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A Tinkering Workshop: Making Interactive Landscapes

Contributed by Mike Murphy, February 25, 2015
Create models of real or imaginary landscapes and connect them to Scratch programs.
  • Original Author: Mike Murphy
  • Education Level: Elementary School, Middle School
  • Content Types: Audio and Video, Activity, Lesson Plan
  • Curricular Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual Arts
  • Keywords: game, interaction, digital storytelling, makey makey
This project has several facets: storytelling, physical modeling (going from a sketch to a handmade landscape), and Scratch programming. The idea is to imagine a real or fictitious landscape as the setting for a simple story about what an explorer might see. An explorer (in the form of a game piece avatar) moves through the created landscape according to rules established by the maker. Along the way the explorer can focus in on details if they stop on interactive spaces. These spaces trigger a Scratch program with animation, artwork, sounds or even mini games.

The project is adaptable for classes in history, geography and language arts. It allows participants to experiment with interaction design and to build confidence as makers of objects that have both physical and digital components.

Attachments/Links:

A video about creative process

A pdf on workshop and construction ideas

Additional photos



 
Resource Files
Images: 
Other Files: 
application/pdf iconmaking_interactive_landscapes.pdf
Links: 
Scratch program example
Additional photos (look for albums: Interactive Landscape and MaKey MaKey Quick Connect
Making an Interactive Landscape video
Comments
Elliot Schultz
Member
July 28, 2017
We love this idea Mike! We decided to make our own version at the MSTE office at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Here is our project! We think this is a great way to engage students in every subject area! Thank you for your contributions to education!

Check out our project here: http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/resources/making-interactive-board-game-makey-makey
Michelle Choi
Member
February 25, 2015
Hi Mike,

I love this project idea, especially how adaptable it could be for various disciplines and subjects. Beautiful video! Thanks for sharing all the resource, links, and photos.

M