littleBits: MakerEd Challenge

thingiverse

LittleBits are incredible creations that have opened doors to new possibilities, making it easier than ever for anyone to design and build amazing inventions without needing extensive knowledge in electronics. The only thing more exciting than providing a wide range of littleBits for students to explore is combining those with the limitless potential of 3-D printing! How I Designed This I used Tinkercad to create the bases for both the servo and motor, which are now available for you and your students to download, modify, and share as you see fit. My hope is that this will spark a new wave of innovation, with educators and students sharing their creations on platforms like Tinkercard, Thingiverse, or anywhere littleBits enthusiasts come together. LittleBits: #MakerEd Challenge Objective: Through working with littleBits, students will develop fundamental 3-D modeling skills, learning to design and print items that complement their inventions. Audiences: This lesson is designed for fourth-grade students and above, but can be adapted for younger learners with support from teachers. The teacher can even design littleBits-compatible items as a group activity with student input. Preparation: Students don't need prior knowledge, just basic introductions to both littleBits and 3-D printing. Here's a presentation I gave to middle school students on littleBits that you're welcome to use for inspiration: (littleBits Challenge: https://goo.gl/300Ata) Steps: Introduce littleBits and their capabilities, sharing projects from www.littlebits.cc to spark student creativity. As students start developing their projects, introduce the 3-D printed servo and motor adapters. After showcasing examples or your own designs, give a tutorial on Tinkercad and provide access to the shareable files I created for this lesson. Encourage students to work in pairs or small groups. Allow ample time for designing, fabricating, testing, and redesigning as needed. The iterative process should be at the heart of the lesson. If possible, have students showcase their completed projects on your school website or the littleBits website's project section. Results: Design a grading rubric tailored to your grade level and goals, focusing on the project and 3-D model design, presentation of student projects, and requirements for sharing ideas with the maker community through Thingiverse, Tinkercad, and/or littleBits. As a token of appreciation for their hard work, consider presenting your students with one of my Happy littleBits! (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1244458)