Maker Experiment #1 – Participatory and Experimental Learning

This week, in my CEP811 class, I had the challenging task of re-imagining my instruction and creating a lesson plan using my “makers kit”. In my previous blog post I gave an outline of how I would use the “MaKey MaKey” in the classroom in a high school Economics lesson plan about entrepreneurship. This week I will give you another activity/lesson (used as an extension to the previous lesson) using the MaKey MaKey and I will connect it to one of the learning theories that we have studied throughout the masters program.

There are dozens of learning theories that exist in the education world today. The concept that resonates most strongly with me is experimental learning. This concept allows the scholars to be involved in their learning and take charge of the process. Our environment is constantly changing and teaching with environmental learning strategies allow learners to attain adaptive skills that are beneficial in all areas of life. There is a biological connection between a physical “hands-on” experimental learning approach that allows us to remember and recall the content learned. In John Ratey’s book “Spark”, he talks about this principle of connecting movement to a discipline helps our memory (Ratey, 2008, p. 42).

Bransford, Brown & Cocking describe experimental learning or teaching using “hands-on” projects as a successful tool to give students opportunities to experiment, create, and share the knowledge obtained in their book “How People Learn: bran, mind, experience, and school” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, p.13).

This tool can increase retention and help students take control of their learning. It also makes teaching concepts a lot more enjoyable and interactive for both teacher and student. The learner and educator can come together to create the content and still meet the state standards.

“David Kolb and Roger Fry (1975: 35-6) argue that effective learning entails the possession of four different abilities: concrete experience abilities, reflective observation abilities, abstract conceptualization abilities and active experimentation abilities” (David Kolb on learning styles). Students can retain and use the content when they are actively engaging in it. The learning model they presented implies that learning is a continuous action and does not begin or end with the teacher (in a classroom). Teachers that can facilitate learning and hit  on all four abilities allow students to take charge of their learning and become better creative thinkers.

Experimental and participatory learning is such an effective way of facilitating learning. It is a very desirable approach in teaching in my discipline. In economics, many concepts need to be shown. It is a social science, so there are rules and laws that may be tested. This makes experimental learning an excellent method to use in the classroom. According to Project New Media Literacies, this approach will provide “heightened motivation and new forms of engagement through meaningful play and experimentation” and will lead to authentic and meaningful learning experiences.

 

The participatory culture allows students to create, collaborate, and share the learning that they have experienced. By combining my Entrepreneurship lesson (project) and the extension activity below, students are participating and experimenting these economic concepts and discovering the objectives independently (without a textbook or teacher-lecture). New Media Literacies described this method of teaching as a “participatory culture” in this video:

 So what are the results like when using participatory and experimental learning?

Henry Jenkins described a scenario in which he provided a participatory framework of instruction and used many methods that allowed students to experiment and collaborate with each other. In his blog post, “Shall We Play (Part II)”, he describes the results as “a rich array of imaginative ideas which showed a deep understanding of the core concepts and information running through the class. Students listened with the idea that they would be applying what they learned in this creative and playful process”. This method of learning gives students a voice and a space to learn and create. It spurs creativity and encourages collaboration.

In my task, I will use these strategies to apply them to my high school economics class. In the previous lesson, I gave students a time to create a product using the “MaKey MaKey”. Students acted as entrepreneurs and had to discuss the different factors of production they needed to produce the product. Then, they had to create a commercial in order to create a demand for their product and present it to the class.

In this extension of the activity, students will look at the “costs: fixed and variable” in order to determine output. Students will experiment with how to maximize output and how to analyze the data using “marginal analysis”. Lastly, students will work together to create a production schedule, act out the labor function in an assembly line (using their made product with the MaKey MaKey), and discover the “Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns”.

LESSON PLAN FOR ECONOMICS CLASS:

• This lesson is created as a follow up to the previous Entrepreneurship lesson, but may be used on its own to facilitate learning of these concepts.

Objectives:

Students will experiment to discover economic concepts of the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns, Marginal Analysis, and production methods – assembly line – that go into suppliers/business’ decision making. Students will experiment with MaKey MaKey kits to focus on marginal analysis: How many workers should we hire to maximize production?

HSCE(s):

• 4.1.2 Marginal Benefit and Cost – Use examples and case studies to explain and evaluate the impact of marginal benefit and marginal cost of an activity on choices and decisions
• 1.2.3 Investment, Productivity and Growth – Analyze the role investments in physical (e.g., technology) and human capital (e.g., education) play in increasing productivity and how these influence the market

Materials Needed:

• Laptop cart (classroom set of computers)
• 6 MaKey MaKey kits
• Items from the thrift shop (From previous entrepreneurship project lesson plan)
• Play-dough, bananas, aluminum foil, forks/spoons, etc. (conductive material)

o   OR if you did NOT do the previous entrepreneurship lesson you could try something interactive such as:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQuVCB6WzOo – Human Piano
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ6uv-FhyTY   – Human Drums

Time Needed: 1 class period

Procedure:

Bellringer: As students enter the classroom ask the: How do you know how many workers to hire? Does more workers always mean more output? (Students should write their answers in their notebooks before the class activity starts.)

1. Students are in Inventors groups (5 students per group)
2. Each student must have a role in production/Conducting the charge
3. Students experiment to decide how many workers would be the best to maximize output.
4. Students start graphing:

• In the beginning we have our fixed costs (before we hire any workers).

• i.     With 0 (zero) workers we get 0 (zero) output
• ii.     Add one worker (labor)– Record data of output
• iii.     Add another worker (labor) – record data of additional output
• iv.     Add another worker (labor) – record data etc.
• v.     Continue until all group members are laborers

• At this time, the addition of the 4^th and 5^th worker should be decreasing Marginal Returns and possibly NEGATIVE Marginal Returns (If not – continue adding workers with the entire class to show this principle)
  • If not doing the “Extension/Entrepreneurship project”, provide the HUMAN DRUMS simulation. Students must complete a simple beat in 1 minute (as many times as possible)
  • You might even try this activity with something like “Banana Bongos” or “Banana Space bar” and have each student have to add their hands on the banana.

MAIN IDEA: Eventually adding workers will decrease output because there is limited space and “Workers will be in the way of each other”.

5. Students work with group to discover what the ideal number of workers would be to maximize output.
6. Draw Graph and reflect on how we could hire more workers and keep the marginal benefits

• Only way is to add more resources (more bananas, wires, connections, ect.)

5. Discuss findings and share results with class (include graph and chart)

ASSESSMENT/Debrief

• Students should discover the three stages of production: Increasing Marginal Returns, Diminishing Marginal Returns, and Negative Marginal Returns.
• Students should make a chart, graph and reflection on their experiment. In the chart it should look something like this: (The X-Axis will be # of workers, the Y-axis would be output/efficiency)

 

REFERENCES:

• Ratey, John J. (2008) Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. (page 42) Little, Brown & Company. New York.
  • John Ratey, MD. is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and has studied neuroscience, learning, and physical activity in his practice.

• Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school: Expanded edition (pp. 1-78). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved January 17, 2014, from:  http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368

• Tangient LLC. (Project New Media Literacies).Participatory Learning And You (P.L.A.Y.), (2014) “The 5 Characteristics of Participatory Learning (CPLs)” [Web Resource] Retrieved from:  http://playnml.wikispaces.com/PLAY!+Framework

• Jenkins, Henry. Shall We Play (Part II). (2011). Confessions of an Aca-Fan- the official web-blog of Henry Jenkins. University of Southern California [Web Resource] Retrieved from: http://henryjenkins.org/2011/05/shall_we_play_part_two.html#sthash.bZvCXFt1.dpuf

• Kolb, David A. & Fry, Roger. ‘Toward an applied theory of experiential learning;, in C. Cooper (ed.) Theories of Group Process, London: John Wiley  [Web Resource] Retrieved from: http://infed.org/mobi/david-a-kolb-on-experiential-learning/

 

Thrift Shopping for MaKey MaKey Ideas

This past week in CEP 811, we studied and examined the TPACK (Teaching Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) framework. We watched a presentation on thinking creatively and teachers designing the lessons to utilize technology for meaningful lessons. The video can be viewed HERE. The presentation is done by Punya Mishra and Matt Koehler and does a great job in broadening the view of “Educational Technology”.

In studying this concept we read “Rethinking Technology & Creativity in the 21st Century: Crayons are the Future”. In this article, Mishra discusses some misguided views of “Educational technology”. He criticizes the approach that glorifies using the newest gadgets and planning lessons around the latest technology. He argues that we need to have content and creativity in mind when planning and to use technology that best works for the learning objective. “It is the interaction between knowing a technology knowing about pedagogy, and understanding a subject matter that makes for effective teaching with technology (Mishra and Koehler, 2008, p. 14). This sums up the fact that it is the teacher as the creator of using the tools (technology) and the content together to design effective instruction.

The concept of “repurposing” was reintroduced to me this week. In my previous educational technology classes we looked at this concept and focused on TPACK (as you can see in “Cooking with TPACK”). This week we were pushed to focus on repurposing tools again.

As we examined the “Makers Movement” last week, we were asked to purchase a Makers Kit. I bought a MaKey MaKey kit. The MaKey MaKey is an invention kit that allows you to manipulate your computer screen using everyday objects. Essentially you connect your board to your computer (USB port), connect an alligator clip to the “earth”, and you are ready to start inventing. Your computer will think you have a new keyboard. The sky is the limit from here. It allows you to hook up anything that is “conductive” and repurpose that object to use as a keyboard. The introduction video can be seen at the website or by clicking HERE. This week we had to familiarize ourselves with our Makers Kit. Well enough that we could explain to someone how it worked and demonstrate. The first task the MaKey MaKey site suggested to familiarize yourself with the kit was to make “banana bongos”. I demonstrated in this video:

Our task this week, was to visit a thrift shop and find objects that we could use with our makers kit for a classroom activity in our teaching. As I imagined and brainstormed ideas, I found myself having a tough time getting creative. I was stuck on how I could use this in high school economics or government class. I teach seniors in social studies, not elementary science. I decided to go to the thrift shop and snap some photos to hope I’d get inspired.

Thrift Shop

I knew that the massive amounts of clothing would not be conductive. So I went to the back near the games, sporting goods, nicknacks, kitchen utensils, appliances, etc. section. I found golf clubs and snapped a photo.

The candle holder caught my attention and I wondered how you could use the different holders for arrows on a game or notes a keyboard. 

 

I’m not really sure what this is, but if there was an “insulator” in the center and each of the hanger-things could work independently, you might have a cool inventors tool on your hand. 

 

 

And of course, crutches would make a great tool. The alligator clips could be hooked to the holes on the bottom and you could make an extremely long space bar. 

My IDEA for my Economics class:

I came home and looked at my photos and thought long and hard about how I could repurpose these tools and, even more so, how I could repurpose the activity to fit 12th grade economics. The idea I came up with was to use the “inventor’s mindset” that the MaKey MaKey inspires. In economics we study the concept of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs are those who combine the 3 factors of production (land, labor, capital) and create a good or service for sale. I also wanted to bring in the concept of sales and advertising. How businesses have to market and advertise their product to “create a demand”. My activity is a project for my students. The project will allow them to be the entrepreneur, invent a product, and demonstrate it’s use (in an advertisement that creates a demand).

Here is the Lesson Instructions

Objectives: 

• Students will explore the concept of entrepreneurship and creativity in an interactive project. Students will create a prototype of an invention: explain materials, costs, and purpose for their invention. Students will then collect materials from home or a local thrift shop to make their invention. Students will list what the factors of production is in this process. (Who is the Entrepreneur? What is the Land? Labor? & Capital?) Students will use the MaKey MaKey kit to make their invention. Lastly, students will market and advertise their product using sales techniques to create a demand.

HSCEs: 

1.1.2 Entrepreneurship – Identify the risks, returns and other characteristics of entrepreneurship that bear on its attractiveness as a career.

1.2.3 Investment, Productivity and Growth – Analyze the role investments

1.3.3 Price, Role of Supply, Consumer influences in the market

Materials:

• Laptops (Class set – Carts)
• 6 MaKey MaKey kits
• Product materials – (student choices)
• Project outline
• MaKey MaKey videos (for ideas)
• Video Flip Cameras (for commercial or advertisement)

Time Needed:

3-5 class periods

Procedure:

Prior knowledge: Students should know about the four factors of production, the role of the entrepreneur, scarcity and choice, sales & advertising, law of supply and law of demand, cost/benefit analysis, and profit analysis. (project would be completed in the middle or end of the semester)

1. Students break students into 6 groups
2. Explain project outline
3. Show students the MaKey MaKey introduction video and website
   • http://www.makeymakey.com 
4. give students time to brainstorm
5. students must present idea and clear the idea with teacher by beginning of day 2
6. students will draw a prototype and explain the purpose of product
7. students create product
8. students will then create a commercial and demonstration to “sell the product” and create a demand
9. students will present their projects in class on the 5th day of project

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their understanding of entrepreneurship, factors of production, and advertising. Students will be graded on content knowledge, creativity, and presentation of the product.

This project would put much of the creating and power in the students hands. It would be a comprehensive project that would show mastery of the economic content and allow for creativity in using a new tool: MaKey MaKey. The students would be repurposing the objects and collaborating with their peers to create a new product and experience the sensation of being a “maker” and an Entrepreneur in the same project.

References:

Mishra, P., & The Deep-Play Research Group (2012). Rethinking Technology & Creativity in the 21st Century: Crayons are the Future. TechTrends, 56(5), 13-16.

Mishra, P. & Koehler, Matt. Teaching Creatively: Teachers as Designers of Technology, Content and Pedagogy from Punya Mishra on Vimeo.

MaKey MaKey video http://www.makeymakey.com 

Lindquist, Vincent. “Banana Bongos – MaKey MaKey kit”. (3-23-2014) retrieved from youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieqs_CIq_E8

Digital Literacy Lesson Plan (Economics: Government Spending)

In my educational technologies class we have studied how the learning process is essential for creating meaningful connections to students. The “learner centered” approach encourages the teacher to facilitate learning in a positive environment that encourages collaboration and a sense of classroom community (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking 2000, p.25). This is vital to student growth. My lesson involves all these principles in a technology-based lesson designed and inspired after reading Douglas Thomas & John Seely Brown (2011) and Renee Hobbs (2011).

This is a lesson for my economics class. The lesson is about government spending and budgeting. This lesson comes toward the backend of my class in the macroeconomics section. I teach seniors at a school district that has technological capabilities to fulfill this ambitious lesson. This lesson will require computer access and will take place over 4 or 5 days. This lesson will support “21^st century” learning and promote an objective of creating autonomous “technology-literate” learners.

       Douglas Thomas & John Seely Brown (2011) suggest that learning has evolved and thrives on changes and rapid sharing of the changes (p. 37). They illustrate that the learning process should involve play and “experimental learning” should replace the classroom (teacher led) model (p.37-38). To this point, I have created a lesson that establishes a space for students to learn by analyzing information and then USING it to PLAY.

In Renee Hobbs book, Digital and Media Literacy: Connecting Culture and Classroom (2011), she talks about the importance of designing lessons around open-ended essential questions (p.15). The “open-ended” question in this lesson is:

“Which is better – tax hikes or spending cuts – when it comes to creating a balanced federal budget?”

This question has no correct answer and is open for interpretation and opinion. However, after this lesson students should have an understanding for academic and meaningful responses to this question that represents their understanding of our economy.

New technologies: I am using are googledocs and moodle in this lesson. I am also giving students space to play/experiment, then reflect and share with one another about what they learned. I use scaffolding to show students how to interpret digital articles and how to collaborate with their peers to produce a meaningful product. Students will use online resources supported by my district such as the “moodle” (course management system). Moodle is a great tool for sharing student work with one another and creating online lessons and assignments that give students space to explore. I also used my class website (located HERE) to enhance organization and student ease in understanding objectives, while staying organized.

This lesson achieves the content objectives for my curriculum (HSCEs) and also achieves a greater objective of teaching students to be “21^st century” learners. This lesson promotes skills in digital literacy and collaboration with peers. It allows students freedom to express themselves in a meaningful way and collaborate with peers whom agree and disagree with them to make them a well-rounded individual. The complete lesson plan and rational can be viewed HERE.  Enjoy.

REFERENCES:

 Bransford, J.D., Brown , A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Thousand, Oaks, CA: Corwin/Sage.

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, Ky: CreateSpace?.