Leveraging CS Teachable Moments in the Maker Movement (Abstract Only)
Jennifer (Ginger) Alford, Erik L. Brunvand · 2016
The growing do-it-yourself movement relies heavily on electronics, code, and data. Abundant resources and low cost materials result in people of all ages seeking to learn how to master these modern creative supplies. We will discuss how computer science educators might tap into teachable moments provided by this voluntary, informal, enthusiastic movement to promote formal computer science study. The success of introducing formal computer science skills in the context of computing as a creative tool has been well established in the areas of media computation and digital art. It is natural to extend this idea to computing as a tool for creating physical objects and for interacting with the physical world in different ways. This discussion will focus on examples of creative projects that expose topics in computer science, including microcontrollers, 3D printing, laser cutting, toy hacking, and environmental sensing. The session will emphasize the types of computer science concepts that naturally tie into each project. Attendees are encouraged to share their own project experiences and to reflect on lessons learned, accessibility of concepts, and practical issues of class management.