Learning & Leading Through Technology

script that brought the project to life. A complete description of the project and instructions for creating it (which are free under Creative Commons licensing) are on Watkiss’s website (www. penguintutor.com/electronics/bee).

You can also make any toy mobile. If you contribute to a Kickstarter project called BrickPi ( goo.gl/9ovIg), you will receive an adapter that lets you use a Raspberry Pi with three Lego motors and four Lego sensors. A 9-volt battery allows you to untether the motors, sensors, and Raspberry Pi from the wall so your project can go mobile.

Animating mechanical toys using
these design ideas and resources pro-
vides a rich landscape for students to
explore mechatronics, which makes
complicated engineering concepts
accessible to young learners. These ac-
tivities also provide excellent scaffolding
for the study of systems thinking and
engineering design while encouraging
student creativity and expression—both
powerful motivators for all learners.

Glen Bull is co-director of the Center for Technology and Teacher Education at the University of Virginia and a volunteer columnist for L&L. You can contact him at gbull@virginia.edu.

Stephen Portz is an Albert Einstein Fellow at the National Science Foundation, on leave from Space Coast High School in Cocoa, Florida. You can contact him at sportz.einstein-fellow@gmail.com.

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