IDEEA Lab
Littlebits
by Samuel Bradford and Ariel Walstab-Diarra
Littlebits is a system of electronic modules that snap together with magnets. They can make noises, blow air and spin any device. This term the Year 7's at MESC are experimenting with LittleBits.
Students comments about Littlebits:
Student of 7A - great fun for kids and adults alike. The tasks are very engaging.
Student of 7B - really interesting. I enjoying using LittleBits when I can
Student of 7C - fun and good experiments
Student of 7D - challenging but fun
Student of 7E - cute, creative way to experiment with modern tech
So far the Year 7 IDEEA lab classes have made…
- A car
- A garden play set
- A robotic crocodile
- A non portable fidget spinner with pictures on it
- A safety fire
Next they are going to start on…
- An alarm clock
- An exploding party box
And many other interesting inventions.
You can find out more about Littlebits at these links https://littlebirdelectronics.com.au/search?type=product&q=Littlebits
AIE Excursion
by Abbey Bradley
On the 10th of August, the Year 7's went to the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE). We took the train up to the World Trade Centre to learn all about how the AIE works and what jobs or careers there are in gaming and technology.
Inside one of the classrooms, we were shown how to code objects and were even shown a presentation that gave us important information about how the AIE started, what companies they have worked with and different “apps” that can get you started on your gaming or coding career. While we were coding we found out about different jobs within the company such as design, modelling and lots more. In one of the apps we had objects that we could move and also change the direction of their position in just one click.
Afterwards, we had some lunch and then headed off to our next task: design. It was amazing. We got to create anything we could think of and then colour it whatever shade we wanted to. I made a snowman and coloured him all sorts of blues and greens. With every click of the mouse we could do something different, unique and creative.
For example, once we had made our object and coloured it in, that was the start of making a character for a new game. It was exciting to think of all the possibilities that you could create with a single app. I’m sure that out of our Year 7's, there will be a few who will continue learning more about coding and gaming.