Creating Innovative Lessons Using Makey Makey and Hands-On Activities

About a month ago, I received a device called the Makey Makey. This little device was supposed to be able to turn simple everyday items into interactive computer keys. The device really looks more daunting than it actually is once set up as it appears to be a spiderweb of clubs and wires at first glance. The specialized computer chip has several different locations to attach alligator clips to provide pathways from electronic signals, which allows whatever object you attach the other end of the clip to (as long as it possesses some conductivity) the ability to act as an input method on the computer. The partnering website hosts a myriad of already made games and simulators to test and play with your new inputs that really opens up a vast range of applications.

Being a math teacher, I thought about how I can use this in the classroom. There are no applications that fit in a mathematics curriculum at first glance, or at least at the middle school level where content starts becoming more intricate and complex. I was finally able to stumble across a simple buzzer feature, where you could create multiple buzzers that sound off from different keys, which led to my idea of a trivia style game where the students get to design their own buzzers to answer my math problems. We do a lot of work with different symbols in 6th grade math, and the Makey Makey makes it possible to take those math symbols and make them interactive. Now, instead of circling the correct symbol or writing it in, students can now tap the symbol as if it were a real-life buzzer and answer questions, as seen in the video below.

My initial draft of this lesson focused mainly on how I would incorporate and conduct the gamification with my Makey Makey. After I received some peer-feedback, I see that it was not much of a lesson at all, but instead more of an activity. I had no indication of how I was going to implement it or how I was going to check for understanding afterwards. I received some very helpful alerting me to this oversight, and how I should. I was quick to include some type of exit ticket or other chance for reflection to the lesson, since according to Gnatt (2020) students are more likely to develop an understanding from their learning when they are more engaged through reflection and discourse, allowing a greater chance of retention.

Additionally, I had to figure out what type of setting I would conduct my lesson in. It was brought to my attention that setting everything up with the Makey Makey would take far too long and be too much to keep track of with a large number of students, so I chose to conduct this activity in small groups of 2-3 students. Working in small groups allows for students to feel more comfortable while practicing content, allows for the teacher to give more individualized attention, and benefits from the natural implementation of social constructivist theories since math as a subject continuously spirals and builds upon itself (Balt, 2017).

However, I think that my biggest takeaway from this innovative technology lesson was the importance and power of peer feedback. Trying to do this with others through specific lenses such as the Universal Design for Learning and Intersectionality provided an opportunity to get out of my own comfort zone and think about how my lessons would look to someone who was not in my same environment or shared my experiences. This is clear from the amazing feedback that I received, which showed me how blind I initially was to my own tunnel vision and oversights resulting in an incomplete learning experience. I’m honored to be able to return the favor to others, offering my unique insight to their lessons as well. It’s impossible to account for everyone as we all have our own set of background knowledge and experience that impact the lens that we see through. The best thing we can do is be cognizant of that when we try to teach our learners. That might just be the key for getting through to them and allowing them to flourish in the classroom.

References:

Balt, J. (2017). Small group math instruction in the middle school classroom. Sy. Catherine University

Banko, N. (2023, August 6). Makemakey math [Video].

https://youtu.be/Xa-sgH5FBwI

Gantt, C. (2020). The impact of the math workshop model on middle school classroom instruction and student achievement in a southeast suburban school district. Gardner-Webb University.