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Introduction
Introduction
Our second project for iDesign was the dandelion scene. This consisted of circuits that were connected to three strands of fairy lights, a battery, and a Playground Circuit via alligator clips. Our goal was to shape these lights into a “dandelion” that, when interacted with by being blown on, lit up in a sequence predetermined by computer code. Initially, while I was even more intimidated by this project than the flower pot, three core things helped me approach it. Funnily enough, they were all strategies of self-regulation, even though I had completely forgotten that that was the learning approach we were applying to the dandelion scene: 1) Familiarizing myself with the elements farthest outside my comfort zone, 2) Breaking the project into smaller pieces, 3) Working with a classmate to monitor each other’s progress.
Theme: Self-regulated learning
Familiarizing myself with what's farthest outside my comfort zone
Familiarizing myself with what's farthest outside my comfort zone
By far the most terrifying element of the dandelion scene was the coding. I have only coded once in my life, and that was in Python two years ago. Not only did I remember nothing, but the instructions I wrote had not even worked. Thus, last week’s Thursday class saw me struggling to comprehend most of the instructions and all of the JavaScript. It was like reading another language. Due to the hubbub of the class and everyone else’s Circuit Playgrounds sparkling in the first five minutes, I felt like I, with my unresponsive circuit, would not get very far.
And I did not–– at least within the class.
Afterward, when people left and the excitement died down, I took my computer and materials to the architecture room to tinker in silence. A few other classmates (I do not remember their names) had migrated there too. After fifteen minutes of trying different variations of the code to no avail, I asked Saddichha for help. She walked me through what each little thing meant, and instead of the information bouncing off my brain like a pinball, it took hold! I understood it! We tried out several exercises and each time the circuit lit up! Then when she had to leave, I teamed up with one of the classmates near me and we spent the next hour and a half completing the Playground exercise. By the time we had reached the end, I felt giddy. This was weird because I never felt this way about CS. Ever. I believe these two hours of self-regulated, trial-and-error learning were critical to ensuring that the dandelion scene I made the next day went off with barely a hitch.
Why did it have to be coding?
Bird by bird...
Breaking the project into smaller pieces
Breaking the project into smaller pieces
Speaking of the dandelion scene, another strategy that helped me was breaking the project down into manageable chunks. While I ultimately completed the project in just over a day, it was a great mental practice. This is because when someone as inexperienced as me first looks at this project, you feel like you went from doing one LED to a hundred LEDs. While it is actually more like three LEDs, because we were manipulating three strands of fairy lights, the idea of creating code for a hundred little bulbs seemed astronomical. I highly appreciated seeing the three-step cycle of plan/do/evaluate reminders on the slides, as it allowed me to compartmentalize tasks in my head. My friend and I decided we would tackle the circuitry that day and the programming the next. This way of breaking down the tasks was actually effective enough that we completed the circuitry quickly and were excited enough to start the programming almost immediately after.
Working with a classmate to monitor each other’s progress
Working with a classmate to monitor each other’s progress
Lastly, working with a friend in Fimbel Lab made the project ten times easier and ten times more fun. I said earlier that the project barely went off without a hitch, but one thing that got me nervous for at least five minutes was not knowing how to connect the copper tape to the pins of the Playground Circuit. Luckily, Rosalind showed me how she used the alligator clips and battery, and without that, I would have likely floundered for a lot longer. Honestly, the key to project two was collaboration and asking for help. If I did not have my friends and/or peers to talk to, my self-efficacy, skills at self-regulation, and dandelion scene as a whole would not have flourished as much as they did.
My roommate!
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