Textile Messages: Dispatches From the World of E-Textiles and Education (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies)

__Textile Messages__ focuses on the emerging field of electronic textiles, or e-textiles – computers that can be soft, colorful, approachable, and beautiful. E-textiles are articles of clothing, home furnishings, or architectures that include embedded computational and electronic elements. This book introduces a collection of tools that enable novices – including educators, hobbyists, and youth designers – to create and learn with e-textiles. It then examines how these tools are reshaping technology education – and DIY practices – across the K-16 spectrum, presenting examples of the ways educators, researchers, designers, and young people are employing them to build new technology, new curricula, and new creative communities. Cover Textile Messages Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Leah Buechley, Kylie Peppler, Mike Eisenberg, and Yasmin Kafai A Brief History Book Overview Vignette: LilyPad Arduino Embroidery An Electronic Sampler Vignette: The Climate Dress Haute Couture Meets High Tech How Haute Couture and Interaction Design Blend A Unique Collaboration Vignette: Know-It-All Knitting Bag Embedding Knitting Patterns in Knitted Objects Knitting as Engineering Community Adoption Section 1: E-Textile Construction Kits Chapter 1: LilyPad Arduino: E-Textiles for Everyone Introduction The LilyPad Arduino Kit Discovering E-Textiles Developing LilyPad Early Educational Experiences with LilyPad Personally Meaningful Technology Diversity Developing LilyPad Part 2 A Look Towards the Future Vignette: FabricKit & Masai Dress FabricKit Masai dress Chapter 2: i*CATch: A Plug-n-Play Kit for Wearable Computing Introduction The i*CATch Toolkit Evolution and History First Iteration: The TeeBoard Generation Two: i*CATch Textile Components Electronic Components Programming the Wearable Computer Educational Approaches Looking to the Future Chapter 3: Traveling Light: Making Textiles Programmable “Through the Air” Introduction Web-Based Development Environment Programming with Barcoded Cards Programming with Color and Melody Programming with Physical Sliders and Buttons Final Thoughts and Future Directions Vignette: Mrs. Mary Atkins-Holl A Marriage of the 19th and 21st Centuries Chapter 4: Handcrafting Textile Sensors Introduction: A “Kit of No Parts” A Library of Textile Sensors Tilt Sensors Tilt Sensor Applications and Examples Stroke Sensors Stroke Sensor Examples and Applications Stretch Sensors Stretch Sensor Examples Pressure and Bend Sensors Pressure and Bend Sensor Applications and Examples Conclusion and Future Work Endnote Section 2: Learning and Designing with E-Textiles Chapter 5: Learning About Circuitry with E-Textiles in After-School Settings Workshop Description Learning about Simple Circuits: Simple Circuit Quilt Square Learning about Series and Parallel Circuits: Persistence-of-Vision (POV) Wristband Moving Beyond the Club Discussion Endnote Chapter 6: Making Connections Across Disciplines in High School E-Textile Workshops Introduction The Design of E-Textile Workshops for High School Students Connections Between Crafting & Circuitry Sewing for Conductivity Tying Knots to End Electrical Connections Connections Between Circuitry and Coding Problem Solving: Is it the Code, the Circuits, or the Crafting? Making Connections Visible: Lessons Learned Chapter 7: EduWear: E-Textiles in Youth Sports and Theater Introduction The EduWear Project—Overview Technology Goals: More Than a Toolkit Workshop Concept Wear & Move—Workshops Involving Body and Mind Dance Conclusion Vignette: The Space Between Us: Electronic Music + Modern Dance + E-Textiles The Nexus of Multiple Disciplines Costume-as-Instrument Chapter 8: E-textiles and the New Fundamentals of Fine Arts Introduction Introducing E-Textiles to Fine Arts Students Overview of the (New) Domain Creative Coding Material Science Electronics Temperature-Sensing Dance Gloves Ruby Slippers Reinvented New Costumes for Performance Art Lessons Learned for Introducing E-textiles in Fine Arts Vignette: Fairytale Fashion FairytaleFashion.org Electroluminescent Garments Twinkle Garments Chapter 9: Bringing E-textiles into Engineering Education Introduction: A Statement of Goals Pushing the “Difficulty Envelope” Popularizing Engineering and Computing in Higher Education Integrating E-Textiles with the Wider Realm of Engineering Disciplines Intermission: A Bit of Lore from Our Own E-Textile Teaching Experience Higher Engineering Education and E-Textiles: A Sampler of Ideas, Predictions, Research Projects, and Themes for Discussion The Power Problem More Actuators, Please! Higher-Level Sensors, Please! Designing the E-Textile Laboratory Futuristic E-Textile Engineering Projects Amirobo Crocheted Robot Chapter 10: E-Textiles for Educators: Participatory Simulations with e-Puppetry Introduction Why Honeybees? BeeSim The BeeSim Design Future Possibilities Section 3: E-Textile Cultures and Communities Chapter 11: LilyPad in the Wild: Technology DIY, E-Textiles, and Gender Textiles and Electronics DIY Arduino LilyPad and Arduino Communities in the Wild Study 1: Customers Study 2: Builders Study 3: Comments on E-Textile Posts Future Research Conclusion Endnotes Vignette: tendrils Sensing & Sharing Touch Chapter 12: Mediated Craft: Digital Practices Around Creative Handwork Introduction Embedded Design Practices Exploring the Processional: Four Case Studies Flexible Inscriptions: The Case of Jane Stabilizing Ephemera: The Case of Katie Marking Ends: The Case of Irene Conflicting Ideologies: The Case of the Knitting Guild Entanglements between Craft and Computing Endnotes Chapter 13: E-Textile Technologies in Design, Research and Pedagogy XS Labs, Concordia University Art, Design, and Performance Design, Research, and Pedagogy Fiber-Based Functionality New Materials, Structure, and Restrictions Conclusion Vignette: Muttering Hat Voices on Your Head Chapter 14: E-Textiles and the Body: Feminist Technologies and Design Research Theorizing E-Textiles: Feminism and Body Theory Sparsh as Research through Design Designing Sparsh A Mixed Method Study for the Sparsh Experience Sparsh and the Body The Performing Body The Extended Body The Inscribed Body Conclusion Chapter 15: Adventures in Electronic Textiles Enticed by Electronic Textiles Media Lab 1996, Before “Things” Early Wearables at the Media Lab Cultural Meaning in Electronic Textiles The Constraints of Electronic Textiles IFM and the PomPom Dimmer Touch Sensing and Art Color-Change Textiles Color-Change Textiles in Commercial Applications Color-Change Textiles in Art Color-Change Textile Process Artistic Reflections on Color-Change Textiles Time and Interaction in Color-Change Textiles The Lifetime of Color-Change Textiles All Technology Fails, all Art Fails, and All Life Fails. Early Adventures in Electronic Fashion Electronic Fashion and the NorthFace A Problem of Technology and Economics An Opportunity for Designers Contributors References Index «This book will delight and inspire you with stories of wonderfully-inventive e-textile fashions and crafts. But don’t focus too much on the creations themselves, charming as they might be. What’s most exciting is not what people are creating, but how the act of creating is changing the ways people think about themselves. With e-textiles, a broader and more diverse range of people are starting to see themselves as designers and creators of new technologies, with growing confidence that they, too, can be active contributors to today’s digital culture.» (Mitchel Resnick, LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research, MIT Media Lab) «Textile Messages is such an extraordinary book, especially for anyone who marvels in the juxtaposition of unsuspecting elements (fashion and technology) and ways of being in the world (traditional crafts and modern innovation). If you are someone who loves the arts, is fascinated with the current technology and all it can do, this book will thrill you. If you are someone who is concerned about breaking the gender gap in computing, and making computer science accessible to all people, this book will inspire you, give you lots of ideas, and give you hope.» (Jane Margolis, Senior Researcher, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, author of Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race, and Computing and Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing) «Re-connecting craft with technology, e-textiles is a growing field that inspires new forms of personal expression and interaction design. This book elevates the practice of learning to use e-textiles by mapping the busy intersection of physical materials, electronics, and computation.» (Dale Dougherty, President and CEO of Maker Media, ake magazine, and Maker Faire) «Textile Messages chronicles the creative integration of textiles, electronics, and computation in the service of education, innovation, and a more inclusive engineering culture. Bringing together the voices of engineers, artists, and educators, the book weaves together concrete examples of creative work and educational practice with thoughtful discussions of learning theory, feminist agendas, and historical perspective. It will appeal to educators, parents, makers, and researchers – anyone with an interest in women and technology, DIY culture, and educational innovation.» (Mizuko Ito, Professor, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, University of California, Irvine, author of Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media) Preface / Annemarie Thomas -- Introduction / Leah Buechly, Kylie Peppler, Mike Eisengerg, Yasmin Kafai : Vignette: Lilypad Arduino Embroidery / Bcky Stern ; Vignette: The Climate Dress / Diffus Design ( Michel Guglielmi, Hanne-louise Johannesen) ; Vignette: Know-it-all Knitting Bag / Kalani Craig -- 1. E-textile Construction Kits : Lilypad Arduino: E-textiles For Everyone / Leah Buechley ; Vignette: Fabrickit & Masai Dress / Despina Papadopoulos (studio 5050), Zach Eveland (blacklabel Development) -- I*catch: A Plug-n-play Kit For Wearable Computing / Grace Ngai, Stephen C.f. Chan, Vincent T.y. Ng -- Traveling Light: Making Textiles Programmable Through The Air / Nwanua Elumeze ; Vignette: Mrs. Mary Atkins-holl / Lynne Brunting -- Handcrafting Textile Sensors / Hannah Perner-wilson, Leah Buechley -- 2. Learning And Designing With E-textiles : Learning About Circuitry With E-textiles In After-school Settings / Kylie Peppler, Diane Glosson -- Making Connections Across Disciplines In High School E-textile Workshops / Yasmin Kafai, Deborah Fields, And Kristin Searle -- Eduwear: E-textiles In Youth Sports And Theater / Heidi Schelhowe, Eva-sophie Katterfeldt, Nadine Dittert, Milena Reichel ; Vignette: The Space Between Us: Electronic Music + Modern Dance + E-textiles / Eric Lindsay -- E-textiles And The New Fundamentals Of Fine Arts / Kylie Peppler, Leslie Sharpe, Diane Glosson ; Vignette: Fairytale Fashion / Diana Eng -- Bringing E-textiles Into Engineering Education / Mike Eisenberg, Ann Eisenberg, Yingdan Huang ; Vignette: Amirobo: Crocheted Robot / Osamu Iwasaki -- E-textiles For Educators: Participatory Simulations With E-puppetry / Kylie Peppler, Joshua Danish -- 3. E-textile Cultures And Communities : Lilypad In The Wild: Technology Diy, E-textiles And Gender / Leah Buechley, Jennifer Jacobs, Benjamin Mako Hill ; Vignette: Tendrils: Sensing & Sharing Touch / Thecla Schiphorst, Jinsil Seo -- Mediated Craft: Digital Practices Around Creative Handwork / Daniela Rosner -- E-textile Technologies In Design, Research, And Pedagogy / Joanna Berzowska ; Vignette: Muttering Hat / Kate Hartmann -- E-textiles And The Body: Feminist Technologies And Design Research / Shaowen Bardzell -- Adventures In Electronic Textiles / Maggie Orth. Edited By Leah Buechley, Kylie Peppler, Michael Eisenberg, Yasmin Kafai. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 225-236). Textile Messages focuses on the emerging field of electronic textiles, or e-textiles – computers that can be soft, colorful, approachable, and beautiful. E-textiles are articles of clothing, home furnishings, or architectures that include embedded computational and electronic elements. This book introduces a collection of tools that enable novices – including educators, hobbyists, and youth designers – to create and learn with e-textiles. It then examines how these tools are reshaping technology education – and DIY practices – across the K-16 spectrum, presenting examples of the ways educators, researchers, designers, and young people are employing them to build new technology, new curricula, and new creative communities.