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Here is a selection of recent Craft Technology publications available for
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Last updated: 02 May 2006 Buechley, L., Elumeze, N., and Eisenberg, M. Hendrix, S. and Eisenberg, M. Computationally-enriched crafts are activities that blend the advantages of computational media with the affective, social, and cognitive affordances of children's crafts. this paper, we describe a design application, Popup Workshop, whose purpose is to introduce children to craft (and engineering discipline) of pop-up design paper. We describe the fundamental ideas behind computational crafts in general, present our application its current implementation and offer a scenario for its use, explore the particular ways in which pop-up design serves as fertile ground for integrating computation and tangible design, and discuss our early pilot-tests with elementary school children, as well as ongoing and related work.
Andersen, D., Bennett, C., Huyn, P., Rassbach, L., Reardon, S., Eisenberg, M.
Eisenberg, M., Elumeze, N., Buechley, L., Blauvelt, G., Hendrix, S., Eisenberg, A. The traditional view of the "home computer" is as a self-contained appliance: computation, on this view, is something that takes place within a desktop box, and that produces interesting visual effects only on a screen. In this paper, we argue that one can alternatively view "the computer" through its tangible effects on larger settings: that is, the computer can be imagined as the heart of a creative workshop centered within the home or classroom. The advent of accessible fabrication devices, as well as small computers that can be embedded in craft items, permits users to think of the room at large as a place in which computationally-enriched or computationally-designed "exhibits" of various types may be displayed. We illustrate this idea with a variety of projects undertaken within our laboratory.
Eisenberg, M., Eisenberg, A., Blauvelt, G., Hendrix, S., Buechley, L., Elumeze, N.
Eisenberg, M.
Hendrix, S., Eisenberg, M.
Eisenberg, M.
Eisenberg, M., Buechley, L., and Elumeze, N. Construction kits represent a venerable, creative, and (occasionally) even beautiful genre of educational toys for children. Nonetheless, traditional construction kits have limitations as educational media. In the past decade, a number of research efforts have attempted to address these limitations by augmenting construction kit design with various types of computational media. This paper describes two new prototypes of "computationally-enhanced construction kits"; unlike previous efforts, these newer kits allow for large numbers of mutually-interacting, computationally complex, geometrically innovative, and user-programmable pieces. We describe the current (still early) state of these systems, and discuss plausible directions for future development and research.
Caravone, C., Stockho, J., Tomich, A., Eisenberg, M.
Eisenberg, M.
Eisenberg, M., Eisenberg A., Hendrix S., Blauvelt, G., Butter, D., Garcia, J.,
Lewis, R., and Nielsen, T. In recent years, educational technologists and designers have begun to explore a variety of ways in which physical and computational media can be integrated – for instance, through the design of "intelligent toys" for children. This paper describes our ongoing efforts at exploring a different sort of physical-computational integration, focusing on children's design activities, output devices, and the notion of "printing out" more generally. We describe several representative systems under development in our group; each of these systems highlights particular possibilities for exploring and experimenting with output devices for children's crafts. We also present a set of design heuristics–useful techniques for those educational designers interested in expanding the range and expressiveness of craft activities for children.
Blauvelt, G. and Eisenberg, M. Educational computing is often criticized as an enterprise that distances children from experience with physical materials. However, the advent of new and powerful output devices portends an increasingly close integration between computational and (physical) construction activities. This paper describes a system-under-development, MachineShop, whose purpose is to allow students to design and "print out" (on a laser cutter) pieces for working mechanical wooden automata. We describe the current state of MachineShop; and employ the program as a source of insights for exploring the role of output devices in the learning sciences more generally. In particular, we argue that novel output devices have the potential to change the culture of educational artifacts from one based in consumption (in which educational objects are purchased whole) to one based in construction (in which artifacts are wholly or partially designed by children themselves). We also argue that there are many extraordinarily powerful–and technologically feasible–educational output devices that have yet to be designed.
Blauvelt, G. and Eisenberg, M. The notion of "computational crafting" focuses on the numerous ways in which computational media may be used to expand the expressive range of traditional educational crafts. One important dimension of this approach involves a close re-examination of an issue often taken for granted in educational technology--namely, the design and use of I/O devices. The next decade is likely to produce a fascinating array of novel I/O devices and technologies; these in turn offer substantial promise of augmenting the power of computational tools for children's craftwork.
Blauvelt, G., Eisenberg, M. and Wrensch, T. This paper describes our work on a computational tool for the design of mechanical elements suitable for use in automata (mechanical toys and sculpture). The purpose of the tool is to permit students to create customized mechanical components (such as cams); to combine and simulate sets of components; and to "print out" the components on devices such as laser cutters that realize the designs in wood. We discuss the educational rationale behind our work; describe the current (still early) state of our system; and explore the relationship between our work and larger issues highlighted by work in "computational crafting."
Wrensch, T., Eisenberg, M. and Blauvelt, G. Computationally-enhanced craft items are not designed solely for purposes of educational robotics. Nonetheless, this paper will argue that they are well suited to that end, and that the design of such craft objects holds substantial promise for raising new issues in educational robotics, particularly in areas such as distributed processing and end-user programming.
Eisenberg, M. and Eisenberg, A. Excerpt: Does it matter whether students fix real bicycles, mix real chemicals, collect real butterflies, or view real stars? We believe that it does, and that the advent of powerful and compelling "virtual" environments should now cause science educators to carefully re-examine the delicate relationship between computational media and real-world artifacts.
Wrensch, T., Blauvelt, G. and Eisenberg, M. This paper describes our progress in creating a device called a rototack. In its design, the rototack is an example of a computationally-enhanced craft item: a small, robust, inexpensive, and versatile – but also programmable – physical object for use in a variety of educational and home crafting projects. In particular, the tack is a source of rotational motion, suitable for turning light objects or for powering (e.g.) cams, gears, and linkages in complex, user-defined patterns. We describe the engineering decisions and trade-offs involved in creating our current prototype of the tack; discuss the central issues in creating a programming language and environment for the device; and sketch a variety of potential uses to which the tack might be put.
Eisenberg, M., Wrensch, T. and Blauvelt, G. Traditionally, programming languages have been designed with an eye toward implementation on general-purpose computers. The advent of computationally-enhanced craft items – small programmable objects with simple geometries and scaled-down computational components – suggests the need for new language and software environment models tailored for these objects. In some respects, the task of the craft-item language designer is less demanding than that of the traditional language designer; but there are new challenges to be faced as well. In this paper, we summarize both our experiences in creating computationally-enhanced craft items and their ramifications for the creation of geometry-specific languages, programming environments, and interfaces.
Eisenberg, M. and Eisenberg, A. Excerpt: This chapter is an exploration of the notion of middle tech in mathematics and science education. Middle tech, for us, connotes two related ideas. On the one hand, the term suggests a panoply of new materials – temperature-sensitive films, cheap diffraction gratings, glow-in-the-dark dyes, fiber optics, reflective mylar – that sit somewhere between the obvious high-tech world of electronics and the obvious low-tech world of wood, clay, and stone. But middle tech also describes another notion – namely, the creative reinterpretation and integration of high- and low-tech educational materials. Rather than viewing computers as a world unto themselves, ethereal and abstracted from the realm of handicrafts, we prefer to think of middle tech as the unexplored terrain in which programs and materials, complexity and concreteness, blend into new media.
Blauvelt, G.; Wrensch, T. and Eisenberg, M. Traditionally, the notion of home crafting connotes the use of "low-tech" materials and techniques; but increasingly, the once-distinct worlds of crafting and computational media have become integrated, to the mutual benefit of both cultures. In this paper, we discuss a wide range of recurring issues in the integration of crafts and computation, drawing upon a variety of related research projects. In particular, we explore the ways in which attention to computational crafts can encourage a productive re-examination of such notions as programming languages, computer architectures, and peripheral devices.
Eisenberg, M., Rubin, A. and Chen, T. In the popular media, educational technology is almost exclusively portrayed – both by enthusiasts and critics – as an enterprise devoted to overcoming the purported limitations of the physical world. This paper argues, in contrast, that computational media are capable of enhancing the expressiveness of more traditional materials, and enumerates three design principles for computationally-enriched educational handicrafts that take advantage of the valuable characteristics of both computation and craft materials. We present two applications as instances of this design strategy in operation, following the design process from initial conception through final construction.
Wrensch, T. and Eisenberg, M. Traditionally, the practitioners of home crafting and the practitioners of computing tend to occupy distinct, non-overlapping cultures. Those small, ubiquitous items of the crafting cultureastring, thumbtacks, screws, nails, and so forthathus tend to be viewed as inevitably "low-tech" objects. This paper describes our initial efforts toward integrating computational and crafting media by creating an instance of a computationally-enhanced craft item: a programmable hinge. We describe several prototype models of the hinge; outline a sample project in which the hinge might be employed; and discuss a variety of fundamental issues that affect the design of computationally-enhanced craft items generally.
Eisenberg, M. and Eisenberg Nishioka, A. In this paper we use our experiences with the HyperGami program as a springboard for a broader look at the future of computationally-enriched handicrafts. HyperGami is an educational application for the design and construction of mathematical models and sculptures in paper; as such, it serves as a source of examples and insights for the more general problem of how to integrate the "high-tech" features of computation with the "low-tech" features of traditional craft materials in education. We begin by describing the HyperGami program, focusing on those features that were designed in response to problems encountered by papercrafters; we illustrate the program's capabilities by presenting some of our own and our students' papercraft designs; and we describe our initial steps in implementing elements of HyperGami on the World Wide Web. In the closing sections of the paper, we explore the broader educational issues involved in integrating computation and handicrafts; and we conclude with a discussion of how physical objects could play a role in a future "educational object economy."<
Nishioka, A. and Eisenberg, M. Much of the rhetoric surrounding the World Wide Web celebrates the advantages of the "virtual" (and by implication, immaterial) world. In contrast, we see the Web as potentially enhancing the practice of handicrafts. This paper reports on recent developments in implementing a "Platonic Solids Applet" in Java to permit students to select and decorate folding nets for polyhedral solids made from paper. We describe both the applet and the original paper-sculpture design application, HyperGami, to which it is related; we describe ongoing work toward creating a mathematical children's book integrated with Web-based elements; and we discuss the strengths and limitations of the Web in the practice of handicrafts.
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