Week 1 (2020)
Topics Introduction and overview. Setting our intentions for the class. What is constructionism? (Lecture 1 slides)
Readings Due Mindstorms (foreward, introduction) (.bib)
Assignments Out: Your Personal “Gears” Essay
| Topics Introductions, lab journals, lab norms and safety, Laser cutter, 2D Design. (Lab 1 slides)
Assignments Out: Omni Animal
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Week 2 (2020)
Topics Constructionism (Excerpts from Gears essays, Slides) Pencilcode
Readings Due Mindstorms Ch.1 (.bib) Mindstorms Ch. 5 (.bib) Evocative objects Introduction, 1-2 chapters of your choosing (.bib) Papert on Piaget (.bib)
Assignments Due Mon 1/27: Your Personal “Gears” Essay Out: Needfinding and problem statement
| Topics Our relationship with materials. (Processing slides) Vinyl Cutter Processing.
Assignments Due Wed 1/29: Omni Animal Out: Upcycling
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Week 3 (2020)
Topics Piagetian Constructivism, Vygotskyan Constructivism, Papert’s synthesis of Piaget and Vygotsky
Readings Due Constructivism: A Psychological Theory of Learning (.bib) Beyond the individual-social antinomy in discussions of Piaget and Vygotsky (.bib) Piaget’s constructivism, Papert’s constructionism: What’s the difference? (.bib)
Assignments Due Mon 2/3: Needfinding and problem statement Out: Praxis reflection
| Topics Computation and fabrication. GoGo Board, Woodshop
Assignments Due Wed 2/5: Upcycling Out: Rube Goldberg
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Week 4 (2020)
Topics Experience and equilibration. Working with praxis reflections.
Readings Due Problems of Equilibration (.bib)
Assignments Due Mon 2/10: Praxis reflection Out: 3C’s
| Topics Rube Goldberg trial. Digital 3d design, CNC mill
Assignments Due Wed 2/12: Rube Goldberg Out: Dream Toy (Part 1)
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Week 5 (2020)
Topics Critical Pedagogy
Readings Due Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Preface (.bib) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Ch. 2 (.bib)
Optional Critical Pedagogy and Social Theory (.bib)
Assignments Due Mon 2/17: 3C’s (Part 1)
| Topics Debrief Dream Toy, part 1. User research, prototyping (slides) Silicone casting, Vacuum forming
Assignments Due: Dream Toy (Part 1) Out: Dream Toy (Part 2)
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Week 6 (2020)
Topics Critical pedagogy, constructivism, and constructionism
Readings Due Travels in Troy with Freire (.bib) Emergent Design and learning environments: Building on indigenous knowledge (.bib)
Assignments Due Mon 2/24: 3C’s Out: Tech in the Wild (Related to the problem statement)
| Topics Interfaces, computation, digital media
Assignments Out: Interface design
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Week 7 (2020)
Topics Overview of Design Methodologies for Learning, Human-Centered Design and Design Thinking
Readings Due Some reflections on designing construction kits for kids (.bib) The Design of Everyday Things, Ch. 6 excerpt (.bib) Human-Centered Design Considered Harmful (.bib)
Optional The foundations and assumptions of technology-enhanced student-centered learning environments (.bib)
| Topics 5:00-5:30 Dream toy debrief. If families arrive, a tour of the lab is available. 5:30-6:30 Present dream toys. Families and children invited! Food will be provided.
Assignments Due Wed 3/04: Dream Toy (Part 2)
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Week 8 (2020)
Topics Glassboxing and Blackboxing
Readings Due Of Black and Glass Boxes: Scaffolding for Doing and Learning (bib) Computationally enhanced toolkits for children: historical review and a framework for future design (bib)
Assignments Due Mon 3/09: Tech in the wild Out: Tech critique (related to the problem statement) Out: Final
| Topics Learning analytics, MMLA, developing final project ideas.
Assignments Due Wed 3/11: Interface design
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Week 9 (2020)
Topics Discuss final project. Cultural forms, Epistemic Forms and Games.
Readings Due Epistemic Forms and Games (bib) The role of cultural forms in tangible interaction design (bib)
Optional Affordance, conventions, and design (bib) The Design of Everyday Things, Ch. 1 excerpt (bib)
| Topics Physical computing, final project Arduino, E-Textiles.
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Week 10 (2020)
Topics Representation, restructuration, media, literacy.
Readings Due Restructurations (bib) Changing Minds, Ch. 1 (bib)
To use in class Frog Pond (bib)
Assignments Due Mon 3/30: Tech critique
| Topics Past projects demo, final project brainstorming
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Week 11 (2020)
Topics Constructionist design of AI for learning, games for learning
Readings Due Playing and Making Games for Learning: Instructionist and Constructionist Perspectives for Game Studies (bib) Youth Learning Machine Learning through Building Models of Athletic Moves
Assignments Out: Final (Theory & lit review for paper)
| Topics AI demo, guest speaker
Assignments Out: Project prototype Out: User testing
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Week 12 (2020)
Topics Academic argumentation workshop; writing workshop.
Readings Due Read two of the following papers. Design of a Health Monitoring Toy for Children (bib) Designing ReduCat: Audio-Augmented Paper Drawings Tangible Interface in Educational Intervention for High- Functioning Autistic Children (bib) Of Elephants and Nested Loops: How to Introduce Computing to Youth in Rural India (bib) A conceptual framework to compare two paradigms of Augmented and Mixed Reality experiences. (bib) Audio journaling for self-reflection and assessment among teens in participatory media programs (bib) Co-designing Tablet Computer Applications with Sri Lankan Practitioners to Support Children with ASD (bib) Co-Designing Voice User Interfaces with Teenagers in the Context of Smart Homes (bib) How smart are the smart toys? Children and parents’ agent interaction and intelligence attribution (bib)
| Critiques Present project prototypes to invited panels of outside experts. (Details).
Assignments Due Wed 4/15: User testing report
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Week 13 (2020)
Topics Design principles and maxims
Assignments Due Wed 4/22: Literature review – list of 5 papers
| Topics Prototyping feedback and demo. Discussions on technical milestones.
Assignments Due Wed 4/22: Project prototype
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Week 14 (2020)
Topics The future of maker education
Readings Due Children are not Hackers
Assignments Due Wed 4/29: Literature review
| Topics Final project working session, technical milestones
Assignments Due Wed 4/29: Prototype iteration
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Week 15 (2020)
Topics Final presentations
Assignments Due Wed 5/06: Final Paper
| Topics BBA Expo Public showcase of final projects.Assignments
Assignments Due Wed 5/06: Final (Project)
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