Welcome to DesignIT Studios ...Chain Reactions (Week 1) Nov 10 - Nov 14
This was the students' introduction to the Museum and to DesignIT Studios. The Museum is rich with resources the students would draw from throughout the year and we wanted to introduce the students to as many of them as possible, so we took them on a behing-th-scenes tour of our galleries, collections, and Omni theatre. On the days at the school and at the clubs, we orchestrated some chain reactions with materials like large wooden dominoes and bells in preparation for Marble Machines the next week. We also played the massive chain reaction film The Way Things Go while the kids worked.
Marble Machines...Simple Circuits (Week 2 and Week 3) Nov 17 - Nov 21 and Dec 1 - Dec 5
We introduced the idea of building chain reaction contraptions powered by a rolling marble. This meant time building fluency with the handsaws, power drills, and other wood-working tools necessary for constructing the marble run devices. As the work progressed, we built in exploration of simple circuits as switches and actuators that could eventually be incorporated into marble run contraptions.
Marble Machines with Crickets (Week 4 and Week 5) Dec 8 - Dec 18
We introduced Crickets as devices that the students could use to build a marble releaser for their run. Then we explored other ways to program the Crickets to respond and control the marble runs.
Crickets and Sensors...also Journaling (Week 6 - Week 7) Jan 5 - Jan 16
We introduced sensors by making data maps of sensor values around the museum, the middle school, and the clubs. We then explored resistors as the basis for sensor inputs by wiring Crickets up to odd food items like squashes, Twinkies, and Spam. After conersations about sensors, places we encounter them in everyday life, and the meaning of the Cricket's sensor readings, we began building our own sensors from photocells, thermistors, and microswitches. Each student was provided with a notebook to keep track of their ideas, inspirations, and planning during the year.
Take-Apart & Kinetic Sculptures (Week 8 - Week 9) Jan 19 - Jan 30
We disassembled VCRs, overhead projectors, remote controls, laserdisc players, and other gadgets to see if we could reconstruct their function. The studnts enjoyed powering up the motors, LEDs, and other components they removed from the appliances with hand-cranked generators. Some of the parts were incorporated into other projects later on.
Drawing + Viewfinders (Week 10) Feb 2 - Feb 6
A journaling activity exploring the process of observation and recording
ALA 's presentations for National Engineers Week (Weeks 11 - 13) Feb 9 - Feb 25
The students polished projects they had been working on throughout the year to present to the public and to engineers from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
Spring Break and Spring Break Open Studio (Weeks 14 - 15) Mar 15 - Mar 19
MIDI Music Machine Madness and Webpages (Weeks 16 - 18) Mar 22 - Apr 9
We left it open-ended by giving the students the option of either building their own webpage from scratch or designing a musical device using the MIDI bus device for the Cricket.
Thinking Caps + Open Studio with the Clubs (Week 19 - Week 22) Apr 12 - Apr 30
We designed hats that are smarter than average by building Crickets and sensors into them.
Cinco de Mayo Parade May 1
We were invited to help with the annual Cinco de Mayo Parade in the neighborhood of the Northside Boys and Girls Club and we jumped at the chance to connect their work with the larger community. Our students designed a float, put finishing touches on their Cricket-powered Mariachi hats, and decorated the Museum van with streamers and holiday lights. Even though the parade got rained out, it was a lot of fun.
May 3 - May 7 Circuit Bending + ALA Final Presentation (Week 23 - Week 25) May 10 - May 27
One of our staff got excited about hacking electronic toys from the dollar store, so we let him loose. ALA students were also preparing their end of the year projects to present to their peers, wo this was a hectic time.
Gloop List Activities (ongoing)
We got an idea from our advisors Mike Petrich and Karen Wilkinson: use exciting science activities like dry ice and gloop that the museum is good at to add a layer to the other DesignIT activities. We decided on a set of interesting science activities that we called the Gloop list and salted our regular program with them.
Northside Family Day May 8
Panther Family Day May 22
The Family Days were another one of our efforts to connect with the families of the Boys and Girls Clubs - a kind of "end-of-the-year bash" with pizza and an Omni film. Everyone rode the "T" bus to the museum from the Boys and Girls Clubs. We wanted to build familiarity with the public transportation system since we would be using it during the summer institutes. A smashing success!
Boys and Girls Club Summer Institute 1 June 1 - June 5
The teens started off their summer workshops by delving into the Microworlds software program. They experimented with making spirographs, learning new Logo programming, learning how elements interact within the digital world of the program.
Boys and Girls Club Summer Institute 2 June 7 - June 11
ALA Summer Institute 1 July 12 - July 16
The ALA students began by working at the creation of a movie from 16 mm leader film. They scratched the film with tools to make animation using light and darkness. Along with their films, they also built musical instruments and machines with Crickets and light sensor. By combining the films and sound machines, the students made the soundtrack to the films they created.
ALA Summer Institute 2 July 19 - July 23
Week two saw the students creating stop motion animation films using Intel cameras and software. The teens also spent time playing with the Microworlds software program, making interactive programs or games.
