Digital and Physical Fabrication as Multimodal Learning

Abstract

This article proposes and explores the kinds of computational thinking, creative practices, design activities, and inclusive learning opportunities provided to diverse high school youth when designing integrated systems through simultaneously physically and digitally responsive wearable games and systems. Previous work in this area, conducted by Richard, coined the term “bidirectionally responsive design” (BRD) to describe the design of dual-feedback systems using multiple digital and physical interfaces. BRD also emphasizes using simplified fabrication tools, media and coding platforms, and microcontrollers common in youth content creation communities and makerspaces. This study provides a framework to analyze computational concepts, practices, and perspectives that leverage an integrated systems and multimodal learning approach, such as BRD, adding to, building on, and integrating previous analytic approaches to looking at Scratch coding, media design, physical computing and e-textiles. Using a detailed case study of one team during one of the early workshop iterations, we conduct a multimodal analysis of bidirectionally responsive making activities and discuss the ways that they present novel understanding of integrating diverse interests and encouraging collaborative and distributed computational thinking. We further examine how BRD operationalizes and extends multimodal learning theory by adding tangible and integrative dimensions as additional modalities learners can leverage to facilitate meaning making, metacognition, and agency. We also discuss how designing integrated systems, as facilitated through BRD, provides an opportunity to engage in authentic practices around the design of complex systems.

Effectiveness of collaboration in developing computational thinking skills: A systematic review of social cognitive factors

“…(2) Positive communication during interaction can bring up more ideas, and some ideas may extend beyond textbooks (Herro et al, 2021; Rahimi & Kim, 2019). (3) The verbalization process can help learners make sense of the design ideas and understand some difficult concepts (Richard & Giri, 2019). (4) Critiques and disagreement can help facilitate the design iterations and improve the designed artefacts (Ching et al, 2019; Tucker‐Raymond et al, 2019).…”

“…Second, conversational exchange can pool students' different ideas and improve the original idea in the form of feedback (Rahimi & Kim, 2019). Third, students can develop their communication skills while they talk, argue, and negotiate (Richard & Giri, 2019).…”

“…(3) The verbalization process can help learners make sense of the design ideas and understand some difficult concepts (Richard & Giri, 2019). ( 4) Critiques and disagreement can help facilitate the design iterations and improve the designed artefacts (Ching et al, 2019;Tucker-Raymond et al, 2019).…”

A Significant Role Of Constant Learning In Improving The People’s Life Quality

“…An important component will be ensuring the access of non-State organizations to the provision of social services, which will improve their quality and bring the provision of services closer to the population. The priorities of the petrochemical cluster will be the development of monomers (Richard & Giri, 2019).…”

Teaching and Learning Computational Thinking Through Game-Based Learning: A Systematic Review

“…Multimodal learning emphasizes the integration of a variety of multimedia or hypermedia tools to facilitate student learning (Mayer, 2003). For example, Richard and Giri (2019) developed two courses to teach senior high school students how to combine Makey Makey and Scratch as well as Lilypad Arduino and ModKit to develop interactive games and wearable controllers with digital and physical counterparts.…”