e-Arts & Crafts

Instructor

• Office: Riley Hall 200-H
• Email: andrea.tartaro@furman.edu
• Office hours: By appointment.

General Information

• Meeting time & place: M-F 9:30-11am; Riley 204
• Lab time & place: M-Th 1-3pm; Riley 203
• Description: In this class we will explore interactive projects that artists, designers and crafters have made using technology while designing our own e-Arts&Crafts project using a microprocessor, such as Arduino, and electronic supplies, such as LEDs, various sensors, and conductive thread or paint. No computer programming experience required – we will use tools for building interactive projects that are used by artists, designers, and hobbyists.
• Class format: Discussion, presentations, individual or group project, lab. Fun and laid back :)

Books and Materials

All readings will be online or retrievable from electronic resources at the library. If you would like to keep your project, please purchase the following:

• ProtoSnap - LilyPad Development Board: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11262
• USB Mini-B Cable: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11301

If the ProtoSnap - LilyPad Development Board is not available, please purchase the following:

• ProtoSnap - LilyPad Development Simple: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11201
• 1 button: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8776
• 1 slide switch: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9350
• 1 Tricolor LED: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8467
• 1 light sensor: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8464
• You will still need the USB Mini-B Cable (above). You can also see what other items come with the original kit, and decide if you want any of those items as well.

If you do not plan on purchasing these items, please let me know ASAP.

Assignments

Group or Individual Art or Craft Project

The main assignment for this class will be an individual or group interactive art or craft project. On your own, or in a group of up to 4 people (my recommended max is 3, though), you will create a project using the Arduino LilyPad, various electronics components such as LEDs and sensors, and arts and crafts supplies such as conductive and non-conductive fabric and thread. Your project must have some sort of interactive component, meaning it must use information from some sort of sensor (temperature, light, buttons, etc.), and provide some sort of output (sound, vibration, light, etc.). Some starter ideas include:

• A shirt that lights up based on the temperature.
• Earrings that blink with the wearer's heartbeat.
• A stuffed cat that "purrs" (vibrates) when it is hugged.

You will likely be able to do something more complex than these suggestions.

Along with your project, you will write a final paper describing the motivation, design and implementation of your project (1 paper per group/project). Your paper should be 4-8 pages in the ACM SIGCHI format. You should target your paper as demo proposal for the Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI) '16 Conference. You can view the call for papers (and access the ACM SIGCHI template) here: http://www.tei-conf.org/16/CfP/CfP.html.

You will create a 2-minute video that would accompany a submission to TEI '16.

You will also write instructables-style complete instructions for re-creating your project, including all your arduino code; someone should be able to make your project using the instructions. See http://www.instructables.com/id/LilyPad-Arduino-Blinking-Bike-Safety-Patch/?ALLSTEPS for an example.

You will also create a Furman Engaged-style poster that describes the motivation, design and implementation of your project. I will provide you with a template on moodle.

You will also create a presentation that describes the motivation, design and implementation of your project, including a demo (1 presentation per group/project; at most 10 minutes). Every group member must speak during the presentation.

You will maintain a project journal over the course of the term. For groups, this journal should include an entry for each meeting that includes 2 or more members of your group (including meetings that occur during class or lab time). You could think of the entries as "meeting minutes." Entries should be brief and written in the following format:

1. Date, time and length of meeting, e.g., Wednesday, May 14, 1:30-3:30.
2. Group members in attendance. Reasons for any absence of group members. Note that someone might not be involved in a given meeting depending on how you divide up work. Thus, "not relevant because..." is a one possible reason.
3. Reason for meeting (1-3 bullet points; examples: "Brainstorm project ideas"; "Assign project roles").
4. Outcome of meeting (2-5 bullet points; examples: "Decided to do project that..."; "Assigned following group roles: John will maintain the meeting journal...").

You will submit 1 project journal per group at the end of the term. I may also ask to review your project journal at other points over the course of the term.

For individuals, please make a journal entry per day that summarizes your progress on your project.

For Groups Only: EACH group member will write an individual reflection that details:

1. What each member, including yourself, contributed to the assignment.
2. What each member, including yourself, did well.
3. What each member, including yourself, could have done better and how.
4. What you did well as a group.
5. What you could have done better as a group and how.
6. How you would divide up an imaginary $1000 bonus to your group and why.

Your reflection should be a minimum of one page (single-spaced, two pages max).

The individual reflection will be taken very seriously and can affect your individual grade for the assignment (see grading below):

1. Working with anyone else on your reflection will be treated as academic dishonesty (a.k.a. cheating - see below). Do not dicuss what you wrote in your reflection before, during or even after writing it with anyone except me.
2. You must hand in your individual reflection to pass the class.

We will also have periodic, informal in-progress project demonstrations/presentations. These are an opportunity to receive feedback from the class on your project. The schedule for presentations/demos is indicated on moodle.

Creating a sucessful project: As you can see, this project involves not only an interactive technology, but also a number of additional materials to record your progress and present your project. Class includes 2 hours of supported lab time that you will mainly use to work on your projet. However, this is not sufficient time to complete the project! You must also work on the project outside of class both individually and with your group. Also, be sure to carefully maintain your project journal, and to work on the paper, presentation, poster, video and instructions for your project through the term. Do not these artifacts for the last minute!

Additional Assignments

Each student will give three article presentations (using power point, prezi or other presentation software) and lead a discussion on a research article or other approved article. The presentation should be about 30 minutes (including discussion) and prepared by the assigned class. You will choose your own article for presentation, and must submit a pdf to me by email one week before your presentation (except the first week). I will approve the article (or ask you to find another) and post it to moodle. Your article should be related to interactive art or crafts, and include a description of a technology. There is a lot of flexibility in the type of article you choose: you might be interested in educational aspects of interactive arts and crafts, new tools for interactive art, etc. Your presentation will vary based on the format of the paper, but will usually include: the author's argument; an overview of the evidence the author uses to make this argument; a description of the technology discussed in the article; and a minimum of three discussion questions. I STRONGLY recommend you meet with me to go over your presentation prior to class.

All students are required to skim the articles for each class and contribute thoughtfully to the discussion.

Attendance and Participation: Finally, class attendance and participation is a critical component of the course. Contribute to class discussions, ask and answer questions, and participate in project feedback for your peers.

Handing in assignments

For your final project, submit on moodle your paper (.doc or .pdf format), instructions, presentation (.ppt or .pdf format), poster (.ppt or .pdf format), and project journal (.doc, .pdf or .txt/.rtf format) in the appropriate submission locations. The person whose last name comes first alphabetically should submit all the documents. Submit your video in the shared video folder on Box. Bring a printout of your paper and project journal and submit in class.

Every person should send individual reflections via email only to andrea dot tartaro at furman dot edu.

For your article presentations, submit a .ppt/.pptx or .pdf format file on moodle, and bring a printout of your presetnation to suhmit in class prior to your presentation.

Grading

The ability to work in a group is needed for almost any project you work on in life - be it professional or "for fun." People often assume that it is obvious how to work in a group, but group work techniques can be learned and developed. In this class, you have the option to work in a group or on your own, though working in a group will allow you to create a larger, and potentially more creative, project. If you choose to work in a group, the following grading scheme is designed to help you work successfully as a group, and for me to assess your team dynamics and help you if there are problems.

Your assignment grade will be comprised of 50% of your group grade and 50% of an individual grade. It is my expectation that these grades will be the same. However, your individual grade can be different (lower or higher) if there is compelling evidence that it should be (it can also be affected by your individual reflection).

Late Assignments: Due to the short May term, late assignments will not be accepted.

Grade Allocation

Policies, etc.

Attendance

Class participation is a critical component of the course and attendance is mandatory. Please discuss any necessary absences (eg. athletics, religious holidays, emergency, illness) with me PRIOR to class. You may be asked to make up for missed material. You will not receive credit for make-up material if you did not discuss your absence with me prior to class.

Students with Disabilities

It is the policy of Furman University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. I encourage students with disabilities to make an appointment to meet with me as soon as possible to discuss accommodations that might help facilitate your learning. You will need appropriate documentation from the University's Disability Services Coordinator. All discussions will remain confidential.

Academic Integrity

Scholastic dishonesty is misrepresenting someone else's work as your own, which is a form of stealing, and will not be tolerated. You are responsible for reading and understanding Furman's policies regarding Academic Conduct. If you need help understanding how and when to cite sources, please see me.

Schedule

Available on Moodle.

SUBJECT TO CHANGE. CHECK MOODLE OFTEN!