Tinker with Technology

PLA 2014 Indy

Tinker with Technology: Simple and Creative Programs for Kids and Teens

Program Organizer and Speaker : Katie LaMantia, Teen Librarian, Schaumburg Township District Library Speaker : Amanda Barnett Jacover, Youth Services Librarian, Glenview Public Library Speaker : Michael Campagna, Youth Services Librarian, Barrington Area Library Speaker : Bradley Jones, Experiential Learning Coordinator, Skokie Public Library Speaker : Renee Neumeier, Young Adult Librarian Supervisor, Evanston Public Library Speaker : Janet Piehl, Youth Services Librarian, Wilmette Public Library

A detailed discussion of the presentation along with handouts are available at the tinker blog (Tinker: connecting library folks who work with kids, teens and technology: http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com/

Handouts are also available in pdf format at the PLA Conference Programs site: http://www.placonference.org/programs/, Tinker with Technology, Friday, 10:45.

The presenters are part of a network group called Tinker, based in the Chicago area. Members are from all across the country and new members are welcome. This group creates opportunities to explain technology and ways to learn through play. It is open ended. To learn technology you have to play with it and make mistakes. Technology programs at the library are tied to the public library mission, dedicated to working with literacy. Ideas of literacy are expanding to include other areas. Creative collaborative communication and critical thinking happen easily in programs organized around technology.

Consider a drop in program with all the technologies available. This type of program is for all ages and does not require sign-ups. For all other programs pre-registration is highly recommended.

The Exploratorium blog is highly recommended: http://makeitatyourlibrary.org and also Maker Magazine.

Stop Motion Animation:

This program will work well with 3^rd grade-high school. The techniques are easy. Divide the kids into groups of three with one computer for each group. You need cameras, scenery and inanimate actors. Programs that work well are Windows Live Movie Maker or I Movie. Take a series of pictures. Change the amount of time each photo is on screen. Start with .25 seconds. The kids have to communicate to solve problems and to tell the stories. Participants often go home and make more movies.

The handout:

Size of group: 2-5 filmmakers per computer/camera station

Program duration: 1½ hours

Prep time: Low-medium Staffing: 2 people

Equipment: Computers, webcams or digital cameras, small toys, and assorted craft supplies for scenery and props. Legos also work very well for stop-motion.

Stop-motion is a technique that allows you to animate 3-D objects. You begin by shooting a series of still photographs, changing the position of the objects very slightly from one photograph to the next. Then you string the images together in quick succession using a computer program like Windows Live Movie Maker or iMovie. This creates a “flipbook” effect and transforms your still photographs into a movie. We recommend dividing your program like this: 30 minutes to plan the movies and build sets; 30 minutes to shoot the photos; and 30 minutes for editing. If possible, at the end of the pro-gram, screen the finished movies for participants and their families. Stop-motion is quick to learn but offers lots of room for experimentation and growth. It also creates an end product that will make your participants proud and is easy to share.

Further Resources

Please see the Tinker blog for a full stop-motion animation tutorial: http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com 

90 Second Newbery

Katie LaMantia Teen Librarian, Schaumburg Township District Library klamantia@stdl.org

Tinkering with Technology: Simple and Creative Programs for Kids and Teens tinkerfolks@gmail.com

http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com/ @TinkerGroup facebook.com/tinker.folks

This program requires a camera/camcorder and a tripod. Shadow puppets work well, along with a variety of other inanimate characters.

The handout:

Size of group: 2-5 filmmakers per computer/camera station Program duration: 1½ hours Prep time: Low-medium Staffing: 2 people

This program requires a camera/camcorder and a tripod. Shadow puppets work well, along with a variety of other inanimate characters.

The handout:

Size of group: 10  Program duration: 2 hours– filming

Prep time: Medium-high Post-Production and Editing time: Medium-high Staffing: 2 people

Equipment: Video equipment: Camcorder, camera, or iPad. Props and background materials. Editing soft-ware: iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or Adobe Premiere Pro

Condense a Newbery award (or honor) book into 90 seconds—yes, this will often be ridiculous. The goal is not to have a book trailer. Movies can be done in several formats: stop-motion animation, puppets or props, Claymation, live action, and animation to name a few. Get creative—add a twist to the filming! Staff can create the script, or have the kids do a script-writing session.

Step 1: Pick the book and have the kids preread if possible.

Step 2: Create the script—it can be a separate program, Teen Writing Club can create it, or by staff.

Step 3: Gather necessary props and background.

Step 4: Program time—assign actors and jobs, film the scenes.

Step 5: Post-production—staff or tech-savvy teens can edit and add music, text, special effects.

Upload videos to YouTube or Vimeo. Submit videos to kennedyjames@gmail.com by December 20, 2015.

Resources and Tips

 Kids and teens cannot often make more than one session of filming, so actors may be inconsistent. Doing one longer session of filming or a several-day workshop may be easier than several spaced-out sessions.

 Don’t get bogged down by perfection in filming or editing.

James Kennedy’s tips for creating and filming a 90 Second Newbery and twenty-five videos to inspire you and your patrons: http://jameskennedy.com/90-second-newbery/

 Pencil Animation

Tinkering with Technology: Simple and Creative Programs for Kids and Teens tinkerfolks@gmail.com http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com/ @TinkerGroup facebook.com/tinker.folks

Katie LaMantia Teen Librarian, Schaumburg Township District Library klamantia@stdl.org

This event requires a free open source program that is available for download online: http://www.pencil-animation.org . Two instructors are best and limit the program to 12-15 participants. The handout:

 Size of group: 15  Program duration: 1.5 hours

Prep time: Medium Staffing: 2 people

Equipment: Computers with Pencil animation software installed, mice, or tablets with stylus

Preparation: Install Pencil animation software onto computers/laptops (free).

Use Pencil animation software to draw an object or character. Set the number of frames/second: the greater number of frames, the smoother the animation. Use to add a new frame.

Four types of layers: Bitmap and Vector (Image), Sound, and Camera. Add multiple layers and rename (example– background).

Press to watch and remember to keep it simple!

Resources and Tips

 Download for Pencil Animation software: http://www.pencil-animation.org 

 Quick tutorial/refresher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n18lavQK60g  

 Use a tablet and stylus to get precise drawing results.

 Use Onion skin to see previous frame for a more seamless animation.

 Artbots

Renee Neumeier Young Adult Librarian Supervisor, Evanston Public Library rneumeier@cityofevanston.org

Tinkering with Technology: Simple and Creative Programs for Kids and Teens PLA 2014 tinkerfolks@gmail.com http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com/ @TinkerGroup facebook.com/tinker.folks

Any age can do this program, especially as a family program. Materials needed are plastic cups, CDs, paper plates pool noodles, and an electric toothbrush for each participant. (available for $ at Dollar Tree)

The handout:

Size of group: 15 (plus parents if kids are K–2)

Program duration: 1 hour–1.5 hours

Prep time: Low Staffing: 2 –3 people

Equipment: Dollar store electric toothbrushes, pool noodles, plastic cups or other items that can be used as the artbot’s body; markers, electrical tape, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, glue, googly eyes and other decorations, pliers

There a lot of different ways to make artbots, and most importantly there’s not one right way to create one. The following is just one way to make an artbot. The first artbot we attempted included a Solo cup, a motor and battery from a dollar store electric toothbrush, three markers, and some tape. A post on the Geek Dad website (see below) was helpful when getting started. It turns out that other libraries and museums had been trying out art-bots too and tried using pool noodles (which you also can get at the dollar store). They’re easier to work with and to decorate.

The hardest part of making an artbot is getting the motor and battery out of the toothbrush. Removing the bottom of the toothbrush and then banging it on the ground to get the motor and battery out seems to work well. If you use pliers to pull everything out, you risk stretching out the toothbrush’s spring. Plus banging it on the ground is fun. Once you’ve pulled out your motor and battery pack, you need to reassemble them. You’ll want to try to line up all the metal pieces on each section, make sure your motor runs, and then tape or rubber band it together. Mount it on your pool noodle, cup, or whatever you want to use, add marker legs, decorate it, and then turn it on and see what it does (make sure to remove the marker caps).

Further Resources

Additional instructions: 
http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Motorized-ArtBot-Robot/224 
 http://www.lottie.com/create-downloads/Kathy-Ceceri-robotics-how-to-build-an-artbot.pdf
https://roboticslady.makes.org/thimble/make-an-art-bot 

For inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnL4222gtWc 

Tinker blog post with additional information: http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/squishy-circuits

Light Painting

Tinkering with Technology: Simple and Creative Programs for Kids and Teens PLA 2014 tinkerfolks@gmail.com http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com/ @TinkerGroup facebook.com/tinker.folks

Janet Piehl Youth Services Librarian, Wilmette Public Library jpiehl@wilmettelibrary.info

Art Meets Technology: Light Painting

Use an ipad or a camera set to long exposure. For lights use flashlights and /or battery powered colored lights (all available at a dollar store). Stretch a balloon or colored saran to the end of a flashlight. Lengthen the shutter speed. Use a tripod. You need a totally dark room.

See pictures from a program at the Wilmette Public Library on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.774315825918961.1073741846.143717135645503&type=1

Light painting works very well and easily with an ipad. During the program this technique was demonstrated by using an ipad to record with audience members holding up flashlights.

The handout:

Size of group: 10 Program duration: 1 hour

Prep time: Low-medium Staffing: 2 people

Equipment: iPads or cameras on tripods; flashlights, light-up toys, or string lights

Darken the room completely and photograph designs made with lights. To capture the traces left by the lights, lengthen the exposure time on a digital camera mounted on a tripod. For even better results, use an app like LongEx-po on an iPad. You won’t need a tripod if you’re using this app. For light sources, use flashlights and toys from the dollar store. For added color, put a balloon over the end of a flashlight. Everyone will be express glowing praise for the results!

This project works well when kids work in pairs. The partner with the light stands about ten feet away from the partner with the camera or iPad. Light painting also works in other configurations that kids think of on the spot. Light painting is really a big experiment in science, technology, and art, and it’s fun to see how participants put their own spins on the project.

Further Resources

See Wilmette Public Library’s Facebook page for inspiration: https://www.facebook.com/wilmettelibrary/photos_albums and
Exploratorium: http://www.exploratorium.edu/pie/downloads/Light_Painting.pdf

Light painting using V Light Trip app for the IPAD and our T.A.B. It's a work in progress, but they were very engaged and impressed:                 

The other two programs were costly, but very popular. The kits cost approximately $139-$250 each. No more than 5 participants per kit are recommended. In addition, computers installed with the necessary software must be on hand to program. The handouts:

LEGO WeDo + Scratch

Bradley Jones Experiential Learning Coordinator, Skokie Public Library bjones@skokielibrary.info

Tinkering with Technology: Simple and Creative Programs for Kids and Teens tinkerfolks@gmail.com http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com/ @TinkerGroup facebook.com/tinker.folks

Size of group: 12  Program duration: 1 to 1.5 hours

Prep time: Low-medium Staffing: 2 people

Equipment: LEGO WeDo sets, computers with Scratch 1.4 installed

WeDo are the simplest—and most open-ended—of the LEGO ro-botics sets. They are available on the LEGO Education website for $130 each (with a slight discount for larger orders). Each set comes with an array of ordinary LEGOs plus a motor, a motion sensor, a tilt sensor, a USB hub, and booklets with step-by-step instructions for twelve projects. The software to run the WeDo components is sold separately by LEGO for $90 for a single license or $300 for a site license. However, version 1.4 of Scratch from MIT also supports the WeDo components–and it is a free download. Plus, Scratch is a worthwhile learning platform all on its own without the LEGOs. I have handouts available of a PDF I found online that shows the Scratch scripts necessary to run many of the 12 projects described in the booklets that come with the WeDo sets.

For each session, I demonstrate a sample project and go over the basics for newcomers, and then set them loose. Some kids choose to build one of the projects from the LEGO booklet, but I encourage free-building and experimentation. I act as a resource to help with problem solving rather than directing what they should build. I try to encourage sharing of projects (as in “Everyone, stop what you’re doing and come look at what Jimmy did for a second, it’s awesome!”) and peer-to-peer learning (as in “You want to do what Jimmy did? Go ask him how he did it.”) I also make available an easy video recording option (Flip cam or YouTube Cap-ture app) so kids can document and share their project digitally .

Further Resources

See this post on Tinker’s blog for more information. See many short videos of kids’ projects on the CodeBots Club YouTube channel. See more videos here, here, and here on Skokie Public Library’s “Explorer” blog.

Mindstorms NXT

 Tinkering with Technology: Simple and Creative Programs for Kids and Teens PLA 2014 tinkerfolks@gmail.com http://tinkergroup.wordpress.com/ @TinkerGroup facebook.com/tinker.folks

Michael Campagna Digital Services Manager, Barrington Area Library mcampagna@balibrary.org

Size of group: 3 kids per kit Program duration: 90 minutes

Prep time: Moderate/High Staffing: 2 staff members

Equipment: LEGO Mindstorms set, software, and computers

LEGO Mindstorms are a great way for libraries to support STEM education and peer collaboration. The size of your program will depend on how many Mindstorms kits you have, but typically three children per kit is an adequate size. Encourage children to make an original build to accomplish an open-ended task. To make sure group dynamics function at a high level, assign and rotate roles throughout the program. *Note: EV3 is the next generation of Mindstorms.

Further Resources http://www.lego.com/mindstorms