Dynamic Landscapes 2016

Aubrey Garrison and I recently collaborated in action research to design multimodal writing activities for seventh and eighth grade students as they composed narratives in a genre of their choice.  One group of seventh graders was given the additional opportunity to integrate paper circuitry as a multimodal writing tool.  Although we are still in the midst of analyzing data, our initial observations have led us to suspect that this approach led to increased engagement and participation among many students.

Yesterday, at Dynamic Landscapes, we shared some of our ideas, showcased examples of student work, and guided a small group of Vermont educators and students through a series of hands-on activities that included a seven-minute write and other creative writing prompts that might be applied in a writer's/ maker workshop.  Even though our workshop was an immersive (full day) session, we still didn't get through all of the activities we'd planned!

In addition to learning about circuits and switches, several participants learned to solder for the first time and how to program an ATtiny85 microcontroller to add special effects to their circuits.

Composition by the talented Caty Wolfe