Introduction
This week we have been focusing on fabricating the whiteboard activity and testing the functionality of the make-a-rainbow hardware. We also had the chance to chat with our client’s class about documenting these activities. On Friday, Mateo Uguzzoni, a faculty candidate and urban game designer, visited our project room and gave us some suggestions.
Tech Updates
Whiteboard activity
The form factor has been built by Max. The whiteboard itself now has the whole surface space. There are holes cut out on the side for power and electronics to be built in. The LED light has been mounted to an appropriate height. The light can be controlled by a remote. We still need to install the latching buttons and other electronics so that kids turn on and off the lights more easily.
Make a Rainbow activity
We have iterated on this activity a lot after we received feedback from our faculty consultant, Mo Mahler, last week. We have changed the interface to something that resembles a firework, and Caitlyn has made the software version of the activity in Unity. After the kids make a color, the color will be stored in one of the light strips above. After all the light strips are colored, there will be a light show display. Hopefully, this will provide more motivation for the kids to play with our activities
We have experimented with transferring this activity into the hardware form — actual LED strips. Wizard has made two strips working and displaying the firework effect.
Shadow Puppet activity
Qin has done some illustration of shadow puppets. These will be made into shadow puppets with laminated paper. We have also received the new light fixtures and gels that provide better lighting and colors.
LED Strip
We have ordered the plexi glass that will be used to build the hardware case. We have been working on making the CAD drawing for the case. Once our final functionality goal, the ability to switch on and off the sound for the activity, has been prototyped and tested we will be able to make final designs for the case.
Meeting with Lou’s class
On Thursday March 24, we met with Lou’s students from her Integrated Arts class on Zoom. These students are teacher candidates who focus on early education or special education. We demonstrated every activity with playtest videos and pictures. The students were very excited and shared with us the ways in which they thought these activities could be incorporated into classrooms. For example, one student mentioned that these activities could be used in the sensory room, which is a therapeutic space that provides equipment which will help students to calm down and focus.
The team was motivated after knowing that the teacher candidates want to use these activities in the classroom and have potential to be adapted into teaching more subjects and can be built upon with teachers’ own lesson plans and ideas.
Meeting with Mateo Uguzzoni
Mateo Uguzzoni, a faculty candidate and urban game designer, visited our project room on Friday. We demonstrated our activities. Mateo asked us questions about the design process. He also shared with us about Bruno Munari, an Italian game designer, who has done museum installations with colored gels.
Looking into next week
- Finish building the whiteboard activity
- Add a switch button to turn on and off sound to the LED strip activity
- Start building LED hardware
- Continue working on “make a rainbow” activity
- Build shadow puppets
- Start documentation
- Prepare for Playtest day on Saturday April 2nd at the ETC