Makey Makey

One of the first things I tried with the Makey Makey kit was the “Banana Bongo” activity that is outlined in the setup guide included in the package. It took a few minutes to get going, but as soon as everything was hooked up, it was a hoot to play with! Even my fiance wanted to get in on the fun (although our puppy was not amused!!)! You can view the musically stylings of my fiance in the (grainy) video below!

 

I then went on to explore with a bunch of different items I had laying around my house. It was fun to explore the various possibilities and the fact that bananas worked made me stretch myself to try other unusual objects before ruling them out. The fact that this kit made me start questioning and thinking in new ways from the moment I started playing with it really got me interested. I can see my students really getting into this and discovering so much without any input from me!

Here are some of my failed attempts:

After a few tries, and a visit to my home office, I found some materials that worked.

Of course, the first connection I made regarding the kit and elementary curriculum was the   unit our 4th grade science teacher teaches on electricity & circuits. We are focusing on including inquiry-based instruction when it is appropriate and I can see the students discovering some of the concepts on their own in order to make this circuit work. At our school we also try to allow time for our students to work on coding. Using the MM kit with the site Scratch is such a neat way to get the kids engaged with coding in a whole new way. As I played with the kit more I realized the value of this maker kit goes beyond the obvious. As a 2nd grade teacher, I teach the students about sound. The Makey Makey site has different instruments that can be controlled using this kits. I can see my students creating a really cool digital band in the computer lab with these kits and applying the vocabulary and concepts they have learned already to these instruments. Next year, I can see this being a tool I use to encourage the students to discover some of the concepts we study on their own without my input! Of course, I also think that their collaboration skills and ability to persevere will be tested by this kit.

To create a project that I could easily use with my students, I went through the following steps:

1. Gather small metal objects. Of course, you could also use bananas or other fruit, but in a school I don’t see that as a practical option; paperclips, however, are abundant and cheap!
2. Connect the objects to the circuit board with the alligator clips.

3. Connect the alligator clips to the circuit board.

4. Plug in the USB cable from the circuit board to your computer.

5. Visit www.makeymakey.com/piano  

6. Hold the alligator clip that is attached to the “Earth” part of your circuit board in one hand and start tapping your metal objects to make music!

 

I was inspired by last week’s work to create a bit of a remix to summarize the work I did while exploring the MakeyMakey kit. I, of course, included an example of the lesson I outlined above, but I also wanted to connect it to the “Failure to Success” video of last week by showing a few of my fails. I also wanted to include some of the ideas and thoughts that came to mind as I was exploring. Check out the video below!

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/160556712″>Makey Makey</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/user38095039″>Lori Opron</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

 

*The addition of the pictures and videos helps to illustrate ideas that may not have come across with just words. As people go through a post, having images and videos helps to clear up misconceptions and also makes it a lot more interesting to read!

Maker Remix

As I began learning more about the maker movement, Carol Dweck’s TED Talk about the power of believing in the “Power of Yet” came to my mind instantly. Ever since I watched that TED Talk, I have used the line “you’re just not there yet” with my students constantly. I work hard to instill the idea that they will make mistakes, they will encounter challenges, they will be frustrated, and that is all okay! Mistakes mean we’re learning! This idea of overcoming struggles until you succeed is perfectly demonstrated in the maker movement. Allowing children the opportunity to be creative and make things is one of the most authentic ways to teach them problem solving and perseverance.

My next thoughts were focused on time. I am willing to bet that most teachers struggle to fit everything they want to do into the school day. With each new and unique instructional idea, one of the first things we ask ourselves is “When?” I decided to back up and think about what my students would get out of the opportunity to explore and create. The list was long, but I narrowed it down to how their character would be positively impacted. Our school focuses on four character traits as a part of our character education program: respect, integrity, responsibility, and perseverance. When I think of a child sitting down for “Maker Time”, I can see them learning a lot about being responsible with their time and materials, being respectful of other kids’ ideas and failures, showing integrity by focusing on doing their best work, and, of course, they would have to learn to persevere. As I was creating a remix to represent the idea that our failures lead to our successes, I was challenged, frustrated, and engaged. Although there were times I wanted to call it quits, I also found myself being motivated by the challenge. It was engaging to learn a new skill and solve problems. This activity showed me the importance of putting our students in that same type of situation. They need to learn how to fail in a safe environment so they know how to react in every day life. The kids are so used to being set up for success all the time and getting a prize whenever they win a game that many of them have no idea how to fail, problem-solve, and try, try again. These skills and lessons are so important for the kids to learn that it is hard to not justify the time to allow these kids to experience the success and failure that the maker movement brings.

Check out the remix video I created below. It is certainly not perfect and I do think I have a lot to learn, but I enjoyed the journey getting to this end product.

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/159721459″>Not There.. YET!</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/user38095039″>Lori Opron</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

References:

Growth Mindset and Failure. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/15664662@N02/18525580481/in/photolist-53Tg1H-9WpJwB-CSB7rR-tcQTjZ-ue3rE2-zCJjGY-cSkNGS-bN1ytr-iifqnr-oS2tWs-o2EFGs-w6oPVg-bmPVRa-9WsziA-7ayVmX-ijmP6T-zbB5Do

Think Inside the Box: The Power of Creative Constraint. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGyjGwSQXpg

Zoella Background Music. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from https://soundcloud.com/katefo/zoella-background-music

Nevergiveup. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VJlvqc6jIjk/maxresdefault.jpg

Growth Mindset Poster. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/131993690@N04/16665714110/in/dateposted/

How To: FAIL To SUCCESS. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDvRsfzWidY

Learn From Failure. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/69977212