Unscrambling a web of wires and computer code was the task at hand for a group of junior high students earlier this month.
The students at South East Junior High used Makey Makey kits — tools that turns everyday objects into touchpads and connects them to computer programs or websites — a laptop and handmade, Halloween-inspired creations with the goal of building a circuit system that would trigger predictable sounds.
“We are in the stage of figuring out what isn’t working,” teacher-librarian Chelsea Sims said during the activity Nov. 9.
Sims’ students went to work in an area of the library called a makerspace, a creative zone stocked with gadgets — like the Makey Makey kits — and resources for projects.
The Iowa City Community School District Foundation this year provided about $40,000 for all Iowa City secondary schools to equip these spaces and encourage students to…
