One pretty standard piece of inventory in a Maker Space seems to be a product called MaKey MaKey. I posted about the MaKey MaKey and its potential for creativity in April of this year. If you ever see one demonstrated, chances are that someone will be using it to play a banana piano, or a Play-Doh piano, or even a human piano. But there are far more uses than just as a piano.
I ran across this Flickr album posted by Josh Burker (@JoshBurker) that pretty much shows every instrument in the orchestra integrated with MaKey MaKey. Josh had the opportunity to be the “Maker in Residence” for the Westport, Connecticut Public Library for a month this summer. As you can see from his Flickr album and this video, you can do a lot with cardboard, conductive tape, MaKey MaKey, and Scratch – especially if you are a kid with an endless imagination and a bit of adult guidance.
My absolute favorite piece is the bird. You will find a video on the 2nd page that details the creation of the bird and its numerous amazing abilities. The 11-year-old girl who came up with this brilliant device is as articulate as she is innovative.
I am really inspired to challenge my students to find a unique way to use the MaKey MaKey when we do this year’s Global Cardboard Challenge. Since we only have one for our classroom, I plan to have a contest and whoever proposes the best idea will get to use it for their game. Josh Burker’s collection of images will help the students to see the amazing potential of this tool.
