Featured Educator Series

Mr. Fogle is a librarian/STEAM teacher. He works in the “Creativity, Innovation, Research Center” or CIRC department. His time is balanced between library literacy with middle school students and co-teaching a STEM class. In his STEM class, students learn about coding, robotics, 3D printing, laser cutting, Makey-Makeys, Hummingbird robotics, and Finch 2.0 robots.   

"Students have CIRC class once a week for 35 minutes. We try our best to make our classes action-packed with hands-on learning and lots of fun. This school year, students learned to make robot art, custom vacuum formed molds with soap, HTML coding, computer animation, jump-scare robots, and Makey Makey instruments or game controllers."

Another cool gaming controller design with the @makeymakey! Works great! @Seneca_Valley @HaineCIRC @HMSRaiders #MakerSpace #designthinking pic.twitter.com/WQgEhu59Jj

— 🅼🆁. 🅵🅾🅶🅻🅴 (@fogleem) May 25, 2022

We just love the concept of kids tinkering with game controllers. Especially divergent ones! How did you present the challenge or what instructions did you share with students? Your student designs were so unique!

"My co-teaching colleague, Ronelle Rowe, and I wanted to use Makey Makey in our classroom this year. We knew they were simple to start, and can get complex the more you use them, so we started with an intro-video and some pre-made displays."

Students exploring different types of materials for conductivity with the @makeymakey! We have coat hangers, insulated and non-insulated wires, CD's, Play Doh, aluminum foil. What else should we try? @Seneca_Valley @HaineCIRC @HMSRaiders #MakerSpace pic.twitter.com/5cGuan2OY2

— 🅼🆁. 🅵🅾🅶🅻🅴 (@fogleem) May 3, 2022

"After an intro-class on how it works, students had a choice to make either a gaming controller, a musical instrument, or art/poetry. The designs needed to be unplugged from the Makey Makey easily as the kits were shared among 24 other homeroom classes."

This gaming controller reminds me of an old school #MorseCode telegraph machine! Now it has a much different purpose... @makeymakey @Seneca_Valley @HaineCIRC @HMSRaiders pic.twitter.com/WvvKVbewuk

— 🅼🆁. 🅵🅾🅶🅻🅴 (@fogleem) May 5, 2022

"We always encourage creativity, and I love how the students really had fun exploring the different conductive materials. Once one student did something cool, others copied them and soon afterwards the copy-cat projects took on a life of their own. We shared pictures found online of other projects for inspiration."

Indoctrinating my students with the @makeymakey & @alyankovic. What better way to have fun with circuits & a nerdy teacher! @HaineCIRC @HMSRaiders @Seneca_Valley pic.twitter.com/Ml1yBGOK1Z

— 🅼🆁. 🅵🅾🅶🅻🅴 (@fogleem) May 6, 2022

 Maybe that Weird Al Video inspired this fun controller idea! 

I think @alyankovic would approve of this @makeymakey 'game controller!' #AluminumFoil #BigConspiracy @Seneca_Valley @HaineCIRC @HMSRaiders pic.twitter.com/CBuxAc79JW

— 🅼🆁. 🅵🅾🅶🅻🅴 (@fogleem) May 5, 2022

Can you share some more of your favorites that the students made?

What will you and your students Makey Makey next?

"My original intent was to create “Operation” style games with my students, but we did not have enough time before the end of the school year. I also love “mashing” different technologies together, so I think I will combine Makey Makey with Hummingbird or Finch 2.0 robots (from Birdbrain Technologies) in a future project too!"

Thanks for sharing all the great ideas your students had! They inspired us to make this DIY Joystick guide!

Super Quick Joystick with Modeling Clay