Maker Innovators: Youth Modeling and Making of Complex and Bidirectionally Responsive Tangible and Wearable Computing Designs

• In Event: 52.069 - New Perspectives for Serious Gaming: Games That Integrate Making and Playing for Learning

Abstract

1. Objective
Researchers have argued that tools beneficial for learning need to be low-threshold (easy accessibility) but also have a high ceiling (authenticity and transferability to more complex contexts) (Resnick & Silverman, 2005). Often, individuals are taught tangible computing in the form of one-way interaction, such that the responsiveness is either directed to the physical element (i.e., an LED reacting in the clothing) or on the screen (i.e., a character moving) when a physical sensor is touched. The goal of this workshop was to create games with bi-directional responses (Blikstein & Wilensky, 2007) by combining low-threshold construction kits with coding literacies.

2. Perspective(s)/ theoretical framework
Kafai and Peppler (2011) argue that creating with contemporary media is crucial to critical understanding of media design. Transparent tools, or those that show their inner-workings (and aren’t “black boxes”), are required for effective scientific thinking (Resnick, Berg & Eisenberg, 2000). The “black boxing” effect resulted in a lack of research on physical interface design around creating media for learning (Bayliss, 2007; Davis, Kafai, Vasudevan & Lee, 2013). While designing tangible interfaces with digital elements isn’t a new concept (O'Sullivan & Igoe, 2004), even when teaching youth learners (e.g., Richard, 2008), newer tools have helped to simplify that learning process. Tangible construction kits, such as the Makey Makey (Silver, Rosenbaum & Shaw, 2012), with its plug-and-play friendly design, allows novices to think through tangible elements as well as screen-based ones, especially through its coupling with Scratch, a visual, block-based coding software that makes digital and computational reasoning more accessible (Resnick, et.al., 2009). The Lilypad Arduino helps to illustrate computation and design in novel ways, and disrupt preconceptions around computing, through the creation of electronic textiles (Qiu, Buechley, Baafi & Dubow, 2013).

3. Methods and Data
The curriculum involved youth integrating and designing with all three kits and environments over eight weekly, 2-hour workshop sessions. Students worked in teams, negotiating and working on different aspects of their projects. The primary data sources are participant interviews and surveys, and final project artifacts.

3. Results
While not all teams were able to create fully bidirectional game designs, all (except one) had created prototypes that with minor tweaking would have been fully bidirectional (time being the major limiting factor). Further, most of the students expressed understanding the affordances of complex designs, and being able to create them had they had more time. Many also expressed feeling that understanding these concepts had utility for their learning and future careers, that the curriculum tapped into at least one of their interests, and that they had a stronger understanding of computation. I will present the youth-created projects and their sense of understanding and efficacy as examples of the coding and making literacies involved.

4. Significance
In addition to learners understanding interrelated computational structures and affordances to create complex tangible designs, this study has implications for tapping into an array of student interests to help them understand the way complimentary strengths and expertise work in the real world.

Author

• Gabriela T. Richard, The Pennsylvania State University