Bryan Cera's Paper Synth

After finding a link to Bryan Cera's Paper Electronics Workshop on the Google + 21st Century Notebooking community page, I ordered a few supplies and got started making my own paper synthesizer!

I made a few mistakes along the way, but I learned how to use my multimeter in continuity mode and how to manually designate a sketchbook location in the Arduino IDE under preferences, neither of which I've ever had to do before.

Bryan's instructions are very detailed, and he generously shares his templates, code, and supply list.  So, if you are interested in using an ATtiny85 to create your own musical instrument, be sure to check out Bryan Cera's Paper Electronics Workshop!

Running Neopixels on an ATtiny85

ATtiny85 controlling sewable neopixels

Today, I am learning how to use an ATtiny85 to program sewable neopixels, with the goal of moving toward using surface-mounted RGB LEDs in paper circuitry.  The reason that this is so exciting is because the ATtiny85 is an inexpensive, low-profile chip, making it useful for notebook hacking and art projects!  If I can figure out how to make this entire process happen on a Chromebook, it would be a huge breakthrough for classroom instruction.


At the time I was working on this project, there was still one step that required the use of a PC: the process of burning a boot loader/ changing the fuse timing on the ATtiny85.  To use neopixels, the ATtiny85 needs to run on an 8 Mhz internal clock, rather than the default of 1 Mhz. As of 11 January 2016, this issue has been fixed, making it incredibly easy to do this type of thing with students using Chromebooks!

Once I converted the chip to 8 Mhz, I was able to use CodeBender and a Chromebook to program it with neopixel sample code (with only a couple of small tweaks).

My next step was to see if I could apply this new learning to building a paper circuit with copper tape and surface mounted RGB LEDs.  The photos demonstrate a prototype using the surface mounted RGB LEDs soldered to wire!

Since I was able to get the LEDs to do what I wanted with wire, I am 100% convinced that this can be replicated with copper tape!  Stay tuned!

ATtiny85 controlling SMD RGB LEDs

Updated 19 Dec 15:
I've created my first paper circuit with neopixels!  To learn more, visit BlingtheBook.blogspot.com.

Lanterns for the River of Light Parade

Today I attended a lantern building workshop at Thatcher Brook Primary School, taught by +MK Monley and +gowri savoor. These brilliant educators are in the midst of preparing for the 6th annual River of Lights parade, which will be held in Waterbury on Saturday, 5 December.

MK invited me to attend this workshop after we collaborated to teach some of her third and fourth grade students basic paper circuitry, which they will be integrating into their own bug-inspired lantern projects later this month.

Having the opportunity to create my own bug lantern, and hearing about some of the various ways that they are constructed and illuminated around the world, was incredibly fun! We started out by taping willow branches into square-based pyramids.  After designing them (I was inspired by ladybugs) we glued coffee filters to outside, for the light to shine through.

Please check out the official River of Light site to learn more, or enjoy this video from 2012's parade.

How to Solder Surface Mounted LEDs in Paper Circuits

The video below is cross-posted with BlingtheBook.blogspot.com.

A 25 Word Story Told with Animated Paper Circuitry

All of the sharing that's been happening during the first week of #clmooc has got me thinking more deeply about the roles of identity, connection, curation, and the ways that we portray ourselves in the myriad settings of our lives.  When we put ourselves out into the world, we are attempting to communicate and connect with others, but we may not always be successful.  Sometimes, we may feel like our words are disappearing into cyberspace. Other times, we might be hoping for a sign that our message has been received, by looking to the outside world for validation that what we have to say has value beyond our selves.  I suspect that for some, social media may even lead to alienation in the pursuit of authentic human connection.  I am grateful to #clmooc for explicitly inviting participants to reflect on issues like this as we explore and consciously create our connected learning community.

I decided to turn my latest paper circuit into an animated #25wordstory, which came to me when I started thinking about the paradox of social media.  I am interested in the intersection between paper circuitry and story-telling, to get myself thinking and expressing in new ways.

To create the video, I used the DoInk Green Screen and Drawing/Animation apps and iMovie.

Paper Circuitry Remix #untro

For the next few weeks, I will be participating in the Making Learning Connected MOOC, a collaboration between the National Writing Project and Educator Innovator.org.

For the first #clmooc make, we were asked to "shatter the parameters of our introductions" in order to "see things in a new way."

I decided to do this by remixing of a couple of images that I drew and illuminated with paper circuitry.

Yesterday, I drew a purple monster with three glowing eyes.  Today it was a green alien (a cosmic photo bomber?) with a glowing heart.

After experimenting with a couple of fun tools (Bazaart and Lunapic) I remixed the images into a new piece of art! (If you look carefully, you may notice an alien heart beating).

I love the way that the new image tells a story without words and how the aliens look like open, welcoming critters.

Paper Circuitry and Animation

I have been captivated by paper circuitry and e-textiles since last summer, when I first started learning about soft circuits.  Using conductive thread or copper tape with LEDs to create objects that light up makes me extraordinarily happy, even if it hasn't necessarily contributed to my becoming a better writer, yet.  

While I have been deepening my exploration with soft circuits in my personal life, and by teaching a few workshops here and there, I am particularly interested in thinking more deeply about ways that this interest of mine can be integrated into content area teaching.  I want to know whether paper circuitry can help me and my future students become better thinkers, writers, and communicators.

I'd like to hear from other educators about how you have used paper circuitry to help upper middle to high school students communicate ideas or tell stories. 

Today, while I was thinking about this, I had an idea that could have some promise.  Rather than leaving my circuit hidden in a notebook, I decided to use it in a digital animation.   

Here's How I Did It:
This video is an app smash of iMovie, DoInk Greenscreen, and DoInk Drawing and Animation. I started by recording footage of a drawing of two cars in the middle of a road, with blinking headlights powered by a paper circuit.  I imported this clip into the DoInk Greenscreen app.  Next, I took a photo of the drawing and used Pixlr photo editer to remove the background from one of the cars, saving it as a transparent PNG file.  I imported the PNG file into the DoInk Drawing and Animation app and created a new composition, making the photograph appear to move.  I added the text by creating another animation.  I imported these compositions as new layers within the Greenscreen app, uploaded the final video to camera roll, and added audio within iMovie.

Paper Circuitry and the Writing Process

I started with a drawing.

Inspired by Nexmap's 21st Century Notebooking idea (done in collaboration with the National Writer's Project) I am attempting to blend paper circuitry with my own writing process.  This might sound easy, but I was surprised to find it more challenging than I thought I would. I love making the circuits, and even drawing or making collages of images that are in my imagination; but, when it comes to writing down the words, I sometimes struggle.  

While a goal of integrating paper circuitry into the writing process is to provide another communication tool, it should be noted that this doesn’t necessarily mean that the writing that you desire to inspire in yourself or others will be particularly good or flow easily. If I'm being completely honest, my writing process has been labored, even though I'm doing this as my own personal challenge.  I’ve found myself procrastinating and looking for permission to take a low-stakes approach, such as creating a blackout poem, composing a haiku, or illustrating a borrowed quotation. These options seem less daunting than documenting a personal metaphor or attempting to write something profound and magical. Still, I believe that this is a process worth exploring; we all need encouragement to practice telling our stories in different ways in order to find our most authentic voice.

I allowed myself to start writing in haiku. 

I created the circuit last.

So, when I struggle to find the right words, or worry that they won't be good enough, I need only remind myself to trust the process and play.  

I started my haiku by creating a drawing that reminded me of where I grew up. With some effort, and slightly adjusted expectations, the words followed.  With a little revision, I was happy enough with the outcome to share it here.

The thing that I like most about my finished piece is the way the illuminated flowers really look like jewels.

This is the first time that I let my content drive the circuit, instead of vise versa.

As I continue my exploration of paper circuitry as a literacy tool, I am wondering how I may build upon this experience to create meaningful learning opportunities for students. I personally love making things with my hands, so I naturally gravitate toward this sort of work.  

Conversely, I am wondering what research has to say about the use of paper circuitry in the writing process. I know some audacious educators have already been practicing this process in their classrooms, but I haven't seen a lot of examples of student work. Beyond the gleeful anecdotes and gee-whiz appeal that blinking lights are sure to conjure, I am curious to know how effective notebook hacking really is as a tool for improving communication or increasing creativity. The process has value on a personal level, but I'm eager to find out what students think.

---

Forgotten Jewels

Dusty petals croon

against a blanket of sand.

Sing, desert blossom.

Vermont Tech Jam 2014

After several hours of preparation, I led my Spooky Circuit Box challenge at the Vermont Tech Jam today, between 10:00 am and 2:30 pm!  Throughout the day, I shared the activity with close to 50 people!  Although I was exhausted by the end, and didn't have time to chat with friends who stopped by to say, "hi," I had a great time connecting with middle and high school students from a variety of schools.

Through the process of teaching origami and basic circuitry skills, I learned that a multifaceted project like this is best suited for small clusters of students- clusters of four at a time seemed to be the ideal number.  It should also be noted that I felt I had the best success when I was able to teach three people at a time and then have them teach their peers.  This would be equally true in a classroom setting.

The Generator was kind enough to provide me with two tables, so I had a smaller table set up for decorating the paper with rubber stamps.  After decorating their paper, the students completed their boxes and circuits with me, at a much larger table.

In addition to printed directions and a visual diagram of all of the steps, I also engaged in step-by-step demonstrations.

While the step-by-step demonstrations seemed to be well-received, I wish that I'd printed out more copies of the printed directions for those students (and teachers) who were deterred by a tight schedule or the crowds.

In general, I had more girls than boys stop by to make a circuit box.  While the activity itself was gender neutral, a box with bling is most definitely a hit with the ladies!

Perhaps not surprisingly, I discovered that my Mad Monster Candy Snatch Game (thanks, Make magazine) was a huge hit with both genders.  I quickly discovered that when the monster was filled with candy, swarms of students were drawn to my space.

This monster easily could have easily taken up a table of its own!