I argue that the relevant metaphor to build a successful tech group these days is “low floor, high ceiling, wide walls and open windows”.
This approach, promoted by Mitch Resnick at MIT and Yasmin Kafai (source), led to the tremendous growth of Scratch, from 2007. In April 2024, the Scratch team announced that one billion projects had been developed. See Footnote(1) for more of this history and explanation of the house metaphor.
After thought: I ought to mention too, my favourite article about the design of construction kits, written by Mitch Resnick and Brian Silverman. I wrote a summary of this back in 2019, with a link to the original. Their point 5: Simplicity works; their point 7: You can achieve a lot with a little.
All the technology has continued to evolve rapidly. It becomes cheaper and more user friendly. This applies to coding tools, design tools and making tools. Many of the tools are Free or Open Source (FOSS) which reduces barriers to access and attracts communities.
The 21stC making tools which are not free (eg. 3D printers - although some companies such as Prusa do have Open Hardware; laser cutters and more) continue to reduce in cost. One aspect of this is that 21stC making becomes more accessible to a wider audience. This should mean that a tech group should have no problem growing. School students can be part of this since schools are notorious for not keeping up with new developments.
I argue for a beginner’s courses accessible to Middle School students which then lead into more advanced courses (aka mechatronics, making devices which integrate electrical and mechanical processes).
Coding: With block coding, eg. Scratch, MakeCode, students can make something interesting with the process being transparent within 10 minutes.
Design: With Tinkercad you can quickly make 3D objects. This can lead onto more advanced design tools later (eg. KiCAD, openSCAD, Fusion 360)
Making: You can begin with cardboard and then move onto LEGO, 3D prints and laser cuts to make interesting constructions readily. Free designs are available at thingiverse, Printables and other sites.
Micro-controllers: The microbit or Circuit Playground can control neopixels, servos and communicate with each other. They also have A and B control buttons on the board. This can lead onto more complex controllers such as arduino, bread boarding and circuit construction / printed circuit boards.
Microbit or Arduino? I argue for microbit usage in the middle school (years 5-9) and then move onto arduino in the senior school (years 10-12). Start with the low floor and move onto the high ceiling will engage more students. See Footnote 2 for three articles, microbit versus arduino, which support my viewpoint here.
It should be acknowledged that the arduino was a revolution which began in 2005. Open hardware, low cost and easier to use than what came before. The thesis which kicked off the arduino was titled, “Arduino–La rivoluzione dell’open hardware” (“Arduino – The Revolution of Open Hardware”). Reference
Similarly, the micro:bit was a revolution which began in 2015. The floor was lowered further given more users access to microcontrollers. Reference
Project based learning: Many diverse projects can be made where an interesting or inspirational idea can be designed, made and controlled. This builds skills and whets the appetite for more. Once this pattern is established more complex design, coding and making techniques can be further developed.
This is a well established international educational trend beginning with Seymour Papert 50 years ago. LEGO Mindstorms was named after his book, "Mindstorms", written in 1980. He initiated a learning theory called constructionism. The 21stC Maker Movement kicked off in a big way around 2005 when Neil Gershenfeld built the first FabLab at MIT and offered a course called “How to Make almost Anything”.
Some schools are coming on board in Australia (especially Privates) because there is a recognition that STEM or STEAM is both important and engaging. But it is also true that many schools are locked into an ACARA curriculum tick the box model and so fall well short of utilising the full potential of the 21stC Maker movement.
Some brief additional information about existing groups, international and local:
Constructing Modern Knowledge (CMK). Gary Stager has been actively promoting constructionist learning in Australian schools for decades. His group offers workshops and books.
FabLabs: The Fab Labs grew exponentially around the world after 2005. See the map.
Paulo Blikstein has promoted Fab Learn Labs, a school version of FabLabs. Search this blog for some summaries of his outstanding articles.
Whittlesea Tech School, Melbourne PolyTechnic STEAM engine offer a range of courses to surrounding schools in Melbourne
Tech Explorations: Peter Dalmaris, Australia offers advanced online courses. mmm ... even if you don't go lower floor (eg. with the microbit), you can still go wider walls, as illustrated by the diverse options on Peter's site.
Adelaide groups: I am just listing Adelaide tech groups I have become aware of over the past year. I am not attempting to publicly evaluate their success based on the broad criteria outlined in this article, at this stage:(1) This tests the memory. The Logo language, which preceded Scratch was popular at educational computing conferences in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The educational rationale back then was, in part, to provide a more interesting and engaging way to teach maths. However, when the www came along that popularity died. Living then in Adelaide, Australia, I knew only one other Logo enthusiast. However, I used to participate in the Usenet comp.lang.logo group. Description by Brian Harvey; archive. I remember it as being down the bottom in the usage statistics of all the Usenet groups. However, with the advent of Scratch, Logo was transformed into a multimedia, story telling fun machine. With the conversion to block code (low floor), diverse project multimedia features (wider walls) and remixing / online comments and Likes (open windows) the Scratch version of Logo flourished again.
(2) Three article which argue that the microbit is better for beginners but that to continue the path to mechatronics, you can do more with the arduino:
https://mp.moonpreneur.com/blog/microbit-vs-arduino/Both micro:bit and Arduino offer unique strengths and benefits for DIY electronics projects. Micro:bit excels in simplicity, accessibility, and educational applications. This makes micro:bit a good choice for beginners and educational settings.https://www.instructables.com/Comparison-Between-Microbit-and-Arduino/
Conversely, Arduino provides versatility, expandability, and a robust community support system, making it ideal for more complex and ambitious projects.
