Pixel Play is a new technology which allows users to program LED light displays using Scratch blocks. These lights can be attached to objects, clothing, or other surfaces to create interactive games or activities. Prior to this project, little testing had been conducted on Pixel Play. My role in this project was to research and collect creative workshop best practices, design a workshop/play test, facilitate workshops, and collect qualitative data that could be used to improve the design of Pixel Play.
Project time frame: 8 weeks
Tools used: Primary Literature, Expert Interviews, Scratch Micro World, Craft and Dollar Store Materials, Soldering Iron, Circuit Boards and Motion Sensors, Google Slides, Google Docs.
Team members: Christina Marquez, Jaleesa Trapp, and Kreg Hanning
Link to poster, abstract, and lighting talk (School of Architecture): https://msrp2021.virtualpostersession.org
Introduction and Questions:
Pixel Play
In order for a technology to be considered successful in Lifelong Kindergarten(LLK), users should be able to produce a wide variety of projects.
In LLK, play tests and workshops are the main ways we gather feedback on a new technology to determine its creative potential and to inform future design decisions.
Questions:
1. How might we design an ideal work environment for youth in order to maximize creativity when learning about emerging technologies?
2. How might we understand the range of possible uses for Pixel Play through providing children with an ideal creative work environment?
3. How can we design technologies that allow youth to create meaningful projects with programmable lights?
Scratch Blocks used to code Pixel Play
Background: Creative Learning in Lifelong Kindergarten
Image borrowed from Mitchel Resnick
Creative Learning Spiral
In LLK, we aim to provide opportunities to young people where they can simultaneously work with emerging technologies and grow as creative learners.
The creative learning spiral is an essential component of how we design not only our technologies but our workshops as well.
Workshops are set up to spark paticipants imaginations and allow them to create anything they can think of using the tools around them.
Wide Walls
Another critical component to creative learning is the idea of technologies and workshops having low floors, high ceilings, and wide walls.
Low Floor = Easy to get started. High Ceiling = Projects can
become increasingly complex over time.
Wide Walls = There are a variety of paths someone can take.
Image borrowed from Mitchel Resnick
Methods
Literature Review: To gain an overall understanding of how creative learning works in LLK as a whole, several relevant sources were reviewed:
• Lifelong Kindergarten by Mitch Resnick: Discusses the importance of creative learning and how we can provide students with an environment that sets them up for creative success using the 4 P’s.
Projects: allow them to make their own projects, not just interact w/ technology
Passion: let them work on projects that are meaningful to them
Peers: provide a space that is naturally collaborative, but don’t force teams
Play: give them plenty of room to explore and experiment
• Learning Creative Learning (LLK): Goes into depth on the 4 P’s and provides a space for educators to reflect and make their own projects.
• Learning Creative Learning (LLK): Goes into depth on the 4 P’s and provides a space for educators to reflect and make their own projects.
• The Computer Clubhouse by Mitch Resnick et al. : Technological Fluency in the Inner City: Discusses the importance of providing a space for youth where they can feel free to experiment and pursue their interests.
Interviews: To collect workshop design best practices, interviews were conducted with 7 experts in or surrounding the field of creative learning. These tips were then put into practice through a play test session.
Materials Table: Pick your Favorite Summer Activity
Workshop Best Practices:
Have the space set up so that
it is accessible and encourages experimentation (have a variety of materials, all packages open, don’t have any tools behind closed doors or not in plain site, seats and tables set up to encourage collaboration).
it is accessible and encourages experimentation (have a variety of materials, all packages open, don’t have any tools behind closed doors or not in plain site, seats and tables set up to encourage collaboration).
Dollar Store materials are great because people won’t be afraid of ruining them.
Project Examples: A paper lantern that changes color.
Project Examples: A basketball rim that lights up when you make a basket.
Workshop theme should be broad enough that a variety of projects can be made but specific enough that people are able to easily get started (narrow start, wide end).
Show example projects (starter and inspirational) to get people started.
Working on projects: Steven (right) making an interactive bongo drum, Krishna (left) making a bike helmet that signals which direction you’re turning.
Take lots of pictures and videos during the workshop so you can go back and see things you missed.
Don’t take over when someone asks for help, keep your hands behind your back.
Leave a lot of time for playing, but don’t skip ending reflections.
Results From Play Test Session
Using feedback gathered through the play test, we were able to identify some changes to be made in the hardware itself, the software and the workshops.
Hardware: People wanted the ability
to take input from the outside world andoutput light configurations based on that input. Added a Motion Sensor.
to take input from the outside world andoutput light configurations based on that input. Added a Motion Sensor.
Software: People wanted to be able to use ‘IF’ statements to make their code more complex. Added ‘IF’ Block.
Workshops: One participant had trouble getting started, and would have liked to seen some code to start. Created mini-cards with short snippets of code.
Pixel Play with Motion Sensor Added
Workshop
After refining the design of the workshop and making the adjustments to the software and hardware mentioned above, I facilitated a workshop with 10 high school aged students from the Boston area.
Mini-Card, several of these were shown at the beginning of the workshop
To get people started during the workshop, we each introduced ourselves and shared our favorite color and our favorite summer activity.
After introductions, I introduced the mini-cards and asked everyone to recreate one of them using their favorite color.
Think about your favorite summer activity. How can you change or enhance that activity using programable lights?
Wide variety of materials, youth played around and started to think of project ideas
A 'bike wheel' that lights up when it spins.
A drum that detects movement.
Results & Conclusions:
Each student created a project that was different from the rest (wide variety), leading us to believe that Pixel Play has good creative potential.
In the future we would like to facilitate more workshops with different age groups so we can get a better idea of the range of possible uses for Pixel Play.
Link to detailed results from workshop: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jDSxj2aCgeiGAIsul21ZIGMMCyiXOiBTURWsJISxj9g/edit?usp=sharing
Slide Presentation used in workshop: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fCEN3dXei-Z_lngZqEsvr4RjC2UlgL2efn8lG14Ovj0/edit?usp=sharing
More images from workshop: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WTBKNF3uB3qpJFcV9
Workshop Organization Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18WsMGCwAedlPWGvsEYvXBnxWStLKDtkF76qILkL2pEg/edit?usp=sharing
