Friday, March 8, 2024

Vermont CSTA Spring Event March 20

 As many of you know,  I love learning new ways to CREATE with CODE.  I believe that creating and making is part of the  the solution to making  computer science more accessible to a more diverse group of learners.  That is one reason, I've become more active in our Vermont chapter of CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association).   I hope you will join me and other Vermont colleagues for our annual Vermont CSTA  spring event.  Check out this year's agenda and consider joining us on March 20. 

Event Image
March 2024 Virtual Gathering 3.20.2024  |  5:00 - 6:30 PM ET 

FREE Event and OPEN TO ALL 
 (please register before the event to secure your spot)





March 2024 Virtual Gathering


March 2024 Virtual Gathering

3.20.2024  |  5:00 - 6:30 PM ET

 

FREE Event and OPEN TO ALL

Zoom Meeting Registration (please register before the event to secure your spot)

 

4:50 Zoom Meeting Open - Please join early and settle in.

5:00 Welcome from Vermont CSTA Chapter Leaders

5:10 Keynote: “The Future of Education: An Introduction to Extended Reality (XR)”  by XR Terra

Highlights on  the evolution of extended reality (VR/AR/MR) Explore how it affects different industries, and discuss how students can participate in, and prepare for, a career in immersive technology. 

XR Terra is a leader in extended reality training and development with a mission to foster innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity in education using XR technologies to ensure that students and educators are best prepared for the evolving demands of the 21st century.

 

5:30 Introduction to Code.org’s NEW District Program

Presentation by Andy Teipen, from Code.org

The Code.org District Program is free and helps support district leadership with CS and AI resources and education while also providing them data on what's happening in the district with CS curriculum usage, celebrating teachers doing CS in the classroom and webinars and other content for district leaders to continue learning and connect.

5:45  Flash Session: Physical Computing

  1. Developing Computational Thinking Skills with Younger Learners Presenter: Darcie Rankin, Christina Smith, Emily Wood

  2. Quick Techniques to Engage Students with STEM Using SAMSLAB
    Presenter: Paul Shepard, Sams Lab

  3. Create with Code You Can Touch
    Presenter: Lucie deLaBruere

6:05 Networking: Quick Hellos, Introductions, and Sharing what brings you here today (small groups)

6:20 Closing

  • Announcements: AOE, CSTA, Others

  • Door Prize Raffle



Saturday, January 27, 2024

Sharing TurtleStich at #CCFestNYC

 Last year, I attended #CCFestNYC at the Dalton School in New York City.  Loved the creative energy and met some great people.  This year, I volunteered to share a bit about my passion for Code You Can Touch.

I'll be bringing my latest Code You Can Touch Project -using TurtleStitch and an Embroidery Machine.
Here are some Handouts we will be using.




If you're in NYC this weekend,  stop by the Dalton School 


Creative Coding Fest


CC Fest is a free and friendly event for anyone curious about creative code.

We welcome:

  • Students, artists, hobbyists, creatives, and tinkerers who are curious to learn

  • Educators and community organizers who are looking for inspiration

  • Everyone who would like to learn more about creative code and our community

Come spend a few hours with us! Make interactive and engaging digital art, animation, and games, work with AI or hardware, and explore many other options. Hear from our keynote speakers on important and timely topics related to creative coding.

Please join us for our next event, CC Fest NYC, at the Dalton School, on Sunday, January 28. Details and RSVP are here.



Friday, January 26, 2024

Middle School Students Develop Identity & Confidence in a Makerspace Residency

 This month I had the pleasure of being part of the 2024 International Fab Educator Summit.


Session Description

How might students gain self-awareness, experience the creative process, and create confidence using various tools and materials found in the school maker space? 

Come find out as we share a maker residency example that encouraged students to think about their own self-identity through various prompts and hands on activities resulting in the creation of a physical product that included design elements to expresses an evolving sense of self. One of the goals of the project was to provide and opportunity for teachers and students to develop relationships and engage with their school community through hands-on experiences. Not only did the products students designed and created reveal their personal interest and identity, but the process allowed students and their teachers to discover skills and strengths that are not often revealed through traditional academic learning. 


Doing this in 20 minutes was tricky even though we francophones naturally talk fast.   The session recordings will be shared after the event.  The following are my slides for today's session. 

 

 
Here is more information about this residency,  including links and details that we didn't have time to go over in the short 20 minute session. 


First and foremost,  I must thank the amazing Hyde Park Middle School Students and Staff  and the Vermont Arts Council for collaborating with me on this  week long Maker Residency focused on IDENTITY.  

 
This  short video captures the spirit of the residency and gives you a feel for how engaged students  were during the hands on experience as they created a sense of sense and confidence with the tools in their maker space. 





My process for planning a residency makes use of the stages of  Design Thinking from the Stanford D School. 




The EMPATHIZE Stage is KEY to planning a successful residency.


During this stage, I meet with different members of the staff, ask questions, make observations and gather information about the school culture, logistics such as curriculum demands and schedule, and, of course, the goals for the residency.   It is important to understand  the feelings and needs of different members of the staff, including teachers, coaches, school leaders, and students.


The DEFINE Stage allows us to identify specific goals for the residency. 


I always use a  “How Might We” prefix and work with key members of the staff and student leaders  to create a   design problem sentence reflecting  the goals of the residency based on the needs identified during the Empathy stage.  We include the tools or processes we will use to meet the identified need.  We also include constraints and limitations we are working with.  Here was our  problem statement for this residency.



The IDEATE Stage allows us to expand our thinking  about what's possible. 


We start by using wild brainstorming techniques.  Teachers often come in with a specific idea of what they want to do.  Those ideas are often limited to more traditional teaching practices and limitations.  The old adages "you don't know what you don't know" comes into play here.  I try to use my makerspace experience to help everyone see more possibilities. I watch carefully to see which ideas lights a fire in their belly.  It's important that I have an open mind about ideas I had not considered and watch for the  passion and interest of members of the school to become part of the ideas we generate.





The PROTOTYPING stage is where we start building a tangible product that the user can engage with.



This is where we get to the heart of planning the residency activities and schedule.  I use Google Slides as building blocks. The slide format allows us to collaborate, add, remove, and rearrange ideas.  One of the hardest things is for teachers to imagine how to build the vision within the constraints of their schedule. Time and schedules are barriers that often encourage teachers to try new ideas.  I ask for their schedule on paper and work with a school leader to create a residency schedule that works for everyone.  Using the concept of 'inhouse field trips" often works (but not always).  With creative and flexible thinking, we break down the schedule barrier and then start to imagine activities that will help us reach the goals  identified in the problem statement. 

The TEST stage  is where we go live. 

Now's the time to  test to see if the schedule and activities work as we intended.  This was the heart of the activities throughout the week long residency. It's important to watch carefully to see how the 'solution' we created performs under unexpected conditions. 

We debrief frequently and pivot as necessary.  With the whole staff feeling empowered to suggest changes along the way, we ended up with a successful residency.  During this time we look for evidence of what's working and what needs tweeking. 

For example, in this residency plan the icebreaker went a lot longer because students were very engaged in it.  We had to tweak the prompt a bit to make sure that the alter-ego superpowers were being used for "GOOD".  During the Journal making stage, we found we had to simplify the journal and let go of our ambition to include circuits, quotes, and a button clasp.  We noticed that some students were amazing at grasping the technical logistics and they quickly became leaders that helped absent students catch up.  We leaned in on their strengths to improve the workflow.  Quite often these are not the same students that shine during more traditional learning activities.

Here are two short videos of what this phase looked like during our residency.









 

The REFLECT and CELEBRATE  stage is a step I added to the Design Thinking process.


Although I'm listing this stage last, we built in lots of opportunity for reflection and capturing evidence of learning throughout the residency.  We created a student handout  with prompts and places for students to reflect on their learning.  Not only was this an instrument that contributed to deeper learning, but it also helped with logistics when there was back log at one of the maker tools.  Taking lots of pictures and  short video clips provided a powerful reflection tool for both teachers and students.  We uploaded these into a Google Photo Album for students to review and  use to add multi-media evidence to their reflection journal.  

It was also important to provide time for educators to debrief and reflect  and consider how this experience could impact their practice.  It was rewarding to hear teachers request that they have access to the tools and materials after the residency as they started to plan for both in school and after school activities that they could lead  in the makerspace. 







This maker residency reframed my understanding of residencies and what's possible when design thinking guides the planning process. I am  committed to designing residencies that strive for deeper learning  where students are fully engaged with a new learning experiences.  The experience must inspire them to learn new skills. As they create confidence with new tools and processes, students are ready to take on meaningful making challenge.  

The residency should provide teachers with the opportunity to receive embedded professional development as they co-teach an experience that they helped to design.  The strive for the experience to be a low risk way for all teachers to  create confidence with new tools and processes that model Project Based Learning pedagogy.  I have seen teachers become inspired watching the engagement of their students during the residency. With newfound confidence in using new tools and processed, teachers leave  the residency experience ready to design instruction that includes meaningful making projects. 


If you would like to bring a Maker Residency to your school, 

contact Lucie at ldelabruere@gmail.com


Sunday, December 10, 2023

Create With Code Using TurtleStitch - Getting Started

During Computer Science Education Week 2023, I challenged myself to learn to code with Turtle Stitch - a coding environment that allows you to generate code that can be embroidered with an embroidery machine!  This fits right into my belief that Creating Code You Can Touch is a highly motivating way to introduce computer science.  Today's post will include some getting started tips for beginners when using TurtleStitch for the first time. 

If you have used Scratch, Snap, or other block coding environments before,  you will notice that the layout to TurtleStitch includes 3 main areas.  

On the left you will find a library of CODE BLOCKS, on the right you will find a STAGE with a TURTLE sprite (or actor) and in the middle is where you  write your CODE to control the Turtle.


Let's get started by dragging out some Code Block to see if we can make the Turtle draw a Square.




Tip 1: Start each program with a RESET. This clears the screen and returns the turtle to the HOME position and points it in the 90 degree direction.  Then add a Stitch Type code by dragging out the Running Stitch Code.   If you don't do this, Turtle Stitch will give you a warning that your stitches are too long for the embroidery machine.   Putting both of these under a WHEN GREEN Flag block is a great way to make sure these commands are run at the beginning of every program.




Tip 2: I like to drag out an EVENT code that allows me to run part of my design when I press a key on my computer. In this case, I chose WHEN S KEY PRESSED (since we are drawing a square) then I attach code blocks that will tell the Turtle to Draw a Square. 




Tip 3:  Take some time to understand the X,Y Coordinates 


One way to do this is to have TurtleStitch display the X,Y coordinates of your mouse pointer on the stage as well as the X,Y coordinates of the Turtle.  I, also, like to display the direction that the Turtle is pointing.
To do this Find and  "Click on  "CHECKBOXES" for  each of the following in the CODE BLOCK area. 



Check these in the SENSING Category

When you do this, your Stage area will display location of your pointer and your turtle.
Moving the pointer around on the stage and watching the location info change can help you  place your design elements in the correct elements on the stage. (Hint, You might have to drag  the information blocks around the stage if they are stacked  behind each other)




Tip 4:  If you prefer to work in inches, change the Display Setting to inches. 
Keep the size of your design small enough to fit into the 4 X 4 inch  or the capacity for your embroidery machine

 
The maximum image size for the Turtlestitch stage area is approximately
 3 1/2 inches in height x 4 1/2 inches in width
You can see the size of your image below the stage.
I found that 127 steps created a 1 inch square




Tip 5:  Try this fun challenge to better understand the X,Y positions of your grid and the size limitations of  TurtleStitch graphics.


Create a design that draws and labels   the XY Coordinate grid  on the stage. Make it about 4 X 4 inch in size. 



Use the code blocks we have learned along with these code blocks. 



Here is the approach I took to do this. 
When GREEN FLAG pressed, reset and set a running stitch 


When X pressed, draw the X axis and label it


When Y pressed, draw the Y axis and label it












When H pressed (move the turtle back home)






Bonus Challenge:  Draw a one inch square in each of the 4 coordinates! `

Hope the following Tips prove to be helpful as you start your Turtle Stitch Journey.

I'm just learning too, so I welcome any advice as I share my journey in the next few posts.





Friday, December 8, 2023

Code You Can Touch using Turtle Stitch

Each year I challenge myself to learn something new and reflect on the process of that learning experience.   I believe that taking off my teacher hat, and replacing it with a student hat, is one of the best professional development experiences a teacher can engage in. 

 
What better time to learn something new than  Computer Science  Education Week!  This week, I pulled out the embroidery machine that I bought during the pandemic, and started to imagine a new Create with Code You Can Touch project. 


I developed an interest in TurtleStitch  when I saw Twitter posts about this platform that allowed you to CODE an embroidery design.  This year, I decided that I would find a project that would allow me to create confidence with TurtleStitch so that I can include an embroidery machine in my Code You Can Touch experiences.  I'm not quite finished my project, but here is what I have done so far, along with a reflection on what I'm learning along the way.



I like to approach learning through creating and making with four types of questions
(What? How? Why? and Who?).






WHY would anyone use TurtleStich to create an embroidered design? 
WHO might TurtleStich invite and empower?


First of all, I must say you would NOT use TurtleStitch if your intention was to easily embroider a specific graphic.  Many embroidery machine come with libraries of designs and fonts you can pick from.  You can purchase embroidery designs on platforms like Etsy for a few bucks.     You can, also, draw your own designs with  embroidery design software or vector graphic software.   Here's an example, where I used  the free Inkstitch plugin to Inkscape to embroider the Create Make Learn logo.

But if your WHY is to learn to code  through physical computing - then TurtleStitch fits the bill.  
If you enjoy block coding using Scratch of Snap, then TurtleStitch provides another block coding platform for you to play with. 

It's accessible and can be used to create fun colorful designs on something you can TOUCH and KEEP! Giving birth to a physical object creates a feeling of pride and produces a reminder of the HARD FUN experience of learning to code! 


Working with textiles can inspire  under-represented populations to learn computer science.  Students who are drawn to color, textile, or artistic expression might be more inspired to learn to code if the results was a physical product they could wear or display. 


Inspired by my WHY and WHO questions, I was ready to move into the WHAT and HOW questions.

WHAT do you need to create an embroidery project with code?

Hardware - Obviously you will need access to an embroidery machine. I chose the Brother 525 for the following reasons.: 




1) Price 
Embroidery machines are expensive.  My goal was NOT to start an embroidery business, so I really did not need an expensive high end machine.  I wanted something school makerspaces might find affordable. The Brother 525 (under $400) seemed to fit the bit.  

2) Stand Alone machine. 
 In my research, I kept seeing that combo machines (ones that sew and embroider) were less desirable and perhaps more prone to problems.  I don't have personal experience with this, but it sounded reasonable, so I ruled out combo-machines.

3) Repair
I would suggest looking around for a sewing machine repair shop near you to see what brands they will service.  Embroidery machines perform a lot of mechanical movements, so I suspect that they might need to be serviced at some point. 

4) USB port
You will need to import your coded design into the machine, so you'll need a machine with a USB port. 


Software


Since my goal was to create with code, my intention was to use Turtle Stitch software. It is cloud based so it works on Chromebooks and its free to use. It is based on SNAP block code, so the interface seemed familiar. 

Code! .. Draw! .. Stitch!

I also checked into embroidery software so I could embroider 'non coded' designs. 
I experienced sticker shock when I saw the price of embroidery software.  Even the price of software plug-ins for vector programs like Adobe Illustrator seemed out of reach.  After some research I noticed that I could use an Inkscape plug in called Inkstitch plugin to convert svg designs into a file format that my embroidery machine can use. 


Supplies

It was obvious that I would need embroidery thread, but a few supplies were less obvious.

Embroidery Thread

I ordered this box to have a nice selection of colors available.  Extra bobbins were also recommended, so I bought a box of these.








Extra Needles

Yes,  even experienced sewers break needles, but a newbie like me broke a needle the first time I used my machine.  I also learned that there are different needles for different fabrics and that you should replace your needles when they become blunt.

Hoops

Make sure you have the right embroidery hoop for your machine.  This maximum embroidery size for my machine was 4" X 4" so I didn't really need the 3 pack with different sizes I bought.  


Stabilizer

I tried my first design without stabilizer and it didn't work out so well. I had never heard of stabilizer before this project, but quickly learned that I would need both Tear away and Water soluble stabilizer depending on the type of project I had in mind. As the name implies, the water soluble stabilizer can be washed away with water and is useful for projects where the back of your project is exposed. 

Tear-away Stabilizer


Water Soluble Stabilizer

Fabric

Having some scrap fabric that you can experiment on is important.  You want to give yourself permission to experiment first! I used an old muslin shopping bag from Waby Parker to experiment with.


Since I  didn't have  quick access to a fabric store, so I purchased some flour sack tea towels for my first project. And since I was in the Christmas spirit, I also picked up some printed tea towels to use in my first project. 


Sewing supplies

You'll also want some basic sewing supplies like scissors, rulers or  tape measures, seam rippers, straight pins, a pin cushion, and an iron/ironing board.  


HOW to get started? 


The first step is to learn the basics of threading and operating your machine. For this I followed the instructions that came with my machine with one of the simple built in designs.  I also found this video very helpful. 


Finally it was time to CODE my own design. 

These TurtleStitch Tutorial videos and these Lesson Plans/Cards were very helpful, especially this one




When it came time to code my own design, I wanted to start with something seasonal, but simple.  A simple Christmas Tree proved to be the perfect design for me to get comfortable with the basics of TurtleStitch without feeling overwhelmed.  The seasonal nature made it especially relevant and motivating to learn.  It allowed me to become familiar with the ESSENTIAL setup code that every project needs.  The design  provided the perfect opportunity to review angles - a very important skill for coding embroidery designs. 

I found that using an Event such as "When I press '__' to draw different parts of my design was helpful for troubleshooting.

I also learned that moving the turtle to a specific XY coordinate and resetting the direction that your turtle points to was key to predictable results. 

In the next blog post on this topic, I'll break down the HOW TO steps with a more detailed tutorial for this project, and other starter projects than can help you and your students create confidence with code using TurtleStitch.












My experience has me re-thinking how and where I might use TurtleStitch in my physical computing approach to coding.  There was a lot more 'non coding' pre-learning needed than I expected -- but I guess that would be true with any new medium.  I'm definitely going to keep playing, and have the perfect holiday project in mind to motivate me to keep on learning through creating, making, and coding. 
 Stay tuned! 

























Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Create Vector Graphics

CREATE VECTOR GRAPHICS

Graphics are used everywhere - from logos and icons to photographs and illustrations. Understanding the difference between vector and raster will help students choose the right format for their needs.  As more tools for creating and making (such as laser cutters, electronic cutters, 3D printers, etc)  become part of our educational. landscape, there is a need for learners to understand the difference between vector graphics and raster graphics. 




What are Vector Graphics? 

Vector graphics are made up of lines and curves defined by mathematical formulas rather than pixels - Common vector graphic formats  include SVG, EPS, AI, PDF 

.Vector Graphics are resolution independent; they can scale to any size without losing quality.  They have a very small file size and load quickly on websites.  They contain mathematical data that can be used to fabricate physical objects with laser cutters, electronic cutting machines,  CNC machines, and 3D printer.

What are Raster Graphic?

Raster graphics are made up of a grid of pixels.  Common raster formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF. They are very common and great for photo-realistic images.  You can engrave raster images, but raster files cannot be cut.


Here is an example of raster and vector graphics


Professional software used to create Vector Graphics, such as Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw, is often not availableto K12 students and teachers who want to create their own designs with maker tools. 

Most schools needs design tools that  

1) are affordable

2) work on Chromebooks

3) have a signed student data privacy agreement


Here are some options that can work for learners who want to design vector graphics that can be used in projects that use electronic cutters (i.e. Cricut or Silhouette), laser cutters,  3D printers,  or large format printers.

Option 1:  Search for and download an SVG graphic from the web.

 Download an  SVG file from web collection of  vector graphic. My favorite is  The Noun Project.     If you create a login you can download SVG files and use them with attribution. 
They have a paid option with teacher discounts for those who would like to use the files without attribution.  





Option 2:  Use an SVG converstion site to convert raster graphics into Vector Graphics.

 Design or find a graphic file using one of many common tools that can save as a PNG or JPG.  Upload it to a site such as PICSVG.org and convert the file to an SVG.   




Option 3:  Use  Google Slides or Google Draw to create a SIMPLE SVG graphic.

UseWord Art and Shapes to create a simple SVG Graphic.  (Unfortunately you cannot merge overlapping shapes, but there is a lot you can create with simple shapes and many fonts you can use with Word Art)

Use the instructions in Slides 19 -33 to complete Challenge 1 below


Combine Options 1, 2, 3 above

Use Slides 34 - 61 to complete Challenge 2 Below.  



Option 4:  Use  a cloud based vector design program like Cuttle.xyz 



Try creating an artifact using Cuttle.xyz using parts of this slide deck


Play with some Cuttle Templates such as this SnowFlake Name Template


Option 5:  Use an AI Text to SVG generator 

 AI Text to SVG generators are starting to evolve. 
GlowForge Subscription model has one built in.

 Here are a couple I've tried (see me - if you want to try it during my session)




https://www.kittl.com/feature/ai-text-to-vector




https://neosvg.com/