‪Mustached pig, lightsaber, and crossbody purse, oh my! So many different designs in our Class V sewable circuits unit! #MakerEd #STEAM @brearleynyc @lectrifyit‬

Another year, another collection of super creative designs from these Class V girls at The Brearley School. This year, we used battery holders from Lectrify. Next year, I’m hoping to use the metallic thread in lovely colors (rather than the usual grey-ish color) which belatedly arrived.

I’m hoping to launch an afterschool activity, Wearable Wires, where we can spend a bit more time on wearable creations and include some kind of microcontroller (Lilypad, Gemma, Micro:Bit), sensors (light, sound, temperature, heartbeat), fancy lights (Lily Tiny,Flora NeoPixel), and some programming (Arduino, MakeCode)…

Trying out @QloneApp 3D-scanning mobile app for a totem project in Class 5 next week. @BrearleyNYC #MakerEd

 

@LizArum, Education Community Strategist at Ultimaker North America, sent out information about the Qlone App by Eye Cue Vision Technologies. I just tried it out today, and it seems to be an incredibly powerful 3D-scanning app for my iPhone. All you have to do is print out the black/white checkered mat (which can be scaled and printed in different sizes), place your object (hopefully one without transparent or moving parts), and either slowly circle the mat with your phone or spin the paper until the augmented reality dome encircling the object reveals that your scan complete.

I’m about to launch a 3-D design project that integrates with Class V’s study of the Pacific Northwest. Last year, I noticed the girls painted enormous 2-D renderings of totem poles which hung on the walls (and ceiling!) of the 7th floor Art Department hallway at The Brearley School (I wish I could find my pictures of these awesome and huge panels). After seeing their paintings last year, I thought a 3-D version might be a worthwhile integrated project..

This year, I saw a bulletin board outside their homerooms where teachers hung totems made by the girls out of the cardboard tube inside paper towel roll. I was able to tell the girls that we’ll continue this idea by designing a totel in Tinkercad. I’m still thinking about the parameters of this upcoming 3-D design project:

1. How many objects shall they include?
2. Shall they be free to arrange these objects vertically, horizontally, or in some other shape (like in a circle for a wristlet)?
3. Shall they locate objects online or scan physical artifacts that they bring in or both?
4. Shall they have the option to scan their head/body to be part of the design?
5. Shall we print these out? If so, shall we make small versions to be worn as a pendant or keychain?

I love offering student voice and student choice, but I don’t want the girls to be overwhelmed with possibilities. All I know right now is that I’ll have them sketch their designs on paper first. I’m just worried a little that this project will take too long, especially as I only meet with my Class 5 girls once a week. Fingers crossed!

Here’s a video from Qlone’s FAQ section of their website:

Fun with sewable circuits, Class 5, and @PietroEnnis at @BrearleyNYC #STEAM #MakerEd #elemaker

@PietroEnnis and I are wrapping up a Class 5 project on sewable circuits. These Brearley girls are so fun to work with! They are creative, funny, inquisitive, and passionate about whatever they set their mind to. For this project (which correlated with a study of electricity in Science class), students were tasked with creating a circuit using conductive thread, as many as 5 LEDs, a coin cell battery, and some sort of means of powering their circuit (a battery pocket or a LilyPad battery holder with switch). Projects included dog collars, wrist cuffs, neck ties, donuts, animals, ice cream cones, and a skateboarding taco.

Before anyone began threading needles or cutting felt, everyone was asked to draw a template of their project (to scale) on paper. This sketch included the location of the battery pack, location of any lights, and distinct paths for the conductive thread in order to connect the negative “legs” of the lights and the positive “legs” of the lights.

While I’ve used YouTube videos and various resources in the past to help students review how to sew a parallel circuit, this time I brought Jaymes Dec and Ji Sun Lee’s book to class. Make: Tech DIY has great project ideas, lovely photos, and clear instructions. I love supporting my friends!

Class 5 #FunKeyFunKey cardboard @Scratch instruments! @BrearleyNYC #MakerEd #STEAM #musedchat

I feel so lucky and blessed to have joined the community of teachers and learners at The Brearley School this year. It is a K-12 girls school established in 1884 (a year before my beloved Bryn Mawr College), and as per their mission statement, Brearley “challenges girls of adventurous intellect and diverse backgrounds to think critically and creatively.” They embrace #SplendidNerdiness, and everyone is kind and brilliant. I’m surrounded by Doctors, as many of my colleagues hold doctorates in their fields, and I joke it’s like working in a hospital!

My colleague, Pietro Ennis, and I both teach Class V (aka, Grade 5). We have been brainstorming ways to infuse the curriculum with more STEAM, hands-on, and MakerEd opportunities. Our first project of the year is a variation of something I launched previously with  Emily Sticco and her 8th graders at The School at Columbia University. Students craft original creations in cardboard, design circuits, add conductive elements, program music in Scratch, and connect their cardboard “instrument” to their Scratch project with a FunKeyFunKey board.

(I’m running a similar project at the next Scratch Day on December 10th which will be hosted at The Computer School. It’s a great, free, family-friendly event for any ability level from beginner to advanced.)

My friend, Steven Lewis (@inventionlab), created the FunkeyFunkey as part of his Make!Sense line of reasonably-priced and accessible micro-controllers and sensors. It’s a pleasure to be able to purchase great tools from Stephen, as he also provides assistance, resources, information, and local delivery! The FunkeyFunkey Simple is only $9.95 and the FunkeyFunkey Sensor starts at $29.95 plus whichever sensors you purchase. We invested in class sets of FunkeyFunkey Sensor boards, Infrared (IR) breakbeams, hearbeat sensors,tilt sensors, three different kinds of touch sensors, and a bunch of his well-designed alligator clips.

​​