Today I went to my 2nd...and last...Girls Who Code meeting at our Washougal branch. The library district has decided to cancel all public programs through the end of the month due to the spread of COVID-19 in our state. Hopefully we'll be back at the beginning of April, but who knows.
Two best friends dropped in today and asked if we'll be doing things every week. It was heartbreaking to tell them we're on break until April.
Today's project:
Interactive art with Makey Makey
We used graphite pencils and markers to create a conductive piece of paper, then wired it up to MakeyMakey and used the apps to interact with our art.
and
Interacting with Art using PencilCode
I think I have standardized my program utilizing PencilCode.
1. We begin with the example (the turtle makes 6 off-set squares)
2. We examine the block-based code.
3. We switch to the text-based code. My basic prompts:
How many squares does the turtle make?
Can we change the code so the turtle makes one square?
Can we change the code so the turtle makes an upright square?
Can we change the color of the pen?
4. We erase the existing code and pull out the PencilCode Reference Sheet. We try out several pieces of code together to see what they do.
5. We take turns deciding what to draw: house, flower, boat, face, tree, skull, etc
I still find PencilCode to be an effective and fun way to get the kids off block-based code and into text-based coding.
My first programming assignment as Experiential Learning Librarian for FVRL was to plan a teen tech program and take it to the branches. Since we have the Oculus Rift and Oculus Go on loan from the State Library, my teen tech program should somehow relate to this technology. I didn't have to do the program until March, but I had to get it on all the branch programming calendars by February 1...so I made up a very vague description to get it scheduled:
I wanted to create some experience for teens that would go beyond just consuming the content provided, but actual demonstrate how virtual reality can function as a creative output for teens. I had no idea how to accomplish this...so, I started looking into how to create content for VR and came across several options:
Unity seemed promising, but I didn't know if we had the hardware to run the software. I worked with my IT department to work on getting it loaded on one of the district's training laptops to test it out. This also involved me reaching out to Unity and requesting educational licenses by filling out this form.
We were granted 12 licenses from Unity and were able to load the core software to our Windows laptops. These aren't new or fancy laptops and Unity struggles a bit on our older set, but we were able to get the basics up and going...
And I found out...
Unity is COMPLICATED!
By the time we figured out the Unity licensing, I had just a couple of weeks before my first program. So, I started looking around Unity for intro content.
I came across Unity's Roll-a-Ball tutorial and liked that it provided a good overview of many of the tools in Unity and several game mechanics, a bit of scripting, and wasn't insanely difficult (although I never got my last script to work...). I also liked the idea that if we got started and it sparked an interest in a teen, they could revisit the tutorial online and work at their own pace with (a lot more) explanation.
With Unity loaded on 10 district laptops and the VR headsets, I was ready to roll...
Teen Tech VR programming completed (attendees): LC (10), WD (5), Mall (8), WA (10), RI (6), ST (8), CP (8), GD (12), WS (3), VA (6), TC (8)
LC: Most kids were 12, making them too young for the VR headsets. They also headed to the library directly from school, so no parents to sign off for those who were old enough. The kids had limited experience with coding. I learned that troubleshooting 10 separate C# scripts before we could move on really slowed our progress. I will create cheat txt of all the corrected scripts in case we get stuck with too many errors.
WD: We had 2 high school kids and the rest middle schoolers. The older teens did a good job supporting the younger ones and made a lot of interesting discoveries in Unity. This group made it almost all the way through the tutorial. Learned we needed more information on Scene View camera controls. Updated handout.
MALL: We had 2 high school kids and the rest middle schoolers. Heather @ the Mall told me that one of our attendees, Terrence, had been in the library for the past 2 weeks and had several negative interactions with library staff. Heather said she was impressed with how well Terrence did during the program and was full of questions about things to do at the library. Heather later reported that Terrence returned ot the library the next day and had a positive experience with library staff.
WA: Rachael wasn’t sure how many kids to expect as Teen night attendance had been low during the last few sessions. We started with 6 kids and the numbers kept steadily increasing as the evening went on. We focused most of our efforts on the VR equipment and the kids did a great job of configuring the Rift, and helping each other in and out of the equipment. The Rift decided to disconnect at the end and took some late-night troubleshooting to see where the wires had become disconnected.
RI: Today Visual Studio gave up letting us in to edit C# scripts. I had to create several dummy Outlook accounts (all some variation of Jamiehatesthis@outlook.com) to get us back into the program. We also had a great teaching moment about building each other up. One teen was criticizing another teen because they were taking a long time to type in their C# script. I told the teen I was unaware they were already an expert in this and asked if they wanted to explain it to the others, to which I received a deer in the headlights look. I told the teen that feeling they had right now is how they make others feel when they say things like that. We talked about supporting and encouraging one another because everyone has different strengths. From Sean: “Just want to thank the two of you for coming to Ridgefield to put on a program for Teen Tech Month. The tweens had fun judging by what I've heard this afternoon.”
We also had our first roll-an-almond project:
ST: The teens did a good job supporting each other in the headsets. While working in Unity, they quickly picked up how to add GameObjects and then script them. After the initial C# script was typed and compiled in Unity, they did a great job troubleshooting errors in their code. They quickly picked up the next steps and moved forward quickly through the coding components and troubleshooting errors in their 3D games. They worked together to get everyone’s code working.
CP: Teens were really into the VR headsets, so we spent quite a bit of time on those. We had a homeschooler who had some experience with Python, but was really reluctant to use C# and kept comparing it to Python. Another teen had a Sony VR headset at home, but decided that the Oculus Rift was better quality.
GD & WS: This was an all-day outreach adventure! For most of the programs, we've only had 1 Rift and 1 Go, but I'm glad we brought all the equipment on the 2-hour drive out to GD! I wondered why they wanted their program 1-3 on a Friday, but I learned that they had early release all week. Some teens dropped off their release forms earlier in the week and the librarian kept track of it for them. We had a great experience overall and had the teens work together on the Unity portion. I have got a pretty good system of helping troubleshoot one C# code and then have that teen help the teen next to them while I work with someone else. WS was a slower after-hours event, but the teens who showed up had a unique experience and were excited to tell their friends.
I've clocked over 40 programming hours on this project. It was a great first project to get me in the branches and meet some of the teen patrons I hope to work with in the future! I also did a lot of transporting equipment and seeing all corners of our amazing library district :)
I am also quite proud of my ingenuity with adding velcro to some of the boxes to keep them shut!
The four girls who attended Fall 2018's Girls Who Code club were very enthusiastic and excited to come back in January. At the end of the Club, I 3D modeled and printed keychains for the girls and they were so excited by the idea of learning how to use the 3D printer that I decided for our next coding club we would work that in somehow. Thinking more about the girls' diverse talents and interests, I thought we'd stray a little from the Girls Who Code model and provide a wider variety of STEM experiences. I am also aware that this club is a social interaction for the girls as well. 1.5-2 hours staring at a computer, trying to finish a project, was really difficult for this group who liked each other and only had this club to talk to each other IRL. I also knew I'd be working on several projects with the impending 3D printer distribution around the district, so I decided to tighten up the schedule a little bit. I planned the Winter 2019 Girls Coding Club as a 6-week, 2-hour program, with the following topics: Week 1: introduction, learn to solder (as per my SLA's recommendation) Week 2: Art --> PencilCode & Processing Week 3: 3D Modeling and Printing Week 4:Web --> HTML + CSS & JavaScript Week 5: Music --> Python Week 6: Soft Circuits --> LilyTiny When club started up again, our 4 girls returned, plus a friend who attended in Winter 2018, but missed Fall 2018, and a new member, Serenity. I heard from several of the returning parents that their girls (who met in club) had been texting each other since the last club ended, ready to start up again. SLA Taylor, and children's librarian Maggie joined me in this endeavor. The first week was chaotic. The girls were high energy, excited to see each other again, and, as teens do, often spoke their own language. I think it was a bit intimidating for the people assisting. We spent the first part of the session having them talk about languages they have tried out, languages they would like to learn, and other ice-breaker-y type questions. We then had them set up to solder. They settled right in to the task at hand, and we only had one badge that couldn't get finished. Pretty successful. :)
The second week, we did pretty well with PencilCode. Processing was more of a challenge for the girls and I lost a couple of them to Youtube/memes. In Week 3, they were all very excited to learn about 3D printing and modeling. Some of them made successful models...some of them not so successful. But, I printed all of their objects and promised them glittery purple Rocktopodes if they finished their models. All came through :) Week 4 was supposed to be HTML/CSS, but the girls didn't express much interestin this topic and/or already had experience with this. So, instead, I brought in the VR equipment on loan from the State Library and let the girls configure and work with the technology. They loved it (and I got some great experience for when I lead an intro session for adults a couple of weeks later). Week 5 was supposed to be Earsketch, but the girls let me know they spent the first few weeks of the Winter 2018 Club working in Earsketch, so we decided to get started with our soft circuits. I brought in LilyTiny, battery holders, and LEDs and had the girls prototype circuits. I then had them practice stitching with conductive thread on fabric and an embroidery hoop. We also added a new member, Leilani.
Week 6: Instead of a party to celebrate a project they worked on over the past several weeks, we did our best to get a soft circuit project finished. I asked the girls what type of wearable item they wanted to work on for our final week and they indicated a hat. I found black hats for a decent price at the craft store and followed this Instructable on sewing them into a hat. We ultimately left out the Lilytiny and worked directly from the battery holder to the LEDs. It was actually pretty successful, but we left an insane mess to clean up in the morning.
This program is a lot of work, but so rewarding. Feedback from participants indicates that if VA does not offer another Girls Coding Club in Fall 2019, they will form their own club. Creating a welcoming and casual environment for these girls to meet, interact, and learn new skills has been a resounding success. The girls let me know they have been able to apply their soldering, printing, and coding skills in their classes.
Two best friends dropped in today and asked if we'll be doing things every week. It was heartbreaking to tell them we're on break until April.
