Synopses & Reviews
Soft Circuits introduces students to the world of wearable technology. Using Modkit, an accessible DIY electronics toolkit, students learn to create e-textile cuffs, "electrici-tee" shirts, and solar-powered backpacks. Students also learn the importance of one component to the whole -- how, for example, changing the structure of LED connections immediately affects the number of LEDs that light up.
Review
Young people growing up today will surely be called upon to address thorny problems that cut across global, interconnected systems: the environment, the economy, the global infrastructure. Few skills will be more important than the capacity to see, understand, and innovate systems. The Interconnections collection, created through a collaboration among scholars, curriculum developers, and teachers across the National Writing Project, provides approaches to teaching systems thinking through activities that also build literacy and support Common Core Standards and career-readiness. This 'both-and' approach is a demonstration of what forward-looking curriculum must be in a digital age. The MIT Press
Review
The books in this collection offer wonderful activities for engaging young people in new ways of making, helping them learn to express themselves creatively with new technologies. But even more important, they engage young people in new ways of seeing, helping them develop new perspectives for understanding the world -- and understanding themselves. Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, Executive Director, National Writing Project, University of California, Berkeley
Synopsis
Introducing students to the world of wearable technology.
Soft Circuits introduces students to the world of wearable technology. Using Modkit, an accessible DIY electronics toolkit, students learn to create e-textile cuffs, "electrici-tee" shirts, and solar-powered backpacks. Students also learn the importance of one component to the whole -- how, for example, changing the structure of LED connections immediately affects the number of LEDs that light up.
About the Author
Kylie Peppler is Assistant Professor in the Learning Sciences Program and Director of the Creativity Labs at Indiana University Bloomington. Melissa Gresalfi is Associate Professor of Mathematics Education and Learning Sciences at Vanderbilt University. Katie Salen Tekinbaş is Professor in the School of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University and Chief Designer and Researcher at Institute of Play.Rafi Santo is a doctoral student in the Learning Sciences Program at Indiana University Bloomington.