For the final project, I was really nervous but also really excited to get started on something that I could use in my own life and in my future classroom. I first wrote down a list of ideas such as another scratch game, an Arduino project, or something completely different. One assignment that really got me inspired was response post six. This was because I got to look through all of the different meaningful making projects. In chapter 24, they had students create cyanotypes that would be used to create architectural blueprints. The only other time that I had used cyanotypes was with pre-prepared paper at the George Eastman House in Rochester. We had only used flimsy little pieces of the paper and put them in a UV lit box. We never actually went through an in-depth process of making. This got me thinking that I wanted to really work with cyanotypes in order to learn more about its printmaking and photography possibilities. Personally I am a very hands on learner so I wanted to create a project that would implement a hands-on part and a digital aspect. As my idea continues to flow I learned that we could use the digital fabrication lab to create wooden laser cuts. I had never created any type of digitally fabricated images and Adobe Illustrator always scared me. I thought, “that’s only for technologically gifted people.” But, in order to feel like I was getting something out of this project and was learning something new this was the way I decided I wanted to go. I would create laser cut wood that I would place on top of cyanotype paper and then create a four sided lantern. The reason behind the lantern is because I had never seen anyone do that before and I thought that it would be a really nice project that students could bring home and actually find use out of. My goal was also to have the students create woodcut designs about an influential figure in their life and find a way to make that symbolic imagery that represents that figure.

My first step was to do a lot of research. I first watched several videos on youtube about how to create cyanotypes as well as many articles on tips and tricks. At first I thought that I would buy pre-prepared paper, that I would go through the soaking process with but when it came in the mail and I tested it out, it wasn’t giving me the effect that I wanted. Then I had to go back and purchase the cyanotype sensitizer to make the paper myself. I purchased the Jacquard Cyanotype Sensitizer Set and it only cost about $13, in case anyone wants to try it out. I then also purchased hydrogen peroxide after doing research on how to develop my images, and I learned that it helps bring out the blue more. Then I bought rounded wooden sticks in order to connect the side of the paper to form the lantern. The cool thing with the sensitizer is that you can apply it to anything including fabric, paper, clothes or anything you want to try to experiment with. I stuck with normal mixed media paper in order to make sure that the paper was not too flimsy. In order to make cyanotype paper you need to mix water into bottles A and B 24 hours before using them. Once you have waited the permitted time you can go into a super dark room with very very minimal light sources. You then mix parts A and B together in a small container and take a foam brush and apply it to the paper. I let my paper dry for about an hour just to make sure that they were completely dry. Prior to making the paper I had created a folder using black paper that would hold the cyanotype paper and seal off any light source so that I could use them in the future, when the sun was shining.

*Here is an image of the paper drying. I had to quickly take a photo with flash but there was no light in this room except for a small dim light in the corner.

While I was learning about the process of cyanotype I had also been experimenting with adobe illustrator. I had only used photoshop in the past so this was all new to me. This part of the project really scared me but I took the time to watch the linked-in learning videos and I felt prepared to begin. I had also read through the digital fabrications labs several times just to make sure it would translate correctly. I started drawing out the design and had one layer that would be cut first because they would be fully cut out shapes within the printed shapes. Then I made a second layer that held the entire shape that would be cut out. This way the laser machine would understand what order I wanted the design cut in. After that I transferred my design to .001 and then made sure that all of the lines were the correct color for the machine to read. When that was complete I converted the design into the compatible format and sent it to the lab. The next day I made my first woodcut print! Seeing the design I made in a real life holdable object was a really nice feeling. I then proceeded to create several other symbols that each were based off of someone in my life, and printed those throughout the weeks. 

*Here is an image of the adobe illustrator before the wood was cut.

When I had both my woodcuts and my paper made I waited for a sunny day and first began by filling my bathtub with water and pouring in a little hydrogen peroxide.  I went outside with my sealed up cyanotype paper in the black folder I made and brought out the woodcuts. I placed the wooden objects in a design that I liked on the ground and then quickly took out a piece of paper from the folder and then quickly transferred the wood onto the paper. I then let the paper sit outside in the sun for about 20 minutes. I then repeated this several times with other papers and when the 20 minutes was up I brought them inside. I placed each print into the bath and swirled them around in the water and watched the paper magically turn into this rich blue color. After swirling the paper in the water for about a minute I took it out and let it dry. 

*Here are images of the cyanotypes in the sun.

*Images to the left is the cyanotypes after the sun but before soaking. Image in the middle is in the process of soaking and the images to the right it the paper drying.

The next week I made several more prints with my woodcuts and unfortunately it was a very windy day so some of the papers blew away and I had to take them inside so they didn’t receive as long of an exposure time, which made them a lighter shade of blue. It still worked and I rinsed them off in the tub and dried the images. 

When the images were dry the paper curled up in odd ways and I wanted them to be flattened so I took a heavy book and laid that on top of the paper for several hours. Then I took the paper and wood glue and placed a thin layer onto the side of the back of the paper on each side and then placed the wooden dowel on the back of the paper. I then connected the paper so that there were four sides and four dowels creating a rectangular shape. Then I took a light and placed it underneath the lantern and it was done! 

Lantern before iterating.

During the class critique on the 6th I presented one lantern, which was the only one that I had finished at the time. When presenting I lit up the lantern and I had laid out all of the woodcuts that I had made on the table. One thing that I felt bad about was not using the wooden pieces at all after making the cyanotype prints. Professor Kantrowitz suggested that I place the woodcuts inside of the lantern to create an added element. I really liked that idea so later that week when I was making the rest of my lanterns I added some of the wooden symbols to the inside of the lanterns to add more shadows and I loved how it turned out.

When looking at my symbolic imagery I really wanted to create images that have a lot of significance to me. I wanted to focus on the women that have influenced me in my life. My grandma is currently the most significant influential female figure in my life and I wanted symbols that reminded me of her for two of my lanterns. My grandma has always been a figure who helped guide me in so many ways and I was raised Jewish, but have slowly lost my connection with that part of me. My grandma is my most prominent connection to that part of me and she has always given me little gifts that have imagery of the tree of life. We have always gone on hikes and weekly walks when I grew up so nature was something that she always reminds me of. I created the two woodcuts of the tree to symbolize her and my memories we have together in nature especially. She also really values her gardens and growing up she would always make me garden with her and I loved getting to see all of the different plants that she was growing. Therefore, I created the symbolism with the plants for her because that relates to her gardens. For my other two lanterns I related them to my mom. Both my mom and my grandma had/have breast cancer and unfortunately my grandma has now had it twice and my mom passed away due to complications with the disease. It has always been really scary that both of the most important women in my life have struggled with breast cancer and I wanted to make a special symbolic piece for my grandma to enjoy. For my mom’s lanterns I created one that had images of mandalas which was something that we would draw together. They were a way to relax and engage with one another. I also created a design that resembled the logo of her jewelry business, which she named “Abby Moon,” who knows where she got the “Abby” part from. The design had the imagery of a little swirl like shape so I replicated that and then also added little moons because that relates to the name. My mom also loved to draw little moons with faces on them so I thought that the moons could have a double meaning to me. 

This project relates to my prior knowledge of art education because it combines multiple elements of design and deeper thinking to then create a project that a student can use and look back at to remember their influential figure. I really like that it also includes a digital aspect so that students can see that you can fabricate things online and then produce real objects that you can hold. This process is really exciting and can be simplified for the use of teaching different ages. 

I really liked iterating this project and advancing as I got more comfortable with adobe illustrator. As I got more comfortable I made more complex designs such as the trees. I was using the freehand tool and I only had the mouse pad on my computer, so creating the designs was a bit of a challenge.  Also , when creating an illustrator, sometimes the lines do not connect automatically with each other and if you do not connect them, then they will not be cut out with the laser cutter. This was a problem I ran into when working in the lab, and I ended up being there for quite some time fixing each little connection of lines in my piece. It was nice to push myself in ways that I never have with this assignment, because I am often uncomfortable with using technology. This class has allowed me to continuously push myself and gain confidence in my abilities to use and teach technology in my life. This project just felt like the frosting on top of the cake with combining my artistic values of creating meaning behind artwork and implementing technology. 

What makes this project art is the use of in depth thinking and the physical act of creating. I would have my students first plan out by listing the top three important figures in their life and then three possible symbols that they could create based off of the figure.  The students also have to physically draw something on adobe illustrator which relates to the artistic process. They also get to create their own paper and then make prints with it outside using nature (aka the sun). The students get to explore multiple forms of creating art with this project and explore meaningful figures in their lives. This is a type of meaningful making because it combines elements of technology, drawing, printmaking, photography, and sculpture, as well as creating meaning behind their work. You can engage the viewer because it is something that parents can use in their home or the student can use in their own bedrooms. It is also something that can be displayed in the hallway for other classmates to see. This lesson could also be used in various settings but I would love to use it in a K-12 setting and modify it for different age groups. 

I would have loved to create a project like this when I was in school because it allows for deeper thinking and when someone is creating for someone that they love it pushes them to make it the best that it can be. I think I would have been scared to use adobe, but now that I know and if I had a teacher to walk me through using it, then I wouldn’t have been as scared. I got my artistic intention across with my symbols, because not everyone will know the story behind them, but the viewers can interpret them how they want to and therefore create their own significant meaning.  I loved this project because I learned so much about both cyanotypes and adobe illustrator, which are two things that I had never used much or at all. This project definitely had its challenges, but I am really excited with how it came out and I will be putting it up in my room to use as my own lantern.

I choose to create a cyanotype lantern that involves laser cutting to create the shapes that I will be overlaying on the cyanotype paper. I will also create light for the lanterns by making very simple circuits with a battery, wire and small lights.  The students will get to use illustrator and create their wood cuts digitally and then get to experience what that part of the process is like. Then they will get to take the cyanotype paper and their wood cuts out side into the sin and lay the wood on top of the paper to create the print. Once they have done that they will attach the four pieces of cyanotype paper to four wooden dowels in order to create the structure of the lantern or lamp. Once they have done so I would go over how to create a very simple circuit and they would place the circuit at the bottom of the lamp and watch it glow.

I want to create this project because it allows for students to create something visual while combining the use of multiple art forms into on end result. They will be using digital art, laser cutting, cyanotype, and circuits to put together a project that they can use in the real world. It combines the technological aspects of the piece with the art and design elements that students can learn from to create STEAM. influenced art.

This project is worthwhile for my future students because it allows them to realize how art can be used in designing objects that can be useful outside of the classroom. They can learn how an image can go from being a digital work to then becoming an actual thing you can hold and feel. It also allows them to learn how artists combine digital elements with hands on art to create works that are successful. This project gets them thinking about how art is not only a craft, but it can also be used in engineering.

I need to learn how to use illustrator to design my woodcuts to then place them on my cyanotypes. I am excited to try this out because I have only used adobe a few times, and never in this form to then create something that is 3D. I am already familiar with cyanotypes but I want to test out the paper before hand to make sure it is working properly. Overall, I am super excited for this project and to get started on it!

For this assignment, Rose and I worked together to come up with a topic that we have in common. We wanted to create a game that we felt many people and students could relate to. We both go throughout our day to day lives and make decisions that effect our anxiety levels or in this case peace of mind, so we wanted to create a storyline that went along with those aspects of our lives. At first we were going to create a story about someone going to a party who experiences social anxiety, but then we changed our minds and wanted to focus on something even more relatable for almost every college student. Almost all students at some time have not felt fully ready for an exam. Part of that problem is because you didn’t prepare properly. This can then cause a lot of anxiety and will buildup causing your life to feel like it is crashing down around you. We first brainstormed several ideas and then after running through how they would end, we chose to go with the test idea. We first started our plan by creating a sketch. Then, we created various questions that could be asked for the player to chose if they want be successful or not. We created several options for redemption in our game and also create a path where the player can start off strong and then spiral. Both Rose and I had a recent experience getting pulled over, and we know how stressful that experience can be, so we wanted to incorporate that into our scratch game. We then decided that instead of creating art work on the computer, to have me act out what is going on. From there, we created a storyboard of the images I took and I sent them to Rose so that she could draw on them in procreate. While she did the drawing, I drew out the sprites on scratch and coded all of them so that they were ready for the backgrounds. Once Rose finished the backgrounds she emailed them in jpeg form and I uploaded them into scratch. Together, we went through the story and made sure that we were coding correctly to match the plan we created. After that was done, I added little sounds such as sirens or little pops that make a sound every time that the sprite is clicked. We ran through the game several times fixing little things to make sure that is was how we wanted it.

I am someone who almost always likes to work with a partner because it adds a sense of support when learning something you are not familiar with. I feel the most successful when I work this way because I have two brains instead of one and my partner brings a fresh perspective and allows me to expand on my ideas. If I ever feel stuck or if my partner feels stuck, I can help out and make sure that they feel confident in their abilities. Rose uses procreate often and I had never tried it, so it was really nice to see how she creates things on that platform. Digital art is something I have never tried and she really inspired me to try it out. I also really liked that I could hear her ideas and combine them with mine to be as successful as can be. I learned that when working digitally with a partner, you can collaborate virtually and share ideas in a different format than in a hands on 3D setting. I enjoyed doing most of the coding while she went though the story and directed me on what we wanted to convey.

In my prior art education experiences I had never tired to code. It was something that I was always too scared to do so I stayed away from it. My dad led his middle school coding club, but it never interested me. The only experience that I have had similar to scratch is when I was in a middle school tech class. Almost none of my art classes other than photography incorporated digital art into the classroom. I think that if I had experienced scratch when I was younger than I would not have been as scared of coding in the future, because now I genuinely enjoy it. Many art educators do not think that they need to teach other subjects in their curriculum, but with society constantly changing we must keep up with the times.

Exposing students to scratch at a young age can really help expand what they think is possible in the art room. Not all students thing that they are good at art and this program allows for those not confident in there artistic skills to incorporate it into something else that is still considered art. Having them work with a partner also teaches them to learn how to work with others and collaborate. Hopefully covid will not be a thing in the future, but if it is, this assignment can be done virtually while still being collaborative. This assignment gets students thinking about how art can be incorporated into aspects of STEAM and technology, and helps make them more confident with computers which is necessary thing to be well versed in at this day in age. I am very excited to teach scratch in my future classroom, because it is a fantastic learning experience.

I had also written this entire post before, and had to rewrite the entire thing because the blog deleted it, so make sure you save your work somewhere else first!

Instructions: Press the green flag to start the game and click the arrow! Click the arrows at the bottom of the screen to continue or make a decision. As you go throughout the game, the decisions you make will effect you level of peace of mind. Once you are through with on path, you can click the green flag to start over and try again!

Chapter 24: Cyanotype Blueprints

I picked chapter 23 because when I was growing up I thought that one career path that I would chose was architecture. I realized how much math and geometry that it involved and I was instantly turned off by the career. If I was a student, and participated in this lesson, my perception of architecture would have been so different, so in my future classroom I would love to implement this. This chapter is also targeted for ages 10-14, which is an age where you get asked frequently what you want to be when you grow up. This would allow them to really experiment with art, technology, history, and science. It is also a great way to get them thinking about historical buildings and how they were created.

This chapter related to my prior knowledge of art education because I have used cyanotype prints when visiting the George Eastman House. It is technically a form of photography but this assignment really allows them to create their own designs and then see how they develop by experimenting with pattern. I have an interest in also including history into the art room and this gets the students excited to learn about historical buildings while examining how they were built, therefore relating to technology.

In my future art classroom I would love to implement cyanotypes, because it is a material that a lot of young learners have not experienced. I like that they get to use a variety of materials such as acetate, 2D vector software, and the learn how to use a vinyl cutter. Many students do know what a blue print is by the age of 10, so I want to include the historical, technological, and artistic qualities of this project in my classroom.

Chapter 12: The Role of Peer Assessment in a Maker Classroom

Peer assessment is something that I really enjoy and do frequently in almost all of my classes. I chose this chapter do to this fact, because it allows for you to learn more about how others view your work. I personally like informal critiques better because formal puts a lot of pressure on students.

This relates to my prior experience because in high school I experienced my first critique, and I remember that it was really scary at first, but in the end I learned things about my work that I would not have seen without my peer’s comments. I think that it is an important practice to learn at a young way so that you can interpret how you view the world around you. You also get to format your own opinions, which allows us to differentiate ourselves form others.

In a classroom, I would like to make my students do at least one formal critique in the class, just to give them some practice, because in the real world that is a common thing. For the rest of the time I would like to do informal critiques, and also include cold crits, where the peers say what the piece reminds them off or how it makes them feel. They can also discuss what they like about a piece or what they may have done differently. Afterwards the student can go back and change things if they would like and they can also learn from peer reviewing other student’s work.

Chapter 19: 3D Printing in Kenya

I was very interested in this topic because 3D printing has become a much more accessible form of creating that involves both technology and design aspects. Making available for students in Kenya to use, especially while implementing recycling into the curriculum.

I have never done 3D printing before so this would be knew to me but I would love to learn. I like that you can use recycled materials to then teach students about sustainability and saving the environment. I have always had interest in sustainability  within art, and I am doing that for my mentor artist lesson plan.

I would really like to have my students experiment with designing things within the classroom to the produce them into 3D objects. I think having a cheaper alternative such as what was discussed in the chapter. It would help create high quality products that can be sold. I would love to implement this idea into my classroom.

For the scratch assignment, I was very scared of the notion of coding because I think of math when I hear the word coding. Since I was never a math person throughout my life, when I heard this I was very nervous to being this project. Once I got into creating my name I did get a little confused but once I started watching the tutorials it got easier. What made the activity fun was getting to combine the coding with design elements. I first created a completely different design for the name and then I changed it because I wanted it to add more things such as changing colors and a change in size when the green flag is pressed. I also wanted to try using the space bar to change the colors to figure out how to use that aspect of the coding. Then for the prototype game I wasn’t sure what I wanted to create. At first I played around with a pong game but then realized that I wanted to create a chase game. I was looking through all of the sprites and thought it would be a cute idea to do an owl chasing a mouse and every time it hovers over it, it will squeak and the player will earn a point. They can keep trying to beat their highest score within the 20 second period. I saw my other classmates doing a variety of games but personally I think chase games are the most fun. I didn’t want my player to feel like they were losing at a game. This way there is no losing and you are really only playing against yourself. For my theme of the final project I decided to create virtual art work with a halloween theme. I wanted to get into the spirit so I created a haunted house background and then I also created little candy corn pieces as sprites and I trick or treat pumpkin to catch the pieces. I created a chance game similar to the prototype but I made this version more complex and added various elements. I wanted to also have a timer at the end that says the time is up and stops everything. I really enjoyed adding the sounds and drawing out the sprites and background, because it adds to the artistic aspect of the assignment.

It was super helpful to see past examples and if I wanted to see how a person created a certain aspect of their project I could see the inside and learn from them. Looking at other online examples gave me a lot of ideas and helped me work through problems when I got stuck.

In a classroom setting I would love to use scratch because it allows for young learners to code while not actually feeling like it is coding. I allows students to engage in creating artwork and sharing ideas about projects and then make them actually come to life by coding them on scratch.

In my future classroom I would simplify this project a little bit more because I feel like this might be a little too complicated for ages under 3rd or even 4th grade. It would be helpful to give them certain choices to limit what they can create just to start out with. Then as the progress and develop skills the could move on to a program such a scratch to really create whatever they want. It is a great tool to get them thinking through the design process that goes into creating a game. I might have them also create a small story board of what they want to have happen in their game before sitting down at the computer. Overall, I think that including this project in a classroom is a great idea so that they can really learn how to code but also using their creative thinking.

Final Game Instructions: Catch the candy corn in the trick or treat pumpkin by moving the pumpkin with the mouse. Make sure you do not touch the spoiled piece or else you will lose a point! You have 30 seconds to get as many pieces in the pumpkin as possible! If you get close to the candy corn the pumpkin will smile, but if you get too close to the spoiled candy corn, then the pumpkin will turn green. If you hear a chomp you earned a point but if you hear a bite then that means you lost a point. Every ten seconds the moon changes position to indicate the time is running out. Comment your highest score below!

Prototype Instructions: See how many time you can capture the mouse in 20 seconds by hovering the owl over it! Move the owl with your mouse and if you capture the mouse it will squeal and the score will go up! Comment your highest score below!

Name Instructions: Click the Green Flag to get the background and letters to move and change size! To change the color of the letters, keep pressing the space bar!

Milton Resnick is a leading creator of the coding software called scratch that was developed with his research group at the MIT media lab. When he realized that mothers day was coming up he didn’t know what to give to his mom, but then realize that he should create a mothers day animation on Scratch. This online program allows people of all ages to create games, animations, polls and much more with coding, which is an experience that many people never get to have.  Similarly to learning how to read and write, coding allows learners to open new doorways to other forms of learning. If one didn’t know how to read or write, learning and going to school to further your education would quite literally be impossible. Therefore, there is an entire world of unexplored learning when coding is taught in schools.

This topic relates to themes in our course because of how it uses aspects of design thinking when creating a story line and thinking about the actual animations. Within the design process, students can form their idea by stating the core principles and then experiment with how the software can be used. They can then take whatever idea that they came up with and break it down into simpler parts. They will be faced with many challenges, which has been a key part of digital visual cultures, and they will have to iterate to keep improving and fix any bug that could appear. In an art room, I will want my students to feel free to express themselves and their ideas, so using Scratch is a way for them to not only develop skills on coding and technology, but also take a look into their emotions and personal life. A new Aspect of Scratch that was developed was a body tracking system within the camera.  This is similar to microsoft connect and allows for students to make connection in the real world with an online environment. Students could also use collaborative learning when using scratch to create a game with their peers and work on building a teams for games and they could compete to get the highest score. This creates a bonding with the students and the program that gets them excited to learn about coding without even realizing that is involves variables. As a student who struggled with math throughout my youth, a program like this would have allowed for me to use my creative side and would have actually gotten be excited to do something in the field of math and technology. This program is also great for student centered learning or choice based education, because the students can create whatever they want on the program. Some ideas may need the approval of the educator, but for the most part they can really dive into this head first on their own. By using Scratch and encouraging students to build unique ideas and topics allows them to feel like they are in an art classroom setting, yet they get to explore topics such as math and technology in an exciting way, combining art and STEM.

I am not the most technologically skilled person out there so this assignment really scared me at first. Photoshop especially always had given me trouble in the past. When I found out we were making a gif out of our art work I was very confused and thought it sounded impossible. After first, when I sat down to work on the gifs I did struggle so I went to the back table to get some help. By working together with my other classmates and Professor Kantrowitz we worked through the problems step-by-step. I really liked seeing what everyone else around me was doing and I kept asking questions about how to keep improving my bouncing ball. At first it was really hard to get the ball to move in a smooth motion but I worked with the people around me and they taught me how to fix the problem by fixing the number of images between each photo. I had fun messing around and seeing where I could get the ball to move. Then I eventually got it how I wanted it!

Then, I started to work on the actual art work pieces that I have. I new what I wanted to do but I first could not figure it out on my own so I had to watch the demo videos. This helps so much and I knew exactly what my next step was. I kept playing with the sizing of the painting and wanted to get it to be smaller and smaller, and then grow again. I was so fun to see this actually come alive once I got it all flowing smoothly. Then I took my other art piece, which is from the same series as the other red painting and this time I wanted to rotate only one part of the image. It took me a while to figure out how to use the lasso tool to then create different layers, but once I got the hang of it, it went well! The fun part about this assignment was getting to see my art work come to life into something I could have never imagined. It was also such a good feeling when I accomplished creating a gif, because I had struggled before and finally got it.

This activity connected to my prior knowledge of art education because I had used photoshop in the past but never to create a gif. It really goes to show all of the various creations you can produce using one program. In a classroom setting it is important to relate the art work you are creating to a real world setting, so combining handmade art with technology is a really exciting way to introduce relevant materials to students.

This activity connected to my understanding of design thinking because I often don’t realize how technology and animation can be implemented into the classroom environment.  I would use this in a classroom because students are getting phones at younger and younger ages. They are most likely playing around with gifs and getting to actually send one that you made would be really cool for a young learner. I would have my students create simple drawings that they could then animate so it is all a part of one project. I really hope to use this in my future classroom because it allows students to create handmade art that turns into a short animation.

Leah Buechley runs a research group called high low tech at MIT. This is located in the media lab on campus, where she is a professor. In her talk she discusses topics such as art, craft, and technology, in which she expresses various techniques that can be used to produce circuits, yet they are also great for teaching diverse group about engineering and technology. Towards the end of the talk she also discusses “epistemological pluralism.”

“Epistemological pluralism” is a term used by Sherry Turkle to relate types of learning that occurs in situations similar to what goes on in the creation of circuits. When we combine technology and art we are able to get people from various backgrounds interested in this type of learning. When having them create these types of circuits it creates a schematic diagram with schematic symbols. This means that the students are able to create sketches and drawings and turn them into a circuit. One positive of the creative process is being able to create entry points with people who have different values. This could mean that they may approach the project differently, meaning their way of producing the circuit could be physically and gesturally. By doing so, rich possibilities emerge when thinking about the learning spaces. This space is good for technological education where teachers get to teach workshops and experiment with technology. This is important in the art room, because implementing STEAM practices is a way to make the art classroom relevant in schools that do not prioritize the arts. Art education is an evolving field that needs to change with society and contemporary art, so this inclusion of technology is a great way to combine the two.

Buechley discusses three techniques that can be used in the classroom.  The first technique is taping circuits. This can include copper tape or masking tape to create functional circuits. When using the taping technique, one can create a pull tab which she demonstrates in the video. Another technique is drawing. She uses a pen that conducts electricity to draw designs that create a circuit. She even demonstrates how to create a device that can play music with the pen. It almost sounds like a harp, which is a great demonstration of incorporating art, music, and technology as one. These sketches then become their own interface. The next technique is folding. This can be used to move the circuit around on its own. You can create pieces using shape memory alloy. What occurs is if you move part of a piece of paper, then the same part moves on the other. These techniques are great to use in a future art classroom because, if a student doesn’t normally like creating technology, they can be inspired in this space to create. They get to combine engineering with artistic elements, to therefore produce a work of art.

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE OF FLOWERS AND VASE TO WATCH VIDEO

For the tribute circuit card assignment, I had many different ideas. During our classes when we were learning how to create circuits with paper engineering, I experimented with making a boat the lights up and moves as well as a little puppy face that had its nose light up. It was really fun being able to make something move on its own. I realized that the boat wouldn’t stay up on its own so I then create a base that included a little pocket for the battery. The next class I created a snake that had eyes light up as well as a tail that rattles. With each project, I had to keep iterating because especially when I didn’t solder parts of the wire, it was then hard to tell why the circuit wasn’t working. I also tried to create pull tab with one of my pieces which worked pretty well but I decided I prefer push tabs better. By playing with all of these different types of circuits and materials, it allowed me to be prepared to create something more permanent and meaningful.

When thinking about things to create, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to create a tribute card for my mom who passed away from breast cancer. I then realized that my grandma’s 85th birthday is coming up next week. I decided to make her a bouquet of flowers, because she loves to garden and would always make me join her when I was younger. Whenever I was sick or to celebrate an accomplishment she would make me little bouquets of flowers to make me smile. This time I wanted to do the same for her. I first started by practicing to make sure that all of my lights were working. It is important to check and see if the lights you chose work with one another and don’t cancel each other out. I did this by testing them all on the same battery. Next, I started to form the vase where I created a little pocket for the battery on the inside. This battery is then removable by just lifting up the back of the base for the future. I wired the copper wire to the outside of the vase to then create a push button to turn it on and off. My idea was to have the lights shine through the flowers, so then once I got the push switch working properly I wired the copper back up the vase and then cut out a holes in a piece of cardboard where the lights would then shine through.  As I kept going I continued to solder all of the copper pieces together as well as the lights, so that there is a stronger connection. About 3/4ths of the way through the project it suddenly stoped working. I had to take apart the entire piece to figure out where the circuit when wrong. After taking half an hour I finally realized that a wire had broken off. Then when testing it, it still wasn’t working. So then I realized another connection ripped and I had to re solder it. One that was taken care of I pieced it all together and then got into the decorating and artistic process. I created a cover for the vase that was water colored with vines and flowers. I had always painted with my grandma so this was a great way to relate that part of the project to her. Then I covered the base in pink tissue paper to correspond to the pink flowers at the top. I made a little not and cut out a leaf that would be the push button cover. I had a lot of fun arranging the flowers at the top and creating them out of the tissue paper. The lights showed through just enough to add a glowing effect.

I had never created a simple circuit prior to this class so this was all a new learning experience. I am not normally a fan of engineering like projects, but I had a lot of fun with this and I know students will too.  The tribute cards relate really well to the STEAM projects because they involve thinking that relates to both. At times my brain hurt so bad, but I knew that I was learning from it and it ended up being super successful and fun!

In my future classroom I want to do this because it really gets students thinking about how to make art projects that are functional with science and engineering. I would have them come up with ideas of projects they could make for a friend or a relative that would mean something to the recipient. I would also try to encourage students to have the projects move or even create little origami animals that move. They could then create a scene with them all, for example, a jungle. This way they get to work together and separately, but in a way where they get to share ideas and what they created in a fun way.

CLICK ON SNAKE TO WATCH VIDEO OF RATTLE

CLICK BOAT IMAGE TO SEE IT MOVE 

Video link or click screenshot

The marble run project was something I had participated in prior to this experience back in the eight grade. In middle school we spent several weeks on this project and got to explore lots of different variables within the marble run. The one big difference was that my eight grade tech class was much more focused on the engineering aspect and less concerned with integrating that creative process with art. When my group first began working we talked for a while about certain aspects to the run that we wanted to incorporate into the piece. We wrote down that we wanted to include a jump, quick popping like sounds and lots of crazy color. We first decided to make a few prototypes of different paths the marble could roll down. We began with a simple tube, and then decided to make a little section where the marble hits different wooden pieces. We also created a spiral using plates because we were inspired by our other classmates after realizing we thought our run was a little too simple. Anya and I worked to make this happen but realized we didn’t have enough time to get the marble successfully down the pathway. We kept taking apart the spiral and tried to place tape in certain areas to combat the issue, yet nothing was working. After thinking about it, we decided to create another section with wooden pieces. This worked out well, because the marbles had very similar paths to go down. The wooden pieces also gave off a really fast and satisfying sound that then led down a path to a large jump. We had a lot of fun using the clear plastic wrap like material, because it added more transparency and color to the marble run.

We wanted them to have a race like feel, because our story was about how we feel like life can be a race. Both marbles go down slightly different paths, but in the end, they unit in a box of pom pom balls. This helped convey the coming together of different paths, since we wanted to show how life shouldn’t be a race because in the end we end up in the same place anyways. After we had our actual run created and working properly, we decided to use really bright colors, in order to convey the craziness of the race.

I was really helpful to look around at what our classmates were creating, because at times we felt a little stuck, but then overcame it from being inspired by other projects and working together. We got the idea for the wooden pieces from another group as well as our failing spiral (which didn’t make the cut!). This project was a really great way to get students thinking about prototypes and how to create movement in a piece which is something that I would want to bring into an art classroom setting. We had to keep running both marbles through and keep evaluating the run to insure that the marbles could pass through consistently. I will make sure to encourage my future students to think about how to keep iterating within their creative processes.