EDUC-236X/CS-402
Beyond Bits and Atoms: technological tools for thinking and learning (link)

This course is a hands-on practicum in evaluating, designing and building technology-enabled curricula and learning environments. We will use many rich software toolkits and state-of-the-art prototyping technologies designed for novices to get their “hands dirty” designing educational software, educational toolkits, educational toys, and tangible user interfaces. A special focus of the course will be to design low-cost, appropriate technologies, particularly for urban school in the US and abroad.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Understand the constructionist design perspective and use it to author and assess technology-rich tools and learning environments, as well as how to combine this perspective with critical pedagogy.
• Design and implement educational software/hardware at the prototype level, and avoid common design errors.
• Design technology-enabled activities that take advantage of the computational medium, and exercise good judgment in such design within the target context, content domain and deployment situation.
• Design sophisticated objects using tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and routers (see lab course below).
• Use and implement in classroom projects around educational robotics, environmental sensing, computer modeling, and data-logging.

EDUC-211X/CS-402L
Beyond Bits and Atoms Lab: rapid prototyping, sensing, robotics and fabrication applied to learning (link)

This course is a hands-on lab for prototyping and fabrication of tangible technologies, with a special focus in learning and education. We will learn how to use state-of-the-art fabrication machines (3D printers, 3D scanners, laser cutters, routers, sensors, polymer casting, robotics) to design educational toolkits, educational toys, science kits, and tangible user interfaces. A special focus of the course will be to design low-cost technologies, with high potential for deployment in low-income areas in the US and abroad.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Design and prototype objects and products using tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and routers.
• Design and prototype educational toolkits for science, math, robotics, environmental sensing, and data-logging, as well as interactive toys.
• Design simple hardware at the prototype level.
• Evaluate existing educational products as for their fabrication techniques, and design quality within their target audience, content domain and deployment plan.