Collaboration, Cooperation, Coding connected with Gaming

 A couple of years ago I came across this post by Colleen Graves on Instructables “Collaborative Makey Makey Sensory Maze.” It was such a cool project and it inspired me to make a collaborative Makey Makey maze for my kindergarten students for a solar system unit we were doing. I shared that project in a previous post: Coding, MakeyMakey and a Field Trip Around the Solar System. This project was so much fun to make and included the kindergarteners' voices and recordings with facts about what they learned about the different planets during our research but the coding and the building of the map was done by me and not by the students. I have always wanted to do a project where the students were the ones to code, design and build an interactive conductive board with Makey Makey, this year I had the chance with my fifth grade students.

For this project, fifth graders were challenged to work in collaborative groups and design, code and build cooperative, interactive video games. Students worked in design teams using different conductive materials and technology tools to create their interactive games.  Their game needed to be a cooperative game, two players that needed to work together to win the game.

The project started with introducing students, or reintroducing some students, to the Scratch coding program. Scratch is a free online coding program designed at MIT’s Media Lab. Scratch coding is a way for students to learn the coding language, as well as learning how to design, solve problems, iterate, share their work and amplify their voice.

Fifth graders explored the different code blocks, characters and background options. They also spent time playing games created with Scratch and shared to the Scratch site by students from around the world. This helped spark ideas about games that they could make themselves and allowed them to explore the code they would need to make their games. Scratch is a wonderful tool to use when integrating the Shared Foundation of Collaborate into the learning experience. When exploring the resources in Scratch “Learners participate in personal, social, and intellectual networks by: using a variety of communication tools and resources (Learner III.B.1) and establishing connections with other learners to build on their own prior knowledge and create new knowledge.” (Learner III.B.2) Fifth graders connected and explored the work of other learners from around the world on the Scratch Explore page, seeing what students were able to build and because Scratch is an open sourced coding platform, use some of the code that other students created. They also were able to build on the knowledge they had about coding, learn new coding techniques and build new code to share in the games.

Next students were put into their game building groups. Groups had a brainstorming session where they came up with ideas about what type of game they wanted to create; a maze, avoidance, where the players had to move to avoid an object, or a collect game, where players needed to collect objects in the game, or a combination of these different types of games. They also need a theme of the game and to design their game board. Then each group decided who would do each job in their game design and building. Some students focused on the coding, they would create and test all the code to make their game design work. Game board builders focused on wiring and building their interactive game boards using conductive materials and the Makey Makey. Finally the designer worked on the theme of their game, including background, characters, art and design of the game board. The group brainstorming and planning process focused on “Learners working productively with others to solve problems by: soliciting and responding to feedback from others” (Learner III.C.1). Fifth graders needed to listen to each other, give feedback and discuss options and come to a consensus on their game. They also needed to decide who was going to take on each of the roles to ensure that their games could be completed in the time allotted.

Now that each team had their design, theme, and plan set, they got to building their games! The coders worked on coding the games to work. When they were challenged with a code they couldn’t figure out how to execute, they talked with fellow classmates, searched the Scratch website for similar games to look at their code and searched Scratch message boards for advice. Through this iterative process, learners “actively contribute to group discussions” (Learner III.D.1) and fifth graders identify collaborative opportunities by: “deciding to solve problems informed by group interaction” (Learner III.A.3).

The game board designers worked with a variety of materials to make a large game board that would lay on the floor that players activated with their feet. They used conductive materials like copper sheets and conductive HVAC tape that were connected to wires that students cut and stripped and connected to a Makey Makey. A Makey Makey is an external plug and play circuit board that allows conductive materials to connect with a computer and coding that when triggered the circuit is completed and the code is triggered in the Scratch game. The game boards were triggered when the conducted materials were stepped on and connected to the instructions in the code. The game board designers tested and retested as they added the different layers of their game boards to ensure their buttons were working at each stage of the building process.

The designers were coordinating and working with each of the groups. They were working with the coders to find background images, characters, villains and objects for the players to collect in the game. They were also working with the game board builders to make sure the layout of the game boards worked and that the designs and illustrations added to the game boards fit with the theme of the game.

The fifth graders recognized throughout this process that they would not have been able to complete this on their own. They needed each other to share the building, coding and wiring. They also needed each other to talk through challenges and ideas as they were building their code, wiring and testing their boards and connecting all the pieces together to make a working interactive game board. Learners “recognized learning as a social responsibility” (Learner III.D.2).

After several sessions of building, coding, wiring, testing, editing and rethinking their game plans all their games were complete and it was time for game day share out! Each of the laptops with the Scratch program and game was projected onto one of the screens, connected their boards and students had a blast playing each others’ games!

Books and 3D Printing: the Library Book Recommendation Vending Machine

 So much of the collaboration that I engage in is with co-teachers at my school or with and among my students but one of the best sources for sharing ideas and collaborating with fellow educators, for me, has been on social media, especially Twitter. I have followed so many great educators and creative people that also spark new ideas for books, projects, additions to the library space and more. I believe this is another way the “School library provides opportunities for school librarians to connect and work with the learning community by: Facilitating diverse social and intellectual learner networks” (School Library III.C.1). This summer I came across a post from a makerspace teacher that sparked an idea for a great start of the year book, design and technology project for my fourth graders, a toy vending machine!

I have followed @designmaketeach on twitter for years and have been inspired by a lot of the projects he does with his high school students in the school makerspace. Over the summer I came across this tweet:

I loved these machines as a kid! The excitement of twisting the dial to see what toy, stickers, or cool bouncing ball you would get. This sparked an idea, what if fourth graders designed small 3D prints that would go in the machine with a book review for our third graders. I decided to give it a try and have this be the first project of the school year for my fourth grade students. I was able to purchase the machine and the acorn containers that hold the small toys. I chose the machine that did not need a quarter or token to get a toy. We were all set to start the project.

Fourth graders started by thinking about a book that they loved to read in third grade and thought our current third graders would like too. Students shared with each other and talked about what books would be great recommendations for third graders. This process was a way for students to discuss books with each other and also think about what they would like to share with fellow learners. Students were “actively contributing to group discussions” (Learner III.D.1).

Students then wrote out a description of the book and then crafted a two to three sentence teaser about the story to get a third grader excited to read the book, the thought of it like a short commercial. We shared an assignment through Google Classroom with a template for the book slips that would go in the acorn containers. Students included the title, author and call number of the book. We did some editing and revisions on the teaser slips and the students were ready to move to the next step of the project.

Next came the challenge, fourth graders needed to design an object that was connected to the book. They sketched out their ideas and planned their designs. Some designs included beanstalk from the Land of Stories, a hamburger from Stick Dog, and more.

Then we did a refresher tutorial on how to use Tinkercad, our online 3D design software. Students worked on using the shapes and items in the software library to build and make their designs. We also focused on measurements. Students measured their designs using the tools in the software and then measured the acorn containers that their objects would need to fit into. Then fourth graders started designing and working on their 3D objects. They were creative using the shapes in the library and then adjusting and re-adjusting their objects to make sure their measurements were correct. After the designs were completed, students uploaded their files to the library website to be 3D printed.

Next came the test, did their prints come out the way they wanted and could they fit into the vending machine acorns? Some prints worked, some were too small and some were too big, others had to make adjustments to parts or pieces of their designs. Back to the design process and another iteration of their 3D prints, students made adjustments to their 3D files, resubmitted them and printed the designs.

Once the prints were the correct size and design the fourth graders wanted, they added color details to their designs with markers, printed out their book commercial slips and assembled their vending machine acorns.

The book recommendations and 3D printed objects were added to the library book recommendation machine ready to spread the word about some awesome books for third graders. The project was a great success, fourth graders were thoughtful about their book recommendations and spent time learning more about the 3D design process. They also went through the iterative process, printing out their designs and making changes if the print did not work. Fourth graders learned that design is a process and it might not be successful the first time. It has also been wonderful to see the third graders so excited about the machine, looking at the book recommendation and making a connection with the 3D print and learning about some new books.

First Graders learn and work together to build a healthy city ecosystem!

This school year has been challenging for so many reasons. With the global pandemic there has been remote learning, hybrid learning and in person learning with precautions like students six feet apart, masked and no shared materials. It has been a challenge to design projects that are hands-on and collaborative for students with all of the restrictions. The first graders study the idea of community, their school and neighborhood communities and our Chicago city community. The Covid pandemic has also brought to our attention the inequity in our cities, towns and communities.

I spent time thinking and planning a project that would connect with the study of community. I also wanted to incorporate some hands-on building and a way for students to be collaborative. As I started to think about the last year and make connections with the topic of communities and think about the designing and redesigning process, the idea of rethinking our city and community started to form and this reminded me of a wonderful picture book biography I had purchased for the school library a few years back, Walking in the City With Jane: The Story of Jane Jacobs. Jacobs poses the question “What does a city need to be a healthy ecosystem?” This was the big question first graders tackled for this project!

Students started with reading the book Walking In the City With Jane: The Story of Jane Jacobs  by Susan Huges. The story shares the life of Jane Jacobs, an urban thinker and activist. Jacobs believed that cities were amazing places to live and that they should be ecosystems designed for all people. Students talked about what the parts of an ecosystem are, the living and nonliving things. Then in small groups students explored other books including The Curious Garden about the Highline in New York and the 606 in Chicago. Some groups read the book The Secret Subway, the story of the origins of the NYC subway system. Students made connections with the idea that building a train underground was originally thought to be an impossible idea and that sometimes ideas that seem impossible end up being ideas that work. Students also explored books about bridges around the world, free little libraries, wind and solar energy and water systems in cities. Throughout this process students collected information and ideas about what were essential parts of a healthy ecosystem, they were “actively contributing to group discussions” (Learner III D.1) as well as “developing new understanding through engagement in a learning group” (Learner III A.3.)

Next, first graders worked together to think about how they could reimagine and rebuild the city of Chicago as a healthy urban ecosystem. They started by brainstorming what is needed in a healthy city for every person living there to be healthy, happy and safe. Students shared ideas about housing, transportation, water, green spaces, food, stores, places to work, exercise and entertainment spaces. They also talked about how to use green energy like solar panels and wind energy to take better care of the earth. First graders brainstormed ways to make sure everyone has a place to live, food to eat and transportation. We used Jamboard to collect student ideas and connections, using this collaborative tool allowed students to see each other's ideas, make connections and build on them to come up with an extensive list of ideas on how to build a better future city of Chicago. This was a way of “establishing connections with other learners to build on their prior knowledge” with these new ideas students were able to add to their understanding and their design plans “creating new knowledge” (Learner III B.2.)

Then first graders were given the challenge to design and build their neighborhood in the future of the city of Chicago. Students drew out plans for their neighborhood ecosystem. With their ideas down on paper, first graders were ready to start prototyping their neighborhood ecosystems. The library team put together a maker cart full of building materials including different cardboard shapes with connectors to make buildings and structures, pipe cleaners, puff balls, different colored construction paper and tissue paper, feathers, foam shapes, and more. First graders started building! They built roads and waterways, future transportation systems, gardens on top of buildings, amazing playgrounds and houses, farmers markets and robots that deliver food to everyone. Students were creative in the materials they used and the designs they created. First Graders also worked with classmates to connect their neighborhoods together.

Finally, first graders made videos explaining their neighborhoods, what they built and why their designs were a healthy, happy and safe ecosystem for everyone. All of the neighborhoods were placed together in the library to create a giant 1st grade prototype of the future City of Chicago, a website was created to share the videos, photos and the project and a bulletin board was created outside the first grade classrooms. Students were so creative and thoughtful as they designed a space that is a wonderful future ecosystem for our city. Throughout this project students used a variety of resources including books, web searches, online databases and each other to learn more about healthy city ecosystems. They designed and then built their prototypes using a variety of materials to make their ideas and designs come to life. Finally they recorded videos and images to contribute to a collaborative website to share their projects with the whole community. Through this project the school library “modeled the use of a variety of communication tools and resources” (School Libraries III B.1.) Also giving students the opportunities to brainstorm, share ideas, talk about their designs and share, the school library illustrated how to “cultivate networks that allow learners to build on their own prior knowledge and create new knowledge” (School Library III B.2.)