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Internet Connected Story Book (Featuring Particle Photon)

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Internet Connected Story Book (Featuring Particle Photon)

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Introduction: Internet Connected Story Book (Featuring Particle Photon)

In 2014, Natalie Freed created an ocean-themed notebook that could receive real-time data to illustrate the position of the tides. Inspired by this work, and the ground-breaking contributions of Jie Qi and NEXMAP, I was catapulted into an exploration of circuitry and coding that led to my quest to create an internet connected story book. By merging traditional bookbinding techniques with electronics, I set out to transform an ordinary book into a smart object that can respond to real-time web data to help tell a story (see video above for details).

Although I ultimately figured out how to use data, such as a weather report or a light sensor reading, to trigger functions in my book, I ended up taking a different approach to increase the interactivity between my book and the reader. Instead of relying upon a report of new snow in my town to trigger an LED "blizzard" in my book (which worked well to a point), I ended up adding QR codes to my pages to give readers control over when the animations in my book would be triggered.

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Step 1: Internet Connected Story Book With Paper Circuit Illustrations

In this Instructable, I'll be taking you through a series of steps that you might use to add circuitry to your own hand-bound book, while providing practical tips for adding web interactivity to a paper circuit using a web request and a QR code. Then, once you understand the basics of how Particle functions work, you can customize your code and circuitry to tell your own story, as well as experimenting with other types of triggers, including real-time data. You might also consider adding individually addressable NeoPixels or a buzzer to your pages!

My target audience is artists and makers who already have experience with Coptic binding, paper circuitry, and programming with Arduino. I apologize in advance if I don't elaborate enough on these aspects of my project, in the interest of space and time.

Step 2: Gather Your Tools & Supplies

Electronics Tools & Supplies:
Personal Computer

Soldering Iron & Lead-free solder

Particle Photon Starter Kit (for prototyping)

Micro USB Cable (included in Particle Photon Starter Kit)

Breadboard (included in Particle Photon Starter Kit)

Photon without Headers (to embed inside book)

Lithium Ion Polymer Rechargeable Battery 3.7V (500 mAh)

LilyPad Simple Power (to recharge your battery)

Circuit Stickers (I used a variety of colors)

Copper Tape with Conductive Adhesive (a bit flimsy, but works well with Circuit Stickers)

Conductive Fabric Tape (for hinges)

Copper Wire 26 Gauge (available in craft stores) or any type of thin, flexible wire

Jumper wires and alligator clips (for prototyping)

Multimeter (to prevent shorts)

Velcro Dots (to secure battery)

Clear Nail Polish (to insulate circuit)
Bookbinding Tools & Supplies
Pen Knife & Self-healing Mat

Binder's Board (1 piece for front cover and 4 pieces for back cover)

Acid Free Paper for Signatures
Curved Binder's Needle
Waxed Linen Thread

Acid Free Glue

Decorative Paper for Covers

Dremel or Hand Drill

Clamps

Step 3: Set Up Your Particle Account & Experiment With Photon

If you haven't already done so, create an account in Particle Build and follow the Getting Started Guide to connect your Photon to the Internet.

Once you have your bearings, scroll down below the blue "Create New App" button and select the program titled "Web-Connected LED."

For demo purposes, we'll be using this sample program (which will allow you to control LEDs on two different pins of your Photon) to add interactivity to your book. I am working under the assumption that you know how to use a breadboard for prototyping. The sample code will trigger LEDs on pins D0 and D7 (the onboard LED), using a Particle function with the unimaginative name "led".

Flash the program to your Photon, by clicking on the the lightning symbol in the top left corner of Particle Build. If you have more than one Photon connected to the web, you'll need to be sure to select the device you want to upload to.

Step 4: Locate Device ID and Particle Access Token

Since the code relies upon a Particle function to be called through an Application Program Interface (API), which in turn will send a signal to your Photon to control pins D0 and D7, we'll be using a free web-based service called If Then Than That to add interactivity to your Photon.

Before moving on to the next step, locate your Particle Access Token and device ID. Keep them in a safe place.

Step 5: Sign Up for IFTTT & the Maker Channel

If Then Than That (IFTTT) is an amazing tool for getting started with the Internet of Things. We're going to be using IFTTT's Maker Channel to create a web hook that will send a signal to your Photon.

If you don't already have an IFTTT account, create one.

After logging in to IFTTT, use the IFTTT search bar to search for the Maker Channel. Connect the Maker Channel to your account.

Step 6: Create "Led_On" Applet in IFTTT

Next, you'll be creating a new applet in IFTTT, which will require you to identify a trigger and an action. To create a new applet, click the pull down symbol next to your login name and select New Applet.

To create the trigger, click on the blue plus sign next to the word "this." When prompted to choose a service, enter "Maker."

Under Choose trigger, click Receive a Web Request.

Under Complete trigger fields, type in "led_on" (without quotation marks) as your first event name. Click Create Trigger.

To create the action, click on the blue plus sign next to the word "that." When prompted to choose a service, enter "Maker."

Under Choose an action, select Make a Web Request.

Under Complete action fields, fill in the following information to create your web request.

For the URL, substitute your Photon device ID and Particle Access Token where prompted. Ensure there are no extra spaces in the URL.

URL: https://api.particle.io/v1/devices/yourdeviceID/Led?/access_token=youraccesstoken

Method: POST

Content Type: application/x-www-form-urlencode

Body: POST_BODY: params=on

Step 7: Create "Led_Off" Applet in IFTTT

Next, you'll be creating a second new applet in IFTTT, which will require you to identify a trigger and an action as you did before.

To create the trigger, click on the blue plus sign next to the word "this." When prompted to choose a service under "this," enter "Maker."

Under Choose trigger, click Receive a Web Request.

Under Complete trigger fields, type in "led_off" (without quotation marks) as your second event name. Click Create Trigger.

To create the action, click on the blue plus sign next to the word "that." When prompted to choose a service, enter "Maker." When prompted to choose an action under "that," select Make a Web Request.

Under Complete action fields, fill in the following information to create your web request, once again substituting your Photon device ID and your Particle Access Token.

URL: https://api.particle.io/v1/devices/yourdeviceID/Led?/access_token=youraccesstoken

Method: POST

Content Type: application/x-www-form-urlencode

Body: POST_BODY: params=off

Step 8: Create Trigger URLs

This next step will require you to locate your personal settings for your Maker Channel, by clicking on the gear marked "Settings" in the top right corner of your screen.

Locate your unique Maker Channel key within the URL you find in your settings.

Next, you'll be creating two new trigger URLs, or web requests, using your Maker Channel ID to trigger each of the applets you created earlier ("led_on" and "led_off").

Substitute your own maker key below, removing the space in front of it.

Trigger URLs:

https://maker.ifttt.com/trigger/led_on/with/key/ yourmakerkey

https://maker.ifttt.com/trigger/led_off/with/key/ yourmakerkey

Test each trigger by pasting the URLs into a browser. If they work, the LEDs on pins D0 and D7 should turn on and off when called.

Step 9: Create QR Codes

Now that you've created your "led_on" and "led_off" applets on IFTTT, it's time to transform the triggers into QR codes.

Once you've verified that they work, you may copy and paste each trigger URL into a QR code generator, such as Google's QR Code Maker. If all goes well, scanning the QR codes should trigger the "led_on" and "led_off" functions.

SAFETY TIP: Using QR codes in this way is probably safe if you keep control of your book, but you probably don't want to publish the QR codes widely, to keep your Maker Account credentials secure.

Step 10: Prep Your Covers

Tip: If you have access to a laser cutter, use the attached file to cut out indentations for your electrical components. I've included files to accommodate a 500 mAh lithium ion polymer battery. Since making my first book, I've revised this file, moving the Photon down and widening the gap where the battery wires sit.
If you do not have access to a laser cutter, trace the LilyPad Simple Power, battery, and headerless Photon onto a piece of binder's board. Cut the shapes out with a pen-knife and repeat the process until you have three pieces of board prepped to embed the electronics.

Glue the three pieces of binder's board on top of a fourth piece (without cut-outs) to create your back cover. Place it under weights for 24 hours. Set aside a fifth piece of binder's board (without cut-outs) to use as your front cover.

Glue decorative paper to each cover and place them under weights for 24 hours.

Drill holes for your binding, leaving space to lay your copper leads.

Attachments

Step 11: Plan Your Circuit & Embed Electronics

Creating your circuit will be done in two parts. The first part entails prepping the back cover. The second part entails the completion of each circuit on the signatures, after you've sewn them in.

Wrap craft wire around the positive and negative pads of the Lily Simple Power, to make it easier to solder to the copper tape.

Determine which pins on your Photon your completed circuit will be using. Wrap wire around the pads for these pins.

Lay down your copper tape leads, spanning the indentations for the battery. Add additional ground leads as needed to complete the circuits you'll be creating on the book's pages.

Solder the Lily Simple Power and the wire-wrapped Photon to the leads. Check your connections using the continuity mode on your multimeter.
Safety Warning: Lithium ion polymer batteries require special care and attention. They should not be used or charged without attendance. To avoid the risk of fire when using one of these batteries, it is vital that your circuit not contain loose wiring or short circuits!

Step 12: Add Fabric Hinges, Sew Signatures, & Insulate Spine

TIP: This next part was a little tricky. It would have been easier if I'd done a better job of separating my copper leads and left the paper backing on the last inch of the copper tape as it approached the left edge of the spine.
To make conductive hinges that attach to the copper tape and wrap around each signature, I cut narrow strips of conductive fabric tape.

At the edge of the spine, I gently lifted up each copper lead by about an inch and then laid them back down on top of the sticky side of the conductive fabric tape strips. I then applied another piece of conductive fabric tape on top, like a fabric-copper sandwich, extending it to the edge of the spine. I carefully soldered the connections by allowing the flux to flow from the copper into the conductive fabric tape. I left the paper backing on the last inch or so of the conductive fabric tape, to keep it from getting tangled while I sewed in the signatures.

I began sewing the signatures to the back cover, wrapping the conductive fabric around the front of each signature as I went. This required me plan each circuit in advance, so that I'd know which leads wrapped around each signature. As I wrapped the conductive fabric around each signature, I added small pieces of copper tape under the conductive fabric to make it easier to complete the circuits with copper tape. Once the book was sewn together, I insulated the conductive fabric visible on the spine with clear nail polish.

Step 13: Complete the Circuits & Artwork

TIP: I labeled the corresponding Photon pins on each signature (including ground) as I went, to help me stay organized when writing and modifying my code.
The circuit depicted above features eleven Circuit Stickers that have been been soldered to copper tape leads. To light up your circuit, you can use the sample code you uploaded earlier (triggered via URL or QR code), or modify the code to your taste.

I added some alternating blinking and random delays to my code to create a blizzard effect.

If you've found any part of this Instructable useful, or if you end up creating your own wifi-connected story book, I'd love to hear about it!

We have a be nice policy.
Please be positive and constructive.

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Internet Connected Story Book (Featuring Particle Photon)

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In 2014, Natalie Freed created an ocean-themed notebook that could receive real-time data to illustrate the position of the tides. Inspired by this work, and the ground-breaking contributions of Jie Qi and NEXMAP, I was catapulted into an exploration of circuitry and coding that led to my quest to create an internet connected story book.

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A sharing space for notebook hackers. #21cnbook

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The Great Big Guide to Paper Circuits - learn.sparkfun.com

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The Great Big Guide to Paper Circuits - learn.sparkfun.com

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The Great Big Guide to Paper Circuits - learn.sparkfun.com

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Paper circuits are becoming more and more popular in the hobby electronics world. The easy availability of craft-like materials and increasing abundance of new products has created a really unique ecosystem for crafters looking to make the leap to electronics projects. This guide is an overview of materials and techniques available to paper circuit crafters.

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Copy of FINAL Hacking the Notebook Resources - Summer 2016 - Google Docs

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Copy of FINAL Hacking the Notebook Resources - Summer 2016 - Google Docs

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Paper Circuitry Illuminates ‘Writing as Making’ - DML Central

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Paper Circuitry Illuminates ‘Writing as Making’ - DML Central

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There has been a great deal of buzz lately about "making" and production-centered learning. As a professor of literature and writing, I have been enthusiastic about the role "making" might play in the classroom. (Even those classrooms or courses that don't inherently seem to lend themselves to making in the most obvious sense.) But the truth is, this new found enthusiasm is sometimes an uphill march. Should we relinquish our valuable classroom time to such endeavors that seem at best a crafty indulgence, or at worst, a waste of precious instructional time? This summer, I have continued to ruminate on these significant challenges, and certain moments have helped clarify my thoughts:

On July 9, the National Writing Project and the Educator Innovator network helped launch " Hack Your Notebook Day," which featured a special writing-engineering-art "make" challenge developed by NEXMAP and its partner CV2. Working with circuit stickers developed by Jie Qi, a doctoral candidate at the MIT Media Lab, we were charged with lightening up our writing with copper wire, circuits, LEDs, and more. We had many resources to guide us in this unique endeavor. Through our Paper Circuitry workshops (in varying locations throughout the world), we lit up our collective inspiration and our voices, as we crafted through a hands-on STEAM learning lens.

Could this artful hands-on approach to writing serve pedagogic goals in any significant way? In spite of nagging doubts, our paper circuitry "making" brought to our attention crucial aspects of learning. And while we all experienced this innovative approach to writing in our separate local venues, we also simultaneously connected through our social media platforms throughout the day. Our learning was both localized and networked. Here is a brief video that shares a glimpse of the Kean University Writing Project's "Hack Your Notebook Day":

What was intriguing during the "Hack Your Notebook Day" was the transformative power of this work. The general consensus before the workshop was that the time spent on this engagement would be a pleasant "time-out" craft session.... A bit of time away from the "real work." But for all that, this "detour" workshop effectively opened up the heart of the teaching and learning enterprise. Our KUWP teacher/writers were now assuming the position of the learners, embarking in unknown territory for reasons still somewhat vague to them. In many ways, their positioning mirrored a similar resistance that kids today might feel when introduced to some "random" writing approach in their classroom. By the close of our time together, we found we were transported to a fresh perspective.

What a revelation to consider the palpable frustration we experienced when we couldn't make the circuits work (and the feeling of rising failure that might overcome us if we couldn't make it work). We also discussed the first time the LED lit up - the very real empowerment of that little light coming into view. (There were several audible gasps and exaltations from our group when the circuits started to light up). We considered why we chose certain aspects of our composition to illuminate, and what kind of thought went into selecting certain words and images to highlight with illumination.

The particular care and craft of writing was brought to the collective (and intuitive) foreground. A poet considers the power of each word when composing. With paper circuitry we all experienced the rich nexus of visual and textual representation (and the importance of the choices we made in order to produce certain meaning in this work). We also considered the added layer of circuitry. In this context, the additional engineering knowledge was harnessed to punctuate certain meaning in our compositions. We agreed that this experience was indeed writing, par excellence. KUWP teachers expressed a renewed empathetic understanding of their own students' learning processes. They considered anew how their own students might feel compelled to create and express ideas within this medium. And, we all thought further about how our students turn certain corners.... How they might discover new openings for communicating in meaningful ways. As educators, we want our students to become engaged complex thinkers and expressive writers. Perhaps "making" (as a methodology applied to writing) might help us get there.

Our work with Paper Circuitry was a perfect realization of the Connected Learning experience. We gained a hands-on understanding of how making, creating and producing are powerful paths to deeper learning and understanding. These important learning tenets emerged as we hacked our notebooks together:

#1. Peer Learning - We helped each other learn. We leaned over each other's shoulder to explain when we figured something out. We extended ourselves by describing what we discovered and we brought others along with us. What a powerful "natural" resource that exists in every learning environment. Imagine if every teacher could effectively harness that kind of learning empowerment?

#2. Interest-driven learning - We chose to write about things that mattered directly to us. We were able to express the personal in our individual projects. We found creative inspiration in our immediate lives, and those motivations were valid and counted as real learning. (i.e. an upcoming wedding, an upcoming birth, the reflection on one year in a life, the habits of a writer, etc).

#3. Networked Learning - We were part of a conversation that linked our local network with a broader learning community. We tweeted with National Writing Project colleagues, we posted our work on the #CLMOOC google+ board. We extended our learning beyond the bounds of our classroom's four walls and we realized we were a part of a community of practitioners.

#4. Academic learning - Our work went well beyond whimsy crafting as a time out. We discussed the implications of composition enriched with such complex entry points for writing and meaning production. We discussed how a "maker" approach to writing practice might be an opening or gateway for reluctant writers.

#5. Shared purpose - The work helped us empathize with the younger learners we are employed to engage. We experienced the possibility of cross-generational learning and connection as we ventured into new territory. We remembered that learning never ends, no matter your age or position within a learning context.

The 2014 "Hack Your Notebook Day" clarified for me that when learners are positioned as a "makers," they are given fresh license to imagine, to design, to assert a new vision. They are given the space to fail, and the chance to recuperate with a bit of persistence and help from peers. Writers-as-makers are called to imagine new possibilities.

And, this is where true innovation is born. This is where our collective future seems brightest.

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Paper Circuitry Illuminates 'Writing as Making' - DML Central

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There has been a great deal of buzz lately about "making" and production-centered learning. As a professor of literature and writing, I have been enthusiastic about the role "making" might play in the classroom. (Even those classrooms or courses that don't inherently seem to lend themselves to making in the most obvious sense.)

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Getting Started with Paper Circuitry (Part 1 of 3) | Educator Innovator

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Getting Started with Paper Circuitry (Part 1 of 3) | Educator Innovator

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Join NEXMAP for a back to school series,"Literacy, Craft, Civic Engagement - A Paper Circuitry Project for L2P 2.0," spanning August and September that explores how young people can use paper circuitry to voice their opinions and showcase creative expression. The NEXMAP team will help both educators and young people explore how to use paper circuitry to write a letter to the next president and provide templates for easily doing so. This series of webinars features teacher leaders from California, Texas and Ohio and addresses the many ways paper and electronics support multiple literacies and creative learning. The first session, Part I, on 8/18, introduced sample projects from contributors Kate Hodges, Molly Adams and Anna Marie Warren. The second session, Part II on 8/25, digs into practical implementation strategies for working with students and sharing the approach and practices with colleagues. The third and final webinar on 9/8 will feature Jeannine Huffman and highlight opportunities for more complex paper circuitry projects using the ATtiny85 microcontroller.

This hangout was produced in support of Letters to the Next President 2.0, a project engaging youth in civic participation on issues and topics that matter to them in the US Presidential Election. It was also `co-streamed at connectedlearning.tv.
View the Conversation
During the broadcast, the conversation also took place on Twitter using the hashtag #2nextprez.
Participants for this Webinar Included:

David Cole (host), NEXMAP.

Molly Adams, English Teacher, Waxahachie ISD, NWP Teacher Consultant.

Kate Hodges, English Teacher, ELA High School Teacher at Oak Hills Local School District.

Jeannine Huffman, Adjunct Faculty and Doctoral Student at Teachers College of San Joaquin.

Anna Marie Warren, English Teacher, Waxahachie ISD.

Resources for this webinar:
Photo/ NEXMAP

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Getting Started with Paper Circuitry (Part 1 of 3)

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Join NEXMAP for a back to school series spanning August and September that explores how young people can use paper circuitry to voice their opinions and showcase creative expression. The NEXMAP team will help both educators and young people explore how to use paper circuitry to write a letter to the next president and provide templates for easily doing so.

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The Fine Art of Electronics {under construction} | paper-based electronics for creative expression

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The Fine Art of Electronics {under construction} | paper-based electronics for creative expression

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Circuit Stickers, Notebook Hacking and Learning as Debugging - DML Central

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Circuit Stickers, Notebook Hacking and Learning as Debugging - DML Central

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I've been writing for 45 years, and have always owned more physical notebooks than I need at any one time, and I'm an enthusiastic novice at electronics, so several of my antennae tingled vigorously when I first came across the term " circuit stickers" - peel-and-stick circuitry and components that are flat enough to make paper pages blink and boop. We're used to thinking of words as, well, dead - they signify but (in most cases) don't perform. Documents didn't connect with each other through clickable links before the Web, either. Why NOT compose writing with light and sound as well as form and meaning? Calligraphy is legit, so why not writing that blinks, changes colors or makes sounds when you touch it? How about an Internet-linked notebook that displays beautiful seascapes in colored light that correspond with the current state of the tides?

Embracing new tools sometimes means discarding older tools and sometimes amplifies capabilities of existing technologies and sometimes brings the capability of doing things that weren't possible before. I started out with a pen (and still use them), learned to operate a typewriter (which I discarded decades ago), and welcomed the new world of on-screen text editing (in fact, I started getting interest in personal computers when I heard that it would be possible to move words and paragraphs around without retyping). Hypertext? Even better! For those who want to check my sources or dive more deeply into the subjects I write about, I can embed links in my prose. Writing with ink on paper and publishing hypertext are both tools that I use every day. When I heard that the National Writing Project was using circuit stickers for " Hack Your Notebook Day," that cinched it. I sent away for my starter kit.

When I asked the National Writing Project's Paul Oh to introduce someone I could interview about notebook hacking, he put me in touch with David Cole, who lives close enough to me to go on a long walk and to sit down at my electronics bench with me. Like Jie Qui, the MIT Media Lab student who launched circuit stickers, Mia Zamora, the literature and writing professor who recently wrote about how notebook hacking enhances " writing as making," and Nexmap's "21st Century Notebooking" program director Jennifer Dick, San Francisco educator and curriculum developer David Cole knows that notebook hacking is not just about learning electronics. It's about learning learning.

So much of learning is trial and error, yet the test-driven and grades-competitive curriculum seems to leave little room for the error part. Failing is shameful in many school situations - not an opportunity for inquiry and debugging. One of the first things to learn about electronics (and programming) is that things rarely work as soon as you've assembled the components and hooked them together. You usually have to go through an investigative debugging process to find out which wire isn't connected correctly or which component is probably a dud. It's not about failure. It's about the process of getting it to work. Debugging is essential to learning as well as circuitry.

Collaboration also is an essential part of hardware and software tinkering - and learning - today. If you are trying to solve a problem with a circuit or a program, you can find out who is discussing that precise problem online if you know how to look for them. For now, while paper circuitry is still new, the space for innovation in the medium is broad and inviting: tinkerers share their discoveries online, others build on them, and communities emerge. Inquiry is also built into these early stages of this new literacy: "What else can I do with circuit stickers and paper books?" is a wide open and generative question that can spread infectiously through groups of learners.

Lou Buran, one of the educators in the "Hack Your Notebook" seminar at the 2013 National Writing Project conference in Boston, asked his students to reflect on their making and learning. He also tried it out with his two boys:

A great thing about this project is that the boys did not require my help to find success. Both the 6- and the 10-year-olds were perfectly capable of design, implementation, and troubleshooting. Noah patiently worked on a bug for 15 minutes until he discovered that by turning the battery over, he could get his circuit to work. This led to a conversation about what he learned regarding polarity and the flow of electricity.

The connection between debugging a project and understanding the principles it is based on, and the conversation about it, are what project-based learning at its best can stimulate.

As always with new media, the first examples of notebook hacking point the way to possibilities, trace the outlines of the possibility space, but the extent of possibility only becomes visible after communities of practitioners play and work with the medium. One example that certainly retingled my antenna was Natalie Freed's wi-fi connected tidal notebook:

Natalie begins with a hand-drawn map of Northern California tide pools done in watercolor-an especially appropriate medium, given the subject! This is followed by a poem about tides by Walt Whitman. She then explored different artistic media to test their hues and visual quality on her notebook's paper. She made a list of questions she had on the topic of tide pools. She created a number of thumbnail storyboard sketches exploring possible visual compositions for her tidal data visualization. This was followed with technical notes about the SparkCore, what the different status color codes on the chip meant. Finally, she painted her tidal image and created the paper circuit underneath using Jie's LED circuit stickers.
Banner images courtesy NEXMAP

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Circuit Stickers, Notebook Hacking and Learning as Debugging - DML Central

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I've been writing for 45 years, and have always owned more physical notebooks than I need at any one time, and I'm an enthusiastic novice at electronics, so several of my antennae tingled vigorously when I first came across the term "circuit stickers" - peel-and-stick circuitry and components that are flat enough to make paper pages blink and boop.

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Beyond the Museum: Tinkering with Paper Circuits | The Tinkering Studio

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Beyond the Museum: Tinkering with Paper Circuits | The Tinkering Studio

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One of the things that we are currently thinking about in the Tinkering Studio is how we might translate work we are doing on the floor of the museum to after school programs, classrooms, and other formal and informal educational settings. We've been inspired by a collaboration this summer with artist-in-residence Jie Qi from the High-Low tech group at the MIT Media Lab to try messing around with paper and copper tape to make circuits.

Paper Circuits feels like tinkering to us for several reasons. First, it uses both familiar materials like paper and batteries and unfamiliar materials like copper tape and surface mount LEDs in surprising ways to get people thinking with circuits in a different context than these concepts are usually presented in school. Also, the activity integrates science, art, and technology in a way that allows each learner to decide where they want to place their own emphasis. One other thing that we really like about it is that it supports the complexification of designs, meaning that people start with something simple and quickly move to a more personalized, complicated, and satisfying creation. The project allows us to value both a simple circuit with a "complex" story or craft around it just as much as a technically advanced "all the bells and whistles" project, depending on the thoughts and ideas of the learner.
Getting Started
The first thing that I would recommend if you want to try this activity on your own is to read the tutorial on the high-low tech website. It's a great starting point that shows where to order the materials online, gives some templates for simple circuits, and inspirations for next steps. You can also check out this handout that she made to show the materials and process on a one page pdf.

Next, collect copper tape, surface mount LEDs, coin cell batteries, clear tape, binder clips, and small pieces of card stock paper. It also helps to have scissors or exacto knives to cut the tape precisely and tweezers for handling the extremely tiny LEDs.

When we've tried this activity in the tinkering studio, we've set up a large communal table with shared materials that are available and accessible. This way we often see new ideas travel around the space and can encourage participants to show others what they've figured out.
Facilitation Strategies
Usually we get people started on making a simple switch in the shape of a square. This initial project lets people practice the somewhat difficult techniques of folding the copper tape at right angles and get a feel for the other materials while thinking about what they might do next. Facilitators may show a simple example and examine the components alongside the learner. One thing that I've seen, that is hard for people is folding precise angles with the copper tape so facilitators often just let them practice that with a scrap sheet of paper and small pieces of tape.

You can fold over one side of the card stock and attach a binder clip to secure the battery in the circuit. Another thing that facilitators can work with participants to figure out is the directionality of the LED. The light only works if it's oriented in the proper direction so if everything looks okay on the circuit, you might suggest flipping the surface mount LED.

Throughout the making of a simple circuit, our facilitators tend to watch the participants closely to see if they think they'll need help at any point. We'll let learners get frustrated a bit as they try to work it out but we are always around to jump in and show tricks and techniques for working with these novel materials. One more thing that facilitators can do in the early stages of the project is ask people what they are thinking about making next or what other ideas they have so that when they finish the simple circuit, they are ready to work on something more complicated or personalized that makes use of what they have learned.
Soldering
The copper tape that we use for this activity only conducts through the top layer which makes soldering a valuable addition to the experience. We like to teach people how to use soldering irons in a heavily facilitated and safe environment. If this is possible in your environment we think that this activity provides a good introduction to soldering in a way that doesn't feels intimidating and supports personalization. Working on the paper feels approachable but also allows people to practice the fundamentals of this important tool. Soldering the small components isn't as scary as it may seem at first and it helps to use metal tweezers and attach the "legs" one at a time.
Taking the Experience Further
There are many ways to go deeper into explorations with paper circuits. One thing that we've tried is to incorporate pop-up elements into the designs. Jie has experimented with making pop-up books using different paper folding techniques. We have also tried adding lights to simple origami shapes, using the moving paper to create switches.

Another way to build on explorations with these ideas and materials is by adding microcontrollers and sensors to your creations. We've experimented with cards that activated with lights or sounds and programming the LEDs to flicker on and off in patterns. Paper circuits can be a way to explore inputs and ouputs with Arduino and other ways of programming. Once again the high-low tech website contains lots of inspirational ideas. If you want to know more about programming microcontrollers with Arduino check out this handy tutorial from Dave, one of Jie's collaborators at MIT.
Share
Tell us what you've tried! We're constantly experimenting with these activities and want you to try new things too. Let us know the discoveries you've made, innovations you've developed, puzzles you've encountered, and more!

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Beyond the Museum: Tinkering with Paper Circuits | The Tinkering Studio

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One of the things that we are currently thinking about in the Tinkering Studio is how we might translate work we are doing on the floor of the museum to after school programs, classrooms, and other formal and informal educational settings.

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Make simple or complex electrical circuits on a flat piece of paper! Using copper tape and surface-mount LEDs allows you to make a fully functional circuit on a flat surface, like a piece of paper. You can make light-up greeting cards, make origami animals come to life, or create three-dimensional pop-up paper sculpture that have working lights in them.

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Creating your sketchbook: Frank Effect - Google Slides

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Creating your sketchbook: Frank Effect - Google Slides

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Electronic Popables is an interactive pop-up book that sparkles, sings, and moves. The book integrates traditional pop-up mechanisms with thin, flexible, paper-based electronics and the result is a book that looks and functions much like an ordinary pop-up with the added element of dynamic interactivity.

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These tabs on the side of the pages allow parts on the page to be connected to external components. On the upper right corner is an example of a copper tape circuit that can be built in the sketchbook. The rest of the page can also be used for sketching, annotations, and comments on or around your circuits.

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Teachers College of San Joaquin - jeannine huffman

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Teachers College of San Joaquin - jeannine huffman

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The Great Big Guide to Paper Circuits Sparkfun is one of my go to places with tons of resources, materials, and great tutorials. ​Get the Tiny Programmer here and follow theTiny Programmer Hookup...

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High-Low Tech – Sketching with Electricity

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High-Low Tech – Sketching with Electricity

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3-5pm, November 5, 2014
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
South Campus, Dugan B-9
campus map

Learn how to use paper, scissors, stickers, and tape to make sparkling electronic sketches and stories. This workshop will teach you how to sketch with electronics, using Chibitronics' kit of peel-and-stick lights and sensors. You'll learn how to create basic circuits and how to combine paper craft, story-telling, and electricity. Make an interactive comic strip, a glowing drawing, or a light-sensing origami sculpture. No previous experience with electronics needed. Call (978) 934-4000 x3494 to reserve a spot (limited to 15 students).
More info on Chibitronics

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3-5pm, November 5, 2014 University of Massachusetts, Lowell South Campus, Dugan B-9 campus map Learn how to use paper, scissors, stickers, and tape to make sparkling electronic sketches and stories. This workshop will teach you how to sketch with electronics, using Chibitronics' kit of peel-and-stick lights and sensors.

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NEXMAP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the production of contemporary, experimental art and creative practices.

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Inspire- Chibitronics: journey through circuits 

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Inspire- Chibitronics: journey through circuits 

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by Kate Hodges
https://mshisflippin.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/chibitronics-journey-through-circuits/

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Notebook Corner Galleries | California Academy of Sciences

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Notebook Corner Galleries | California Academy of Sciences

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Check out our clearinghouse of images from student notebooks!

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In a reprise of a National Writing Project Annual Meeting session, Jie Qi of the Responsive Environments group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and David Cole and Jennifer Dick of Nexmap.org and its I/O (Inside/Out) program walk you through the building of low-cost circuits that allow writers to hack the traditional notebook and tell stories with interactivity.

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Beyond the Museum: Tinkering with Paper Circuits | The Tinkering Studio

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Beyond the Museum: Tinkering with Paper Circuits | The Tinkering Studio

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One of the things that we are currently thinking about in the Tinkering Studio is how we might translate work we are doing on the floor of the museum to after school programs, classrooms, and other formal and informal educational settings. We've been inspired by a collaboration this summer with artist-in-residence Jie Qi from the High-Low tech group at the MIT Media Lab to try messing around with paper and copper tape to make circuits.

Paper Circuits feels like tinkering to us for several reasons. First, it uses both familiar materials like paper and batteries and unfamiliar materials like copper tape and surface mount LEDs in surprising ways to get people thinking with circuits in a different context than these concepts are usually presented in school. Also, the activity integrates science, art, and technology in a way that allows each learner to decide where they want to place their own emphasis. One other thing that we really like about it is that it supports the complexification of designs, meaning that people start with something simple and quickly move to a more personalized, complicated, and satisfying creation. The project allows us to value both a simple circuit with a "complex" story or craft around it just as much as a technically advanced "all the bells and whistles" project, depending on the thoughts and ideas of the learner.
Getting Started
The first thing that I would recommend if you want to try this activity on your own is to read the tutorial on the high-low tech website. It's a great starting point that shows where to order the materials online, gives some templates for simple circuits, and inspirations for next steps. You can also check out this handout that she made to show the materials and process on a one page pdf.

Next, collect copper tape, surface mount LEDs, coin cell batteries, clear tape, binder clips, and small pieces of card stock paper. It also helps to have scissors or exacto knives to cut the tape precisely and tweezers for handling the extremely tiny LEDs.

When we've tried this activity in the tinkering studio, we've set up a large communal table with shared materials that are available and accessible. This way we often see new ideas travel around the space and can encourage participants to show others what they've figured out.
Facilitation Strategies
Usually we get people started on making a simple switch in the shape of a square. This initial project lets people practice the somewhat difficult techniques of folding the copper tape at right angles and get a feel for the other materials while thinking about what they might do next. Facilitators may show a simple example and examine the components alongside the learner. One thing that I've seen, that is hard for people is folding precise angles with the copper tape so facilitators often just let them practice that with a scrap sheet of paper and small pieces of tape.

You can fold over one side of the card stock and attach a binder clip to secure the battery in the circuit. Another thing that facilitators can work with participants to figure out is the directionality of the LED. The light only works if it's oriented in the proper direction so if everything looks okay on the circuit, you might suggest flipping the surface mount LED.

Throughout the making of a simple circuit, our facilitators tend to watch the participants closely to see if they think they'll need help at any point. We'll let learners get frustrated a bit as they try to work it out but we are always around to jump in and show tricks and techniques for working with these novel materials. One more thing that facilitators can do in the early stages of the project is ask people what they are thinking about making next or what other ideas they have so that when they finish the simple circuit, they are ready to work on something more complicated or personalized that makes use of what they have learned.
Soldering
The copper tape that we use for this activity only conducts through the top layer which makes soldering a valuable addition to the experience. We like to teach people how to use soldering irons in a heavily facilitated and safe environment. If this is possible in your environment we think that this activity provides a good introduction to soldering in a way that doesn't feels intimidating and supports personalization. Working on the paper feels approachable but also allows people to practice the fundamentals of this important tool. Soldering the small components isn't as scary as it may seem at first and it helps to use metal tweezers and attach the "legs" one at a time.
Taking the Experience Further
There are many ways to go deeper into explorations with paper circuits. One thing that we've tried is to incorporate pop-up elements into the designs. Jie has experimented with making pop-up books using different paper folding techniques. We have also tried adding lights to simple origami shapes, using the moving paper to create switches.

Another way to build on explorations with these ideas and materials is by adding microcontrollers and sensors to your creations. We've experimented with cards that activated with lights or sounds and programming the LEDs to flicker on and off in patterns. Paper circuits can be a way to explore inputs and ouputs with Arduino and other ways of programming. Once again the high-low tech website contains lots of inspirational ideas. If you want to know more about programming microcontrollers with Arduino check out this handy tutorial from Dave, one of Jie's collaborators at MIT.
Share
Tell us what you've tried! We're constantly experimenting with these activities and want you to try new things too. Let us know the discoveries you've made, innovations you've developed, puzzles you've encountered, and more!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Beyond the Museum: Tinkering with Paper Circuits | The Tinkering Studio

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One of the things that we are currently thinking about in the Tinkering Studio is how we might translate work we are doing on the floor of the museum to after school programs, classrooms, and other formal and informal educational settings.

# data[].attributes.headline
Copy of Letter to Prez 2.0 Template Instructions - Google Slides

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Copy of Letter to Prez 2.0 Template Instructions - Google Slides

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Copy of Letter to Prez 2.0 Template Instructions

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LETTERS TO THE NEXT PRESIDENT 2.0 Kate Hodges

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As I look back on my first year of teaching, I have so many regrets. I am sure all first-year teachers feel this way, but my regrets are probably shared by even the most veteran teachers. The constant negotiation between expectations placed on teachers vs what it actually means to teach our digital natives, future...