Resources

Drawing inspiration from provocations and the Paper Mech group, we invite teachers to simply make something that moves. The materials table offers provocative displays of familiar materials (paper, card stock, bamboo skewers, rulers, hole punchers, tape, hot glue, scissors) and specific tools like rotary cutters, leather hole punchers, brass fasteners, and matte board.

Building from the work with simple paper mechanisms, we invite teachers to design with interactions in mind. Circuit materials like LEDs, batteries, buzzers, switches, and buttons add another dimension to the playful making that teachers engage in together. The introduction of tools like a dye cutter (e.g., Cricut, Cameo) and a laser cutter open new space for designing and making interactive artifacts.

Continuing to build, we introduce the Micro:bit, asking teachers to make something that might tell a story. Some chose to do this exclusively within the Micro:bit environment, others explored motors and sensors to embed the Micro:bit into their evolving projects.

As students and teachers engaged together in computational play, we designed for flattening existing hierarchies around tools, materials, and experience with technologies. To that end, we invited folks to take apart obsolete electronics (e.g., VCRs, old camcorders, even broken laptop computers!) to learn about what's inside! Folks were encouraged to reuse things they found in new kinds of playful projects, like buttons, motors, LEDs, etc.

Teachers and students asked for more specific time to learn about digital fabrication technologies like laser cutters, 3D printers, dye cutters, and CNC mills. We organized a 1-day workshop based on the provocation of making something that is "3D." A slideshow of inspiration was developed to support ideation and computational play!