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Best of 2021: Videos, Apps, Accessibility, and Community!
We wanted to take some time to reflect on 2021 and share a highlight reel of our top webinars, new apps, and most importantly some of the best new invention ideas and content created by YOU!
Top Video Content of 2021
In 2020 we focused on creating content for teachers to help with hybrid and at home resources. (See these amazing resources here: https://bit.ly/MakeyMakeyTeacher. This year we've continued to work on augmenting the Makey Makey experience by creating more in depth videos, adding new booster kits to our webshop, and created some AMAZING NEW APPS!
This year we made a new banana piano video for new inventors. If you haven't seen it, check it out:
Our other top videos this year are part of our Makey Makey Teacher Suite. This video on coding key presses with Scratch is part of our top five most watched videos this year!
Our Youtube channel had over 137,000 views this year which is actually half of our viewership of all time!
Amazing New Apps
We released 7 new apps this year! If you want an in depth look at each app, read the details on this blog post.
Sampler App
In the spring of 2021, we designed and built our own Audio Sampler App because we saw the demand from the music community for a simple tool to be able to mix sounds and music with Makey Makey. Check out this full length tutorial to learn how to load sample packs, create a loop, upload or record your own sounds, and even save and export sample packs!
Make-A-Sketch
The Make-a-Sketch App is what it looks like. It is a digital version of your tried-and-true childhood magnetic doodling toy!
Buzzer App
Want to make a Jeopardy-style quiz show for your classroom or maybe have a trivia night at home? With our new Buzzer App, you can easily build your own custom switches. Our app does all the work to see who buzzed in first!
New Booster Kits
We released new booster kits this year and we will have more out next year! Read more about them here.
Webinar Highlight Reel
We had a webinar almost every month this year! Here are the top attended/viewed in case you missed it!
Hour of Code with Scratch
We had a great time in our last webinar of 2021 with Eric Rosenbaum from Scratch. If you missed it, click below for a recap!
Craft + Code Webinar
Another favorite webinar from our community this year was our debut of this new booster kit and the activities that accompany it.
Invention Literacy with Strawbees
Our partnership webinar with Strawbees was one of the most delightful webinars we experienced this year! You need to check it out if you missed it.
Focusing on Accessibility
We made an effort to focus on accessibility in 2020 and 2021. Our partnership with Makers Making Change enabled us to showcase assistive tech devices you can build with Makey Makey. We held 3 project focused workshops with occupational therapist Katie Butzu and technology specialist Mark Lyons. They taught us how to create switch adaptive projects:
Our work with them has helped promote visibility on our how to page with our new resources for accessibility! Sort projects by chapter to see these accessibility resources for therapy professionals.
Invention Ideas from the Community
Katie Butzu
Disability professional Katie Butzu built this amazing interactive tree as a fundraiser for the tinsel tree challenge in her school district. She made switch adapted ornaments so that anyone can play music (with Makey Makey and our Sampler app) by touching ornaments on the tree!
This amazing tree raised funds for classroom!
Steph Eldridge
We were blown away with this training partner workshop by Steph Eldridge at Destination Exploration. Make sure to check out the post to see all of the teacher inventions!
Tyzo Bloom
Makey Makey was even in the Rolling Stone this year with this viral hit by Tyzo Bloom.
@tyzobloom The world I love...🌶🧡 #redhotchilipeppers #cantstop #chilipeppers #californication
♬ original sound - Tyzo Bloom
Jess Godwin
Jess Godwin made a whole series of amazing musical color videos with Makey Makey and interesting objects! They are all really amazing, so make sure to check out the blog post with all the videos!
Fall River Middle School
These students ended school on a "high note."
Dori Friedman
Dori inspired her students with this Makey Makey harmonica and we'd never seen a project like this before!
The #makeymakey harmonica is working! Planning to iterate on my design. Just bringing you along on the journey! What I’m looking most forward to is getting to see what the ss make! #makered #innovation #science #music #scratch #handsonlearning #STEM #STEAM #collaborativeteacher pic.twitter.com/m5XWxNjGV7
— dori friedman (@dorifriedman) February 22, 2021
See all of the amazing projects by her students here!
Infy Pathfinders
We held two amazing virtual institutes this year through our partnership with the Infosys Foundations. Make sure to check out all of the projects made by teachers in our February Institute.
