Kids creating interactive displays for the school? Kids making kiosks and interactive maps for the library? Kids creating interactive wall mounted displays for local museums and zoos? Yes. Not only is it possible, but my students want to support their local school and community with your help.
Students in my courses program everything from video games to augmented reality applications.
We are moving into creating interactive opportunities for different populations. My girls only technology club has made prototypes of an interactive wall piano in the shape of a lion. Another student is making a kiosk for our library so that students can see the activities going on by touching a map. The school is part of the largest school district in the city and is the most central of the high schools. Our population is very diverse and our students pride themselves on being an inclusive student body. Students in my courses are disproportionately young men and I believe that this kind of technology would create an interesting set of opportunities that will lead to higher female enrollment and engagement.
My Project
Makey Makey boards can be used to create a wide variety of interactive opportunities from creating the kind of wall mounted piano that one of the student groups has been working on with one of our two current Makey Makey boards, and after the install that one will not be available for students to use until the display comes down. Students can learn about how keyboard inputs are given to a computer, why a circuit works, what materials are conductive, how to engineer a user input device for ease of use, and more. Additionally, students can learn about how computer code can be used to provide a real world experience for their end users. We also recently realized our goal of having a 3D printer brought into our classroom so students could learn to create the housings for the Makey Makey and their user input devices.
For many years the focus in schools has been on academics and knowledge of how to do things.
In many ways the vocational aspects of actually building something and the practical reason for learning computer coding is sometimes lost in the mix. Students creating interactive opportunities for others to help, to entertain, and to excite are all opportunities for the whole community. As if that isn't enough research shows it is just the kind of experience young women thrive in when given a chance.
DonorsChoose.org is not a fundraising site of the district or school that I work for; this is a personal request and the funds/product will go directly to use in the classroom at my school. School District 11 is not responsible or liable for any aspect or component of this project.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Wybrant and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
