Cornucopia of STEM in Kinect-a-Sketch
It doesn’t matter which STEM field your students are focused on at the moment, this project from the nutty guys at WaterLoo Labs will make for an inspiring springboard to emulate or create a starting point for a new idea. Take a set of stepper motors used in robotic motion control, an etch-a-sketch used for, well, sketching- a super sophisticated Kinect sensor, and the ubiquitous Arduino microcontroller, and you’ve got the Kinect-a-Sketch. Many successful STEM teachers are using any one or more of these tools in their student projects already, and what is demonstrated here is an ideal way to integrate across disciplines, as well as bring knowledge and experience from various other projects into one culminating piece of teamwork. Many teachers and students involved with FIRST robotics have experience with the Kinect sensor and Windows SDK already. The Arduino is used in many projects involving programming the control of all sorts of functions. Stepper motors can be harvested from various sources to use for precise mechanical motion. The etch-a-sketch needs no introduction as a tool for beginning artists. Putting together science, engineering, art, technology in this way inspires all STEM teachers to fine additional ways to make our classes more relevant, engaging and fun.





