KIT: Literature review on Smart Textile with LilyPad Arduino technology
Daniela Reimann
Smart textile to engage pupils in developing, programming and debugging interactive systems based on LilyPad-Arduino-technology
Table of content:
- Introduction (what it is (Arduino, computational thinking etc.) and why teachers should be interested in it).
- Who and what have written on this topic? What are the main findings, conclusions?
- Recommendations for teachers.
- References
Abstract
In the following, a literature review related to a cross-disciplinary approach bringing together, computer science, arts-, design and crafting processes is introduced. Also the developments and debates towards coding in education in Germany are presented. Smart textile opens up creative processes and the shaping of technology. It enables the pupils to integrate the haptic dimension and include a variety of the human senses for learning. An example of integrating physical computing and arts- and design-based learning is presented and discussed: Smart textile, self-made wearables become meaningful interactive objects in project- and team based learning.
- Introduction
1.1 The German context
In Germany, the integration of coding into the school curriculum is not realized yet, especially not at primary school level. The disciplines like technology didactics and computer science education developed separately from media education and media didactics. This also applies to esthetic education, wherein computational thinking and modeling was neither a learning goal to aspire to, nor a part of the curriculum. Computer science-based contents have hardly ever been integrated into digital media curricula. Programming competence which goes beyond the familiarity with a machine that computes, and the support of software application skills, was not identified a learning goal to aspire to. Programming skills, known as “code literacy”, include the understanding of how computers and software programs work. This can be achieved by opening the black box and make is more transparent. Meanwhile programming, it has been accepted as a key skill for participation in the digital age. The algorithms underlying digital technologies partly are understood to be the “basis of a new world language” (Kreye, A., 2014). Such a perception of programming was not always the case. Computational modeling outside the computer science classes was not considered a relevant area of learning in the context of media education. Digital media and their media-specific characteristics, as programmed and programmable artefacts which are interactive, were not addressed. From 2001 to 2003, a German model project (ArtDeCom) brought together art, design and computer science in general education, including primary school level. The introduction of tangible media and programming environments for kids using specific iconic interface was realized (Reimann et al 2003; Reimann 2006). The project included the identification of digital technologies to be shaped and programmed by the pupils themselves, getting away from screen based learning infront of single workplaces in computer classrooms. The approach was funded and through the German BLK-programme of “Cultural Education in the Media age”, follow-up projects (MediaArtLab@School, University of Flensburg) and wider initiatives (e.g. Kids in media and motion/KiMM, University of Lübeck) addressed and explored the computer technology as medium for creative processes. Education was explored across the borders of the curricula.
In the last years, more approaches were developed in the context of the Do-it-yourself practices and Maker-movement. A trend towards transdisciplinary and informal learning was mirrored in media labs in after school programs and publications such as handbooks addressed ‘easy programming and digital creation’ like the ‘Making activities with children and young people’ (Schön et al., 2016, p.81). Those concepts went beyond technocratic conceptions of technology education integrating meaningful creative environments and artistic contexts. The potential of the arts, and design processes were discovered and realized in more arts based learning concepts and explored with different target groups of young people e.g. in general education (Reimann, 2006), in vocational education (2011) as well as in vocational preparation (pre-training (Reimann, Bekk, 2014, 2015 ).
Even from the computer science education research, there are some projects and initiatives which introduce physical computing and more creative design- and crafts-based approaches to learn about computer science, e.g ‘My interactive garden’ (Przybylla and Romeike, 2013, p. 87-91). It is based on the Arduino technology and consists of interactive objects (such as ‘magic flowers’) pupils develop and put together in the framework of the interactive garden:
“Today computer science is more present than ever in society, because of interactive and embedded computing systems. Nevertheless, many students take computer science as a school subject with abstract and unrealistic contents. To counteract this and make computer science accessible to a wider population of pupils, the teaching concept “My Interactive Garden” was developed, which includes a design, programming and learning environment”. (p. 87). The initiators of interactive garden aim to support creative education scenarios within constructionistic methods to offer less computer affine pupils an attractive access to computer science. The didactic considerations are to support a concrete practical experience for pupils at school. In German media pedagogy, the issue of “easy programming and digitally designing” (Schön et al.) was perceived important rather late, e.g. through the widespread of “Scratch”, the open source software for kids developed at MIT Lifelong Kindergarten (Resnick et al.)
STEM attitudes
In the German gender research i.a. Buchen (Buchen et al., 2006) noted that ” gender behavior is less rooted in socialization or even in the genetic personality structures, but is being renewed under specific conditions and in specific situations with regard to the understanding of technology (Schelhowe, 2007, p 131). Schelhowe emphasizes, that “even the difficult access of girls to technology is not rooted in a fundamental technology distance or disinterest. Rather roots the ostensible interest in technology, which is found almost exclusively in (some) boys, and the distancing and the retreat to a purposive-rational use value-based access in girls rather in self-images, the fascination and passion (for technology) only for boys, or only in homogeneous girl groups, in mixed-gender context for girls are a hindrance ” (Schelhowe, 2007.p. 131). Even recent initiatives of promotion of girls, which are opposed to the lack of skilled workers/professionals in technology, show little girls specific support priorities with the combination of technology, art and design. (For example, the nationwide initiative of the Fraunhofer IAIS ” Roberta ” learn with robots, which had the goal of to support a sustainable “interest, especially of girls but also of boys for computer science, science and technology.
The idea of developing new approaches to technology education became important in the framework of the gender and technology-issue. How can we support girls and young women as well as children with little interest interest in STEM subjects to engage in technology? Can we develop new entrances to technology, including the human senses as well as the physical environment? How can we connect to the pupil’s ideas and creative phantasies to support learning? The opportunities opening up using playful concepts focus on the variety of making-activities of the pupils. This is why Smart textile was suggested to be explored for learning from primary school level on in the TACCLE3 project. Art and design based learning processes were discovered for technology education and used to present a different and unknown side of computer science and technology to girls and pupils with little interest in technology and computer science. Learning with media was changed to learning about the digital medium by controlling and programming it by oneself and beyond the single disciplines or school subjects. One approach is the interactive wearables and so called smart textile objects, which can perceive the environment in terms of light, motion, temperature and sound, responding with actions programmed into the artefacts. They share the haptic dimension of textile materials, color and shape with the electronic components, circuits and sensors embedded into it. Inspired by Buechley, Kafai et al. (2007) explored textile construction kits available on the market as pathways into play, design and computation. They noticed a recent renaissance in commercially available textile construction kits for children. Through a survey of such kits, the authors argue that “revisiting embroidery in this digital age is a powerful leverage to introduce computation into material culture”. Smart Textile can be used as a didactic tool to engage girls in technology (cp. Reimann, 2015, 2011).
Due to the TACCLE3 coding project’s target group of primary school teachers interested in teaching coding at school, a look at the initial teacher training is reasonable. As far as initial teacher training in Germany is concerned, also only few universities pushed the integration of computer technology beyond the tool paradigm in education study programs, including initial primary teacher training, which perceive coding as a key competence for pupils to be enabled to understand and control technology. One is the study program entitled ‘computers in education’, offered at the university of Bremen. The working group “Tangible Interaction” of the German Association of Computer Science (GI) aims to develop and explore new interfaces for human computer interaction, including concepts and models related to education, such as physical computing, allowing for tangible objects in the tradition of activity-based, constructivist learning.
Smart textile as a creative environment for programming interactive objects
Why should school teachers be interested in Smart textile, especially if they are neither admitted to textile nor to technology? This question will be answered in the following. Interactive textiles, which are also referred to as ‘smart textiles’ or ‘wearables’ represent a current generation of clothes and accessories with embedded microcomputers. They offer various possibilities of creatively dealing with so-called ‘intelligent media’, and intelligent in this case refers to their ability to perceive their environment by means of programmed micro sensors. Using e.g. conductive yarn (as cable), sensors, motors, LED lights as well as sewable circuit boards (Arduino LilyPad introduced by Buechley in 2006, smart textiles create a link between sensual-haptic materials, precise computer control, and creative concepts. Smart textile as physical computing offers a space, wherein the acting with technology becomes a physical and aesthetic experience. New interfaces – sewed, woven or stitched – can be experienced between body, clothing, and the environment. It can be stitched together with conductive thread to create interactive garments and accessories. In conjunction with the open-source Arduino technology, they are currently open up opportunities for cross disciplinary teaching, of art, design, computer science and music, for example to address learning in the context of storytelling wearables (Tan 2005), wearable music (Rosales 2012) or sounding artifacts (Trappe 2012). The Arduino LilyPad technology consists of hard components as well as a programming interface which can be connected to an icon based interface to be used by younger children at primary school level. The LilyPad can “sense information about the environment using inputs like light and temperature sensors and can act on the environment with outputs like LED lights, vibrator motors, and speakers.” (see Web site http://lilypadarduino.org/)
‘The ‘eduwear starter kit’ (developed in context of the European project ‘eduwear’ by dimeb the digital media in education research group at the University of Bremen in 2008). It combines crafting, electronics, and programming. kids and adults of all ages interested in interactive toys, smart accessories, or light-up fashions can develop their own project according to their imagination. Pupils play with the components and learn to sew, program, and design circuits along the way. It’s a technology for all ages and a new way to introduce pupils to technology by means of more arts design-based learning, including those kids who are less interested in engineering, e.g. the target group of girls or pupils with little interest in technology. The combining of art and design driven processes with learning and technology, is expected to trigger identification with a project and a deeper interest and understanding of technology. Since, however, the handling of the software and hardware used in the project is documented only insufficiently in German, it was decided to write down in a structured way of the experiences gained. Although the resultant tutorial does not claim to discuss all software and hardware issues, relevant problems need to be explained in detail. The tutorial was developed on the basis of the EduWear manual compiled by the “Digital media in Education (dimeb)” research group of the University of Bremen. The lesson plans developed for the TACCLE3 coding project in Germany, includes the extended starter tutorial, which introduces the teacher both to the handling of the LilyPad Arduino hardware and to the application of the AMICI user interface and can be used as instructions for teaching processes related to interactive clothing. The introduction of tangible media and programming environments for kids with an iconic interface, such as amici, was realized.
The LilyPad Arduino hardware is usable for children of different age groups, able to use needles and yarn, or getting enough time to practice stitching and sewing. The core of the system consists of microcontroller LilyPad, which was developed on the basis of microcontroller Arduino. Arduino exists in different versions. Whereas some of these are simple improvements of the original Arduino, others e.g., the LilyPad for textile uses, have been designed especially for particular uses. Inventor of the LilyPad Leah Buechley (software developer at MIT) had the idea to use this microcontroller in the area of textiles to create synergy effects.
Based on the above, the project EduWear was launched with the objective of acquainting children with the related technology. The starter kit of eduwear has been used at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) within the framework of the project MediaArt@Edu. Within that project, the components and skills for working with the system were tested and evaluated in different institutions. An additional tutorial was developed to introduce smart textile hands on workshops in education, to be adapted to different target groups.
- Literature review and findings
The Smart textile Lilypad-Arduino-technology was invented by Leah Buechley of the MIT High-Low-Tech research group to embed micro computers into textile. She introduced the e-textile in the higher education curriculum. Her work was perceived in Germany as well, g.e. by Schelhowe who developed the eduwear starter kit described above. In ‚making things wearable‘ Bohne (2012) introduced a hands on starter kit for beginners to smart textile and do it yourself wearable targeting on people interested in hands on practice (makers). Wearable computing refers to computer systems that are integrated into clothing or – such as a heart rate monitor – be worn on the body. In ‘Making things wearable’, tailor made do it yourself smart clothing, modern textile processing tools and electronic components are used to produce wearable computing clothes themselves. The book provides the electronic knowledge of this top-modern DIY variant, showing through concrete workshop step by step with numerous color photographs and illustrations, how a LilyPad (the wearable computing sister of Arduino), LEDs and sensors are integrated in trendy clothes. Programming sensor and actuator-based interactive systems, including a playful, textile-integrated approach to be explored by children from primary school level on. How to use smart textile Arduino LilyPad Technology. It includes an instruction to do it yourself smart textile with Arduino LilyPad.
Buechleys work was strongly influenced by the MIT tradition of constructionist technology education and the basic ideas of Seymour Papert, which he developed in collaboration with Piaget in the 80s, when computer science met constructivist pedagogy, learning sciences and creativity. In his book ‘mindstorms’, Seymour Papert (1982) introduced the issue of children becoming constructors and programmers of computers using their powerful ideas and imagination, as well as more visual approaches to technology and programming. It became a time-independent standard work, wherein his constructionist approach to technology education developed in close collaboration with the work of Piaget is presented. Children were taught to program computers, rather than the machine instructing children. He discusses how learning to learn of children is supported in any subject through programming computers; how an understanding of technology is supported by controlling and shaping it, making children control the computer, rather than using computers to control children. “Mindstorms has two central themes: that children can learn to use computers in a masterful way and that learning to use computers can change the way they learn everything else. Even outside the classroom, Papert had a vision that the computer could be used just as casually and as personally for a diversity of purposes throughout a person’s entire life. Seymour Papert makes the point that in classrooms saturated with technology there is actually more socialization and that the technology often contributes to greater interaction among students and among students and instructors. The Lego Mindstorms programmable construction set system is named after the book.” Also Papert’s ‘The children’s machine’ (1993) is a milestone, introducing the rethinking of the institution of the school in the age of the computer, in terms of the learning culture, the engineering culture and curriculum in the context of more constructionistic technology education, developed from the constructivist idea of the child developing his/her own learning by doing and from primary level on: “The optimistic note of this book comes from recognizing the potential synergy of two trends in the world. One of these trends is technological. The same technological revolution that has been responsible for the acute need for better learning also offers the means to take effective action. Information technologies, from television to computers and all their combinations, open unprecedented opportunities for action in improving the quality of the learning environment, by which I mean the whole set of conditions that contribute to shaping learning in work, in school, and in play. The other trend is epistemological, a revolution in thinking about knowledge. The central thesis of this book is that the powerful contribution of the new technologies in the enhancement of learning is the creation of personal media capable of supporting a wide range of intellectual styles. Women and members of minority cultures have seen most articulate in protesting the imposition of a single, uniform way of learning. Most have scarcely begun to use the new media to express and develop their particular voices. But it is children who have most visibly demonstrated the energizing effect of media that match their intellectual preferences. They have the most to gain and they have the most to give. Across the world children have entered a passionate and enduring love affair with the computer. What they do with computers is as varied as their activities. The greatest amount of time is devoted to playing games, with the result that names like Nintendo have become household words. They use computers to write, to draw, to communicate, to obtain information. Some use computers as a means to establish social ties, while others use them to isolate themselves. In many cases their zeal has such force that it brings the word addiction to the minds of concerned parents.”http://www.papert.org/articles/ChildrensMachine.html”
In ‘robots for kids’ Druin, and Hendler (2000) explore new technologies for learning. The introduce the issue of emotional meaningfulness to robots, as evocative objects (Turkle) to tell stories meaningful to the kids. By integrating children into the learning and teaching at primary school level process as partners at eye level, the become co-design partners, reporting their perception of software interfaces back to the developers.
“Coding, once considered an arcane craft practiced by solitary techies, is now recognized by educators and theorists as a crucial skill, even a new literacy, for all children” as stressed in the book ‘connected code’ by Kafai and Burke (2014). They explore why children need to learn programming. “They argue that it is not simply enough for students to learn to code, but rather for all pupils to become computational participants in today’s increasingly digital society. From this perspective, learning to program is to computational participation as writing is to literacy. Computational participation goes beyond programming to include collaboration in a maker society, just as literacy goes beyond the fundamental act of writing.”” (cited on: https://mitpress.mit.edu/connected-code). Kafai and Burke describe contemporary examples of computational participation: students who code not for the sake of coding but to create games, stories, and animations to share; the emergence of youth programming communities; the practices and ethical challenges of remixing (rather than starting from scratch); and the move beyond stationary screens to programmable toys, tools, and textiles.” (cited on: https://mitpress.mit.edu/connected-code). Kafai, a former PhD student of Papert in the 90s is known for her work on computer game design as an environment for learning (1994), wherein she realized a constructionist approach to technology education, using games designed by 5 graders to introduce the issue of fractions to younger pupils, applying the idea of Papert to make children control the computer technology, rather than use fixed computer application and software to control the pupils. Kafai et al. also undertook research in the field of e-textile, comparing starter kits on the market. In the scientific paper entitled ‘Fröbel’s Forgotten Gift”, textile construction kits are perceived as pathways into play, design and computation (conference paper at: (https://www.gse.upenn.edu/c4ls/sites/gse.upenn.edu.c4ls/files/pdfs/Paper_65_final.pdf): “The paper explores a recent renaissance in commercially available textile construction kits for children. Through a survey of such kits, they argue that revisiting embroidery in this digital age is a powerful leverage to introduce computation into material culture. The Arduino LilyPad approach is highlighted being a shapable set of technology, bringing together crafting, design and technology, supporting individual projects, beyond a specific esthetic like the ‘pink painted’ application for girls.
To perceive the digital medium as an educational medium and as a subject matter to be investigated in education is not self-evident. Schelhowe (2008) stressed the point, that computer education in the context of computer science, ICT education or the “computer driving license” (2008) is mainly focusing on teaching something about the computer, in order to use the technology for a specific purpose. The latter is mirrored in the tool paradigm. However, education understood as the development of the personality of a subject and to position oneself in the world, is a complex process, moving beyond technocratic issues technology is linked to. As computer technology strongly coins and influenced the current media culture, a broader concept of education is to be developed.
In ‘new creativity paradigms’ Peppler (2014) introduces arts-based and interest driven learning, through the creative use of digital technology. Amongst others, smart textile and LilyPad Arduino-technology was explored by her for education. She explores different tools and media answering the question on “how young people creatively Use digital technologies?” In the book, the current tools, practices of media and digital arts are presented and discussed, including the Do-It-Yourself movement, and the importance of ‘making -communities’ which can support interest-driven arts learning, inviting and sustaining participation in the arts for learning processes. Challenges and recommendations are presented: “This book explores research indicating that youth are learning new ways to engage in the arts on their own time and according to their own interests. Digital technologies, such as production tools and social media, allow youth to create and share their art. Kylie Peppler urges educators and policymakers to take advantage of arts learning opportunities and imagine a school setting where young people are driven by their own interests, using tablets, computers, and other devices to produce visual arts, music composition, dance, and design. This book gives educators an understanding of what is happening with current digital technologies and the opportunities that exist to connect to youth practice, and raises questions about why we don’t use these opportunities more frequently.” (cited on: http://www.peterlang.com/download/datasheet/78262/datasheet_312513.pdf)
As mentioned earlier, the Arduino LilyPad technology was developed and introduced in education by Leah Buechley, MIT research group ‘High-Low Tech’. She was the first to introduce Smart Textile electronic crafting as an area for curriculum in higher school classroom. Also she developed technology including conducible ink in a pen, to enable children to sketch with electronics:
“So now that we developed these tools and found these materials that let us do these things, we started to realize that, essentially, anything that we can do with paper, anything that we can do with a piece of paper and a pen we can now do with electronics” (quoted on: https://www.ted.com/talks/leah_buechley_how_to_sketch_with_electronics/transcript?language=en#t-206180)
- Recommendations for teachers
The school subject of computer science (as well as of STEM subjects in general) which grew in the tradition of engineering is often perceived to be too abstract, complicated and not attractive, lacking any ‘glam factor’. There was a similar perception related to programming to be noticed. However, the opportunities opening up through the introduction of physical computing and more design- and art education-based learning concepts are brought together in the Smart Textile/Lilypad Arduino technology applied in the framework of project-based learning. Pupils invent, develop, draw, connect, construct, program, control, debug and reprogram meaningful physical artefacts using their imagination, iconic interfaces in team based arrangements.
An introduction to Smart Textile with LilyPad-Arduino technology for teachers can be found online. The tutorial gives an overview over the components as well as a step-by-step introduction on how to set up and control the interactive systems. The free open source software ‘amici’ is available online as well: http://dimeb.informatik.uni-bremen.de/eduwear/about-2/
A more detailed tutorial for teachers interested in teaching coding can be accessed via the TACCLE3 Website www.taccle3.eu/
It is related to the classroom activities developed for TACCLE3 (Germany).
- References
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