Assignments

Process Documentation 

Documentation of your creative/design/artistic process is an integral part of your creative practice so throughout the duration of the semester every student must carefully document all of the work created in this class, from brainstorming sessions with post-it notes, to pages in a sketchbook to rough prototypes. You will post this documentation on your process website on a daily or at least weekly basis. More details on why this is important and how to set up online documentation can be found here. 

Assignments (25% of final grade)

  1. MakerSpace Training – 5% (due Sept 23)
  2. Analog Manipulatives Assignment – 6% (due Sept 30)
  3. Interactive Electronics: Inputs & Outputs – 6% (due Oct 15)
  4. Interactive Electronics: Simple Learning Game – 8% (due Oct 28)

MakerSpace Training (due Sept 23)

Get trained in the Tandon MakerSpace. Post a photo of your sketchbook notes and a short response on something you learned or a question that came up for you after the training. (for example: what are some good uses for X tool… where can you buy materials for X type of project?… ) 

For the Tandon MakerSpace, start here: https://makerspace.engineering.nyu.edu/orientation/

For the IDM Design Lab Space: https://wp.nyu.edu/idmtech/design/

Analog Manipulatives (due Sept 30) 

Design a tangible learning aid to help a learner explore one or two of the concepts from the themes below:
**Note: Explore means that the learner should be able to actively manipulate and change things in order to build their understanding of the concept(s)**

  • Mechanics & Making Things Move 
    • Basic circuit
    • Hand Crank / Energy generation
    • Draw Bot 
    • How a motor works
    • Simple Machines: Levers, Pulleys, Springs, Gears
    • Gears (solving problems with various options)    
    • Digital motor control (DC, servo, stepper) [microcontroller] 
  • Playing With Sound 
    • Understanding wavelengths & energy → amplitude and frequency 
    • Transducer — converting energy from one form to another (i.e. movement to sound) 
    • Theremin (with Ultrasonic sensor) 
    • Solar musical instrument 
  • Soft Circuits & Wearable Tech
    • What is a circuit?
    • Resistance, Voltage, and Current 
    • Ohm’s Law: V=IR 
    • Paper circuit bracelet
    • Fabric bracelet
    • Sewing with Conductive Thread 
    • Making your own switch/sensor? 
  • Solar & Wind Energy
    • Transducer — converting energy from one form to another 
    • How a solar panel works 
    • How a wind generator works 
    • Solar Draw Bot
    • Solar Musical Instrument 
    • Solar Bug/Sculpture/etc. 

REQUIREMENTS:

  • You may work in teams of three
  • Your tangible learning aid must consist of at least five physical objects
  • Your physical object should be comprised of either: 
    • physical elements you can manipulate by hand– cardboard, straws, recyclables, beads, fabric, etc.; 
    • elements you can laser cut– cardboard, acrylic, balsa wood, etc.; 
    • elements you can 3-D print
    • Or some combination there-in
  • Bring your objects into class AND post images to Slack tagging your partner 

Interactive Electronics: From Inputs, Outputs, to Simple Learning Game (due Oct 15 & 28)

We will now take the same concept that you identified in the previous assignment and explore a design with electronics to create interactivity, which supports learning. Scope your problem space using the themes/concepts above reusing same concept if you choose.  You will start with some basic sketches and electronic tests and move to a simple learning game/activity.  

  1. Sketches & Small Building Blocks [Oct 15]
    • Sketches: Electronic interactions give you another way to explore the ways in which we provide feedback and stimulate interaction.
      • Come up with three sketches of ideas for how you might create a small interactive experience or simple learning game which centers exploration of the concept(s) that you have chosen using the microcontroller components.
      • Design could facilitate participation, communication, check understanding, collaboration, engagement, etc.  
      • Indicate how interactivity will be sensed using an input sensor (i.e. buttons, flex sensors, switches, distance sensors, potentiometer/knob) and what the output will be (i.e. lights/LEDs, Speaker, LCD screens, etc.). How will the electronics be embedded in physical objects that facilitate the tangible learning experience? 
      • Think critically about how the learner interacts and how that interaction will help them understand the concepts. 
      • Post sketches/ideas on Slack (tagging your partner) AND Bring sketches/ideas to class to share and critique 
    • Arduino Building Blocks: You will put together the circuits & code to create interactive behavior between input sensors (i.e. button, tilt sensor, potentiometer/knob, etc.) and outputs to your microcontroller (motor, LCD screen, LED strips, etc.). The idea is that this will get you started for incorporating them into an interactive activity/learning game. 
      • Control LEDs with a button press and/or switch. (completed in class and document) 
      • Store button state to switch between on and off.  (optional, but useful! can find in slide 65) 
      • Create circuit with one input and output that is different than a button and LED based on your sketched ideas and what sensors/outputs you might use for the second part of the assignment!
      • Post a link to your documentation on Slack of what you explored
  2. Interactive Activity/Simple Learning Game [Oct 28]
    • Iterate on one the sketches (or some combination) to build out into a final interactive design that can support learning the concept(s) you have chosen.
    • Embed the electronics into the physical objects to finalize your interactive activity/simple learning game.
    • Explore your rationale for how you think it will improve the learning experience based on the design decisions you have made. 
    • Post a video of it working to Slack (tag any partners) and the rationale and reflection on your design.