulation (Tinkercad or MakeCode). Device-based activity in pairs or small groups. Presenters circulate to support and encourage collaboration and experimentation.
40–50 minutes Assessment and Reflection Present creativity and innovation rubrics and student reflection examples. Discuss how to assess both process and product in wearable tech projects. Participants review rubrics, evaluate sample student work, and discuss formative assessment strategies for design-based learning.
50–60 minutes Takeaways & Resource Sharing Summarize key ideas, share ready-to-use classroom resources, project templates, and digital tools list. Group reflection: “One idea I’ll try next week…” Participants share via a collaborative Padlet or brief verbal share-out.

Audience Engagement Summary
• Engagement occurs every 5–10 minutes through polls, pair discussions, and device-based exploration.
• Hands-on component immerses attendees in the design process, modeling how students experience wearable tech learning.
• Collaborative reflection ensures participants leave with concrete strategies and resources to implement immediately.

Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to design and implement wearable technology projects that integrate creativity, engineering, and coding in middle school classrooms. They will identify materials and tools needed for hands-on learning, apply project-based learning strategies, and use provided templates and rubrics to assess creativity and innovation effectively.

Supporting research

Presenter Resource Page
Session Title: Fashion Meets Function: Creating Wearable Tech in the Classroom
Presenters: Amber Agee (Sipsey Valley Middle School), Tiffany Linebarger (Hillcrest Middle School), Rachael Green (Duncanville Middle School)

Supporting Resources & Recommended Readings
1. Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Basic Books.
A foundational text that explores how technology can empower students to think creatively, solve problems, and construct their own learning through hands-on exploration.
2. Resnick, M. (2017). Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play. MIT Press.
Mitchel Resnick highlights how educators can nurture creativity and innovation — core elements of wearable tech projects — through the “Four Ps” of learning.
3. Martinez, S. L., & Stager, G. (2019). Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. Constructing Modern Knowledge Press.
A practical guide for teachers bringing maker-centered learning and engineering design into their classrooms, including project planning and classroom management tips.
4. Blikstein, P. (2013). Digital fabrication and “making” in education: The democratization of invention. FabLearn Conference, Stanford University.
Research connecting fabrication, creativity, and equity in STEM education — showing how making technologies (like wearables) engage diverse learners.
5. Bers, M. U. (2020). Coding as a Playground: Programming and Computational Thinking in the Early Childhood Classroom. Routledge.
Explains how coding can be both playful and powerful, supporting computational thinking and creativity in young learners.
6. Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2020). Agency by Design: Designing for Maker-Centered Learning.
https://www.agencybydesign.org
A framework that helps educators empower students to explore design thinking, agency, and creativity through making.
7. Micro:bit Educational Foundation. (2023). Micro:bit Classroom Resources.
https://microbit.org/teach/
Free classroom-ready coding and design resources for introducing microcontrollers in wearable tech projects.
8. Autodesk. (2024). Learning Circuits and 3D Design in Education.
https://www.tinkercad.com/learn/circuits
Interactive tools for students to simulate circuits, design prototypes, and build wearable devices digitally before fabrication.
9. International Society for Technology in Education. (2021). ISTE Standards for Students.
https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Defines student competencies that align with wearable tech learning — including creativity, innovation, and computational thinking.
10. Alabama State Department of Education. (2023). STEM Technologies Course of Study.
https://www.alabamaachieves.org
Outlines Alabama’s state standards for STEM, including objectives for integrating design, engineering, and digital technologies into middle school education.

Session Takeaway
These resources collectively support wearable technology as a pathway for creative, equitable, and authentic STEM learning. Each emphasizes the connection between design thinking, computational skills, and student voice — the heart of “Fashion Meets Function.”