Oct
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The Lilypad Arduino
Posted by: Alex Monegro | October 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Summary of The LilyPad Arduino: Using computational textiles to investigate engagement, aesthetics, and diversity in computer science educationbyBuechley, L., Eisenberg, M., Catchen, J., & Crockett, A. (2008).
According to Buechley et al, the Lilypad Arduino textile computing kit was created with the goal of producing “a system analogous to Lego Mindstorms” that would allow kids and adults to become interested in computing and electronics by creating pieces of fashion that had electronic components in them. With this modest goal in mind, Buechley and her team set out to discover what the best way to design such a builder kit would be. However, through that journey, instead of only finding an engaging format for their build-your-own clothes-with-electronics kit, they found that the results of their experiment suggested and reinforced a core aspect of technology: that our decisions around how, and when to use technology must take into consideration the values and ambitions of those we mean to engage with it.
To test the Lilypad Arduino’s usability and engagement potential, Buechley et al ran six workshops with a range of participants. Throughout these workshops they were able to refine the design of both the hardware, and software components of the kit to maximize engagement. After each workshop they would survey willing participants, and what they found was that the Lilypad Arduino had a very high engagement rate. In fact, participants responded that they were now more likely to take part in electronics and computer science programs . This was particularly surprising because the overwhelming majority of participants in the workshops were female. The rate of participation of women in computer science programs has plummeted from 37% in 1985, to 17% in 2006 (Buechley et atl, 2008).
It is remarkable given these numbers that the Lilypad Arduino drew so many female participants, and that they were highly engaged with the process of building and programming electronic systems. Buechley et al’s research suggests that by placing electronic systems building in the context of something that young women already value (fashion), the activity becomes more engaging. Recently there have been efforts to increase women’s participation in computer science programs. Buechley et al’s research is remarkable then because it suggests that instead of asking ” ‘how can we get girls and women to participate in traditional computer science and support them once they are there?’, we should ask: ‘how can we integrate computer science with activities and communities that girls and women are already engaged in?’ ” (2008).
What is the Lilypad Arduino?
The Lilypad Arduino is “kit consists of a microcontroller and an assortment of sensors and actuators in stitch-able packages” (Buechley et al, 2008). As an example, a young girl that participated in one of the workshops Buechley et al hosted embedded an LED light and sensors to her jacket. The LED light would change colour when she performed certain arm gestures that would be detected by sensors in the jacket’s sleeves.
By clicking on the following tag cloud, you will see an interactive summary of the key terms in the article.
Reflection Questions for post- reading:
- What communities have you worked with were technology did not take into account their values and preferences?
- How can we best engage traditionally disconnected communities with and through technology?
References:
- Buechley, L., Eisenberg, M., Catchen, J., & Crockett, A. (2008). The LilyPad Arduino: Using computational textiles to investigate engagement, aesthetics, and diversity in computer science education. Proceedings of the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (pp. 423-432), Florence, Italy, 5-10 April. Library Portal Access (ACM Digital Archive database)