Participants in this three hour workshop will explore the bits to atoms workflow made possible through such tools as Turtle Blocks, Tinkercad, Inkjet printers, 3D printers, laser cutters, clothes irons, and digital cameras. The workshop begins with hands on explorations of various artifacts created through programming in Logo and transforming the designs into tools that allow the user to create work more complex than she or he would otherwise be capable of creating. Next, participants are introduced to Turtle Blocks, an online block-based programming environment well suited to exploring the bits to atoms workflow. Everyone will work towards creating digital designs that are printed on iron-on paper for later transfer to garments. Next, depending on personal interests, participants explore turning their designs into 3D printable or laser etched versions; transferring their designs to the LogoTurtle programmable floor robot; or simply continuing exploring the provided 3D printed stamps, laser etched rolling stamps, and 3D printed jewelry and project housings.
Emphasis is placed on experiential learning, debugging, collaboration, and "mucking around" with mathematics in the search for personally meaningful designs. Participants emerge from the workshop with iron-on designs, STL files for 3D printing or laser cutting, photograph jpegs, and LogoTurtle drawings.
Turtle Blocks JS
Turtle Blocks Javascript is an activity with a Logo-inspired graphical "turtle" that draws colorful art based on snap-together visual programming elements. Its "low floor" provides an easy entry point for beginners. It also has "high ceiling" programming, graphics, mathematics, and Computer Science features which will challenge the more adventurous student. (Turtle Blocks on Github)
Like Scratch, Turtle Blocks JS is a block-based programming environment. This workshop will use just one part of Turtle Blocks, its art making capabilities, to explore mathematics, coding, and fabrication. Lessons learned about Logo programming in Turtle Blocks can be applied to working with the LogoTurtle.
A guide to the palettes and buttons for Turtle Blocks is available online and should serve as a handy reference for this workshop and beyond.
A comprehensive guide to programming with Turtle Blocks JS is also available.
A great place to start learning Logo is to teach yourself how to program a square, circle, and a triangle.
A great way to develop designs is to "put yourself in the turtle's shoes." Get up out of your chair and walk in a design, keeping track of whether you are going forward, back, right, or left. Working with a partner is great for this activity.
Work on creating small tools that can add up to make large designs. These small tools are called "procedures." You can name procedures and call them from other procedures.
Workflow: Iron-On Design
- Create a really cool design or a couple small awesome designs
- Suppress the background in the design
- Download your design as an svg
- Sometimes you want multiple copies because your design changes: program the name to include a random number
- Upload your design to the print queue
- Print out your design(s) to iron on later
- One piece of paper per participant, please, until everyone has one
- Befriend a t-shirt shop owner to get access to the nice heat press to get the best results
Workflow: 3D Printed Design
- Create a really cool design or a couple small awesome designs
- Use the hollow line block
- Suppress the background in the design
- Download your design as an svg
- Sometimes you want multiple copies because your design changes: program the name to include a random number
- Sign in to Tinkercad
- Upload your svg to Tinkercad
- Add a ruler to your workplane
- Size your tile
- 7.5cm by 7.5cm prints well and fast
- this size also fits into a student's hand, makes using it easy
- Dial in the tile dimensions
- place the design on a 7.5cm X 7.5cm by 1mm base
- size the design approximately 7.5cm X 7.5cm X 1.75mm tall
- Slice and 3D print your model
Workflow: Laser Etched Design
- Create a really cool design or a couple small awesome designs
- Suppress the background in the design
- Download your design as an svg
- Sometimes you want multiple copies because your design changes: program the name to include a random number
- Import the svg into Illustrator
- Follow your laser cutter's settings and instructions to etch your design into the material of your choice
- The laser cut stamp above is contact cemented to a block of wood. Prior to gluing on the stamp, a screw was counter sunk and driven through the wood block and into a 3D printed handle.
LogoTurtle
The LogoTurtle brings Logo programming to a physical computing platform. You can build your own LogoTurtle then program it in a text editor. The Logo procedure is uploaded from a computer to the LogoTurtle, which runs untethered from the computer, or can be programmed interactively while connected to the computer with a USB cord. The LogoTurtle is able to lower and raise a pen and can be programmed to draw simple or complex drawings.
The LogoTurtle is not as precise as a screen turtle. This provides interesting opportunities to construct knowledge about the nature and meaning of an angle and degree.
Playground
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