Making Faces Pico Guide

7/29/2019 Making Faces Pico Guide

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Are you looking or ideas on how to run a PicoCricket workshop? This guide

provides suggestions or a workshop called Making Faces. In the workshop,

participants use crat materials to create the ace o a person or animal, then attach

their creation to a motor and program it to spin in dierent ways.

AgesThe workshop can be adapted or

a wide variety o ages, rom youngchildren (ages 7 and up) to adults.

Goals of the WorkshopThis workshop is designed to help participants:

MakingFacesMakingFacesMakingFaces MyFirstPicoCricketWorkshopSuggestions for Workshop Facilitators

DurationDesigned to be 2 to 3 hours

Become interested in andeel capable o creating withnew technologies

Make a creative project that can move

Learn to program objects to movethrough a sequence o steps

Gain direct hands-on

experience with motors


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I possible, set up chairs sothat everyone begins acingeach other, around a tableor in a circle o chairs.

SetupSetupSetup

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Computers should be set up with PicoBlocks

sotware and a Beamer. Ideally there should be enough

table space next to each computer so that participants can

go back and orth between building their projects

and programming.

I there are computers

near the initial circle, you may

want to start with the monitors oor laptops closed, so that workshop

participants are not distracted.

For each moving ace sculpture, youwill need the ollowing setup:

axle

cable

motor connector(black LEGO squares

at each end)

motor board

PicoCricket

motor


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Another way to group materials is to

use colored masking tape on the table to

separate and label dierent types o materials

(such as dierent PicoCricket parts). You

might want to use an inexpensive vase to

hold the pipe cleaners.

SetupSetupSetup

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Set up a table with materials.

Below is a list with some suggested materials.Feel ree to adapt the list. Consider usingrecycled materials, natural items, and otherlocally available materials.

Make sure thematerials table is readily accessible.

I you are working with young children or i

the materials table is not easily accessible or all

participants, you may want to put a small

collection o materials on each table or

ease o access.

Materials (feel free to vary) Purpose styrofoam balls (or scrap pieces of styrofoam)

paper plates (plain, for drawing on)

construction paper

Basic structure (face)

pipe cleaners (also known as chenille sticks )

ribbon, yarn, or crepe paper

Floppy stuff (hair, arms, etc.)

googly eyes

felt tip markers

beads, bells, gems

Eyes and other features

hot glue gun with sticks (low melt)

tape (clear, masking, and/or duct tape)

rub-on glue stick

Attaching

scissors Cutting

You may want to group similar

materials together on the table. One wayto organize the materials is to set them out

in plastic cups and plates.


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Part1:IntroductionandInspiration


Part1:IntroductionandInspiration www.picocricket.com

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OverviewTo begin the workshop, welcome everyone,introduce yoursel and give a brie overviewo the workshop.

We will make faces

that can spin and

make sounds.

We will make facesusing craft materials,

then learn to program

them to move and

make sounds.

You can make a spinning

sculpture with the face of

an animal, person, or any

other character you choose.

Here are some examples o overview statements:

I participants are meetingeach other or the frst time,go around the circle and askeach to say their name.

To get in the spirit o the workshop,

in addition to their name, you could

ask them to make a ace (surprised,

unny, or other expression).

Introductions

You could do this in the ormat o a

name game where each person in

the circle has to say the name and make

the acial expression o each person who

went beore them, and then add their

own name and make a ace.

Thereore the last person ends up

naming and repeating the acial

expression o every person in the

circle, starting with the rst person

and ending with their own.

An alternative

to making a face

would be to name a

favorite animal

Photo:KathyJo

yce


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Sample ProjectsShow an example project to give participantsa sense o what they can create. You candemonstrate how to create a project duringthe workshop. Or, i you preer, you canprepare the project beore the workshop.

I you show more than one

sample project, try to select projects

that appeal to kids with dierent interests

or styles. For example, you could show a

ace o a cute animal and one o a unny

character. Keep the examples simple.




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Here is one way to create an example:

Place a Styrooam ball

on a LEGO axle. You can attach

googly eyes or gems or eyes. Use pipe

cleaners to add ears or other eatures,

such as whiskers or a cat or antennae

or an insect.

Then, stick the axle in a

LEGO motor. Connect the motor

to your PicoCricket, as shown

on page 2.


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Demonstrate how to programthe motor to spin.

Introduce programming

10motor

onforturn motor on for 1 second

make sure theCricket is on

Want to try more?You can tell the motor to reverse direction

and that the antenna arepointing at the Beamer

50motoronfor

motor on for 5 seconds

press the round button toplay the program again

50motor

onforonfor 5 seconds

50motoronfor

onfor 5 seconds

gets set to reverse

gets set to reverse

motor

onfor

on

10

click to highlight andtype any number

reverse

reverse

double-click to sendprogram to the PicoCricket



If you want to add sound...

plug in the soundbox

play a sound(you can choose which soundby clicking on the arrows)

50motor

onfor

50motor

onfor

reverse

reverse

Kittenplaysound


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Some people do not get ideasrom talking or drawing, but are able to get ideas

rom tinkering with the crat materials. Point out the

dierent types o materials that are available on

the materials table.

I you have hot glue,

make sure to give saety warnings.

(You may want to designate a dangerous

table with the hot glue and/or

sharp tools.)

Part2:CreatingPart2:CreatingPart2:Creatingwww.picocricket.comwww.picocricket.com

Have paper available or

those who want to sketch their ideas.

Help participants brainstorm ideas or their

Making Faces project. What ace they like to

create. Do they have a avorite animal?

A avorite cartoon?

Brainstorming

Introducing Materials

You may want to give participants the option to

work with someone else or on their own. However,

i there are not enough materials then ask everyone to

nd one or two people to work with.

Forming Groups

Encourage participants to take materials

and start making a ace. I they dont know where

to start, encourage them to start experimenting

with a motor or other materials.

Diving in

Photo

:Ka

thy

Joyce


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You can

draw a face on a

paper plate.

Part2:CreatingPart2:CreatingPart2:Creatingwww.picocricket.comwww.picocricket.com

For a step-by-step

intro on how to programPicoCrickets, see the PicoCricket

Getting Startedguide.

Ideas for Creating FacesThere are many dierent ways tocreate aces.

Or, use construction

paper to create an animal or

other character.

You can usemasking tape to attach the

creation to an axle.

Participants often

naturally move back and

forth between creating and

programming.

You can change the power,

timing, and direction to get dierent

kinds o motion.

Programming Tips

forever

1

reverse

motoronfor

setpower

25


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Part3:SharingandReflecting


Part3:SharingandReflecting www.picocricket.com

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What would you

try next?

Hold an exhibition o projectsat the end o the workshop.Ask each person or group todemonstrate their project.

You may want to ask:

Does it have

a name?

What does it do?

What was the

hardest part?

What surprised you?

What is the name of

your creation?

Potential questions include:

What is your

favorite aspect?

What is a problem

you had to solve when

making it?

How did you

solve it?

What does the

program do?

If you had moretime to work on it,

what would you do?

What were the steps

you took to create it?

What piece of advice

would you give to someone

else working on a project

like this?

Show and Tell

You might ask participants to document their projects.Documentation can take the orm o an exhibit label,a design notebook, or a story about their creation.

Documentation


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Participants can sketch a drawing o

the overall creation, as well as close ups o

their avorite part. They could also make a

diagram to illustrate how it works.

Participants can document theirproject using multiple media

and representations.

The participation and

perormance o the group can be

assessed, in addition to looking at each

individuals learning process. The diversity

o projects created is oten an indication

that learners appropriated the concepts

and developed their own ideas.

Using a video or digital camera,

they can document their creation in action.

A video camera can also be used to record an

interview or documentary about the steps they

went through to create their project.

One way to assess learning

is through learners conversations

and questions during the process o

creating their project. Another way is by

observing how and what engaged

participants interest.

The documentation that participants

produce gives a window into assessing

their learning. Here are some other

strategies or assessment.

Assessment

Photo:

Kathy

Joyc

e


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Some educators nd it helpul

in planning curriculum to consider three

aspects o learning: aective, cognitive, and

technical. These are refected in the goals o

the workshop listed at the beginning o this

guide: increasing interest and condence;

learning to program; and gaining

experience using a motor.

You may also want to

document your own refections,

including things you want to remember and

improve next time. You may also want to ask

participants or their suggestions o things theymight change to improve the workshop

or uture participants.

Math:Numbers can control lengtho time and number o repetitions.

Programming:Making a simple computerprogram involves putting together a sequenceo steps that can repeat.

Design process:The basic design processinvolves coming up with an idea, creatingand problem-solving, sharing and refecting.

Creative thinking:You can come up withmore than one way to solve a problem.

Engineering:Attaching parts is a majorchallenge in constructing objects.

Art:You can create a acewith dierent expressionsand character.

Assessmentcontinued

Concepts integratedinto the activityThe ollowing are some o theconcepts that are integrated into

the workshop.

Photo:KathyJoyce


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ResourcesResourcesResourceswww.picocricket.comwww.picocricket.com

EducatorsVisit the PicoCricket Educators pages:

http://www.picocricket.com/educators.html

Motion Modules

Find out how to build LEGOmechanisms to make creations move:

http://www.picocricket.com/motion.html

PicoCricket Getting Started Guide

The Getting Started Guide shows how to program,step-by-step, and oers tips on the last page:

http://www.picocricket.com/pds/Getting_Started.pd

PicoCricket Troubleshooting PageNeed help getting the PicoCricket to work?

Visit the online Troubleshooting page:

http://www.picocricket.com/troubleshooting.html

Organizing a WorkshopRead additional suggestions or how to set

up and run a workshop:

http://www.picocricket.com/organizing.html

Workshop Themes

Planning your next workshop? Browse avariety o themes or PicoCricket workshops:

http://www.picocricket.com/themes.html

Documents

Making Faces Pico Guide