The field of computational textiles has shown promise as a domain for diversifying computer science culture by drawing a population with broad and non-traditional interests and backgrounds into creating technology. In this paper, we present a curriculum that teaches computer science and computer programming through a series of activities that involve building and programming computational textiles. We also describe two new technological tools, Modkit and the LilyPad ProtoSnap board, that support implementation of the curriculum. In 2011-12, we conducted three workshops to evaluate the impact of our curriculum and tools on students' technological self-efficacy. We conclude that our curriculum both draws a diverse population, and increases students' comfort with, enjoyment of, and interest in working with electronics and programming.
In this hands-on Studio, you'll explore Modkit [1], a new toolkit for creating tangible interfaces (e.g., bike handlebars with interactive lights and sounds). Modkit makes it possible for novices and experienced programmers/designers to bring tangibles to life by offering graphical command blocks inspired by the Scratch programming environment [2]. Modkit tools work with the Arduino [3] platform's library of code (such as C/C++) to enable users to participate in a community rich with project ideas and sample files. Modkit supports multiple representations of codegraphical command blocks can become editable textbased code to offer additional avenues for learning and sharing. The Studio welcomes members of the research, industrial, academic, maker, and I-just-wantto-have fun communities of all experience levels to participate. Participants will have opportunities to use Modkit in personally-meaningful ways. Participants who wish to extend Modkit tools with new functionality will have opportunities to do so. The organizers will conclude the Studio with a discussion around activities, example projects, and approaches to adapting the toolkit to different settings. Participants will contribute to brainstorming about potential uses, future directions, and collaborations.
This paper describes Modkit -a toolkit that makes it possible for novices and experienced designers to create their own interactive objects by combining graphical blocks inspired by the Scratch programming environment and the Arduino platform. The demonstration will feature the current Modkit components, activities, and projects that illustrate how the toolkit blends Scratch and Arduino platforms to extend what and how young people are able to create. We will present example projects made by young people, discuss the details of the system implementation, and highlight the implications our design decisions had in informal learning environments.
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