Paper Circuits

Last week in #digital#learning and #Media with #drjustice our #mediainquiry was about #papercircuits We used #templates to learn about how to create a #parallelcircuit a #paperswitch #circuit and a #simplecircuit

I really enjoyed the #challenge of working with and #discoveringnewmaterials it was #fun to #play and #create with the #coppertape #ledlights and #ccellbattery s. We also used #scotchtape #paper #pencil and an #exactoknife With lots of patience, measuring, practice and determination! Here you can see the #practice steps I took and my final project. #artt2372 #arted #preserviceteacher #art #education#teachertraining #learningisfun #texasstateuniversity #txstate

Mission: Electrify pictures with circuit materials: copper tape, conductive paint, or thread.

Instructions: Beginning with what you already know about circuits, make a story element with a pattern or non-pattern on paper or cardboard. Include a switch.

Switch: Should activate a plot point or narrative pathway, e.g., when two characters meet and make a decision, encounter a surprise, fall in love, or separate. The effect you create should suggest what happens next in the story.

The materials necessary to complete this assignment are simple safe tools appropriate for 4th - 12th graders.

Last semester I was intrigued by the use of paper circuits by many of my classmates in their lesson plans. I was excited to finally have hands on experience in learning about how this works. I can see this being a great lesson for kids because the circuits will really challenge them. There is a vast opportunity for creativity that results in a bright reward. (pun intended)

Having never worked with these materials, I chose to complete the three templates we were supplied with first, so that I could play with the materials and build confidence.

Simple Circuit, Parallel Circuit. Paper Switch Circuit

Once I had completed them I searched the magazine collection for an image I wanted to illuminate and then searched for paper in complementary tones to use in my composition. I created a model on a piece of printer paper; I marked the spots for the LED’s, and drew out a template using a parallel circuit with a switch.

It was intricate and precise, creating a buzz of butterflies in my stomach as I taped it out. I applied the LED’s and battery then pressed down. It worked, but without the switch engaged. I sat and contemplated what went wrong. Is a switch impossible on a parallel circuit?

I had a break in the line, and a patch to complete it, for both circuits; why was it pushing back? It worked, but not the way I wanted it to.

I had designed the final look to be switch activated. I played with the lines on the model and set those up on the art board partially completed. For the final composition the battery wouldn’t work. I tinkered with the lights and the tape and realized that I needed to cut away a piece of the image so that more of the battery was exposed and extended the copper tape to be longer on the flap. Once I made the adjustment it worked!

Why: As artists we explore tools and materials with the hope that somehow meaning is possible. This conundrum is at the center of our work as art teachers: Is my work meaningful? How do I prompt and support students to make meaningful art?

As humans we are all on a quest for connection, for deeper meaning, to know why we are here and what the purpose of our lives entail. Being an artist I create work for a multitude of reasons;

• gifts

• wall decor

• commission

• the ability to lose myself in the process

• inspiration from nature or other artwork

• a way to express my frustration or anger at some political injustice or event.

My mission is to help a child realise that making art isn't just about completing an assignment, it is about the sense of pride and joy in feeling connected in a meaningful way to something you care deeply about.