Blog Post #3

For this post, I would like to talk about Squishy Circuits. Squishy Circuits is an amazing combination of technology, fun, and learning in the form of conductive and resistant play-doh. But this is not your average play-doh. The salt and water in the dough function as a conductor allowing electricity to pass through. Using sugar instead of salt when making the dough makes it resistant to electricity and functions as an insulator, important for preventing short circuits. Using both of these doughs together along with a current, students can create a variety of projects that creatively teach engineering and STEM activities! These projects can move, light up, and more! 

Image Description: A flag project created with Squishy Circuits technology. The flag is designed with red, white, and blue dough, resembling an American Flag. Four white lights are placed within the flag, which can be turned on and off with a connection via black and red conductors to a Squishy Circuits battery.  

I recommend that all teachers and librarians look at the Squishy Circuits webpage here: https://squishycircuits.com/. This page has so much great information. You can order Squishy Circuits kits, including dough, LEDs, components, and batteries. There are several projects with instructional videos and downloadable instructions that can help instruct students on the basics of engineering and circuit basics. They even have recipes to make dough, both conductive with salt and resistive with sugar. 

Image Description: The recipes for conductive and resistive dough from Squishy Circuits. 

Squishy Circuits could be integrated into teaching and learning using the Technology Information Matrix(TIM). The categories in this framework are perfect for Squishy Circuits technology. TIM combines five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments(active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal-oriented) with five levels of technology integration(entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation). 

Image Description: The Technology Information Matrix.

Integrating Squishy Circuits using the TIM framework in classrooms can be demonstrated using one of the many projects available on their website. For this blog post, I will use the Campfire project available here: Campfire Project. 

Image Description: A project description using Squishy Circuit. A red and orange campfire is created using conductive dough and white LEDs. A small ring of white resistive dough circles the campfire. Black balls of dough surround the white resistive dough creating a rock effect. 

The Active characteristic of TIM requires that students be engaged with the technology as a tool rather than receiving information from the technology(TIM, 2019). At the Entry characteristic of the framework, the teacher explains the campfire project, how to build it, and expectations for the finished project. The project becomes hands-on for the students as they Adopt and Adapt to the new technology. At the Infusion stage, students no longer need instruction and can build the campfire without assistance only the context from the teacher. Now the students have become experienced with the technology and tools from the campfire project, they are ready to move on to new projects on their own, and they have reached the Transformation stage. At this stage, students have "extensive and unconventional use of tools (TIM, 2019)."

The next interdependent characteristic of a meaningful learning environment is Collaboration. The campfire project is a perfect choice for students to complete by working in pairs or teams. Some students can craft the flames, while others craft the rocks and resistant ring, but all the students get the satisfaction of watching the campfire light up at the end!

Constructive is the next characteristic of the matrix that requires students to use technology tools to connect new information to their prior knowledge (TIM,, 2019).  The campfire project accomplishes this by taking students' knowledge of Play-Doh and rudimentary construction and combining them with circuits and electricity. Students now have knowledge of conductivity and resistance connected to their prior knowledge. 

Authentic learning is an important part of the TIM, connecting students to the real world outside of the instructional setting using technology. The campfire project connects students to real-world lessons about electricity and currents. Most K-12 schools (outside of trade schools) do not offer electrical engineering or similar classes that teach electricity principles. The campfire project could be the first step in connecting a future electrician with their future trade. 

The final interdependent characteristic of the TIM is Goal-Directed, which calls for students to use technology to set goals, plan activities, monitor progress, and evaluate results (TIM, 2019). The campfire project falls in line perfectly with this characteristic. The goal is to create a working campfire model that lights up. They can plan and monitor their progress based on the instructions provided by Squishy Circuits.  Students who create a campfire model can evaluate their results based on whether it lights up. 

Squishy Circuits is an amazing technology tool with wide applications for K-12 schools. This "electrified" Play-Doh is a great choice to teach students the basics of circuitry, electricity, engineering, and many other STEM activities. They help students learn about these topics in a fun and interesting way. I actually brought up this technology with my father, a retired Stanford professor. He found the technology amazing and even suggested he buy one for his friend who doesn't fully understand the basics of circuitry. His friend was the Under-Secretary for Science and Energy under the Obama administration...

Helpful Links 

These are links that would be helpful for anyone interested in Squishy Circuits. 

Squishy Circuits: This is the homepage for Squishy Circuits, here you can order kits, dough, or components. There are multiple projects with downloadable instructions and videos available. You can also find recipes for conductive and resistant dough. 

Makerspaces.com: Here you can find another recipe for conductive and resistant dough. This one is slightly smaller in scale in case you want to make less of the dough. 

 

AnnMarie Thomas: This is a link to an article written by AnnMarie Thomas, the creator of Squishy Circuits. 

References

Play dough circuit kits. Squishy Circuits (2024). https.//squishycircuits.com/

Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT). (2019, June 1). Technology Integration Matrix. Retrieved from https://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix/