littleBits: Not Just for the Kids

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/palrap.2020.230

Abstract

The Penn State Harrisburg Library used grant funds to add two littleBits Workshop Kits to the circulating library collection. The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Librarian piloted a hands-on activity utilizing littleBits in the college classroom to better support the rapid prototyping skills of engineering students on campus, to promote science literacy to students, and to enhance librarian-student interaction. This article provides an overview of the workshops, which could be duplicated at other institutions, and shares the experiences of three different audiences of college students including challenges, successes, and opportunities for growth and future considerations in utilizing littleBits in an academic setting.

References

Bartlett, C. & Bos, L. (2018). STEAM around the world: Successfully incorporating hands-on learning and diversity into children’s programming. Journal of Library Administration, 58(2), 174-182. doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2017.1392223

Brown, S. (2018). Big impact with littleBits. Library Technology Reports, 54(4), 28-31.

Canino-Fluit, A. (2014). School library makerspaces. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 21-27.

Cross, E. & Tucci, R. (2017). The emerging technology collection at Carleton University Library: Supporting experiential learning in the university curriculum. Partnership: The Canadian journal of library and information practice and research, 12(1), 1-19. doi.org/10.21083/partnership.v12i1.3917

Jamalian, A. (2018). The role of school libraries in the 21st century maker movement. littleBits education. media.littlebits.com/pdf/Librarians_Maker_Spaces_White_Paper.pdf

littleBits. (n.d.). Get to know the Bits. classroom.littlebits.com/getting-started#know-your-bits

Mann, L. (2018). Making a place for makerspaces in information literacy. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 58(2), 82-86. doi.org/10.5860/rusq.58.2.6927

Martin, S. (2013). MIT graduates cannot power a light bulb with a battery [Video]. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIhk9eKOLzQ

McGeary, B. (2016). Noteworthy: News briefs from PA libraries. Pennsylvania Libraries: Research and Practice, 4(1), 48-60. doi.org/10.5195/palrap.2016.128

Schollaert Uz, S. (2016). Building intuition for in-water optics and ocean color remote sensing: Spectrophotometer activity with littleBits. Oceanography, 29(1), 98-103. doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2016.01

Susilo, E., Liu, J., Rayo, Y. A., Peck, A. M., Montenegro, J., Gonyea, M., & Valdastri, P. (2016). STORMLab for STEM education: An affordable modular robotic kit for integrated science, technology, engineering, and math education. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 23(2), 47-55. doi.org/10.1109/MRA.2016.2546703

Ullman, E. (2016). Making the grade. Tech & Learning, 36(9), 26-28,30.

Valenzuela, J. (2018). Introduce coding to students with the littleBits code kit. Children’s Technology and Engineering, 22(3), 30-32.

Downloads

Published

2020-12-18

Issue

Section

Practice