Journal 9

Journal 9
Sowing the Seeds for a More Creative Society
By: Mitchel Resnick

A PicoCricket is a tiny computer that can make things spin, light up, and play music. You can plug lights, motors, sensors, and other devices into a PicoCricket, then program them to react, interact, and communicate. For example, you can make a cat and program it to purr when someone pets it. Or you can make a birthday cake and program it to play a song when someone blows out the candles.

The Playful Invention Company (PICO) develops new technologies and activities that engage children in creative learning experiences, providing children with new opportunities to explore, experiment, and express themselves.

PicoCrickets expand the creative possibilities of your home computer. Because PicoCricket’s can be used in many different types of projects, PicoCrickets appeal to children of all interests, ages, and abilities. While one child might use a PicoCricket to build an interactive dream house, another might use it to create a new musical instrument.

1. What is an appropriate age for a PicoCricket?

PicoCricket activities are appropriate for students of all ages, from elementary school through college. PicoCrickets are designed especially for ages 9 and up, but with help from a parent, younger kids can enjoy Cricket activities too.

2. How could a PicoCricket be used in a classroom?

PicoCrickets can fit into many different classes, science, technology, art, computer science. As students work on PicoCricket projects, they improve their problem-solving abilities and gain a better understanding of the process of design and invention. At the same time, students can learn important concepts in mathematics such as variables and functions, in science resistance and circuits, and engineering programming and sensing.