Immersive Learning
How a Gadget for Girls Encouraged Me to Explore the World of Coding
I used the imagiLabs, imagiCharm and here’s what I thought…
I should probably include a full disclaimer here: I am by no means whatsoever ‘technical’.
Despite my parents insisting that I am, in fact, a ‘tech wiz’ for being able to turn the Wi-Fi router on and off and occasionally remembering their Netflix password for them. I have never had any first-hand experiences within the world of technology, let alone coding.
Truth be told, the technical world has never seemed like a place open for me to explore. To me, technology was a vast and complicated terrain, full of numbers, symbols and jargon far beyond my capabilities. I was never made aware that this world was a place for me to explore.
Admittedly, I did choose to pursue more traditionally creative avenues at school — English, Film and Art, but despite my creative inclination, I always enjoyed learning new things and I was always up for a challenge. Looking back, I can’t say if there was a lack of technical opportunities on offer at my school or if the opportunities were always there, but just not for me?
Then, one Monday morning, a very obvious opportunity arrived in the form of an imagiCharm box.
Like a magpie, I was immediately intrigued by this colourful little box and decided to investigate it further. I later found out that the company I work for, chronyko, had backed the Kickstarter for the imagiCharm by imagiLabs, hence its sudden appearance in the office. As a parent-proclaimed ‘tech wiz’, it seemed only fitting that I take it upon myself to trial this unique device.
The imagiCharm is a customizable accessory designed to get young girls interested in and experimenting with coding. The 64 LED lights on this little gadget can be configured into custom designs, patterns and words, all done through programming with code on the accompanying app.
In order to gain more insight into this curious little device before I got stuck in, I headed to the imagiLabs website. My first impression of the website was positive. A picture of two girls, side by side, laughing with each other and showing off their cool and unique imagiCharm’s dangling from their jeans.
The target audience for the imagiCharm is made apparent — young, pre-teen to teen girls.
Now, I’m aware that with me being the ripe old age of twenty-three, I fall outside of this target market by quite a few years, but had pre-teen me seen a friend walk into school with an imagiCharm casually hanging from her rucksack, I would have been absolutely captivated by the creative capabilities of this little charm.
The notion of being able to completely customise something at a moment’s notice would have really excited a pre-teen me (in all honesty, it excited adult me as well).
Like many others, being able to express myself and my identity was a huge part of my adolescence and the imagiCharm seemingly allows for that in a fun and interesting way.
Time to get started!
Following the instructions on the inside of the box, installing the app and connecting my unique imagiCharm was easy. The app itself was extremely user friendly with a simple but stylish layout. The ‘Explore’ tab offered an array of drop down options to choose from. Ranging from ‘Beginner’ to ‘Code Ninja’, there’s an option for any skill level.
I knew exactly where I stood and selected the ‘Beginner’ option (don’t tell my parents).
After spending a few minutes browsing through the colourful options: a smiley face, a heart and some colourful squares, I felt slightly stuck on what to do next. I was able to see a plethora of creative designs in front of me but I didn’t quite understand how I was meant to translate that into a working design of my own.
A few befuddled moments later, I realised there was a tab entitled ‘Learn’. Now as we’ve already established, I’m no ‘tech-wiz’ but this seemed like a shockingly logical place for a beginner to start.
The ‘Learn’ tab offered a very short and sweet tutorial on what a line of code would look like once you selected a particular pixel on the grid. This tutorial, albeit brief, was useful in helping me to understand what a line of code should and hopefully would look like once I’d written it.
In all honesty, the style of learning I encountered with the imagiCharm was different to what I was expecting.
The tutorials on the app offered a more ‘learn by doing’, hands-on approach to starting your creative coding journey (which is completely fine) but for some reason, I was expecting a more instructional, step-by-step guide. I’m not sure why I was expecting to be taught how to code, but it soon became apparent that the app was there to help facilitate self-motivated learning rather than to sit me down and teach me Coding 101.
Pushing my preconceived misconceptions to the side, I decided it was time to try my hand at coding my own design. Being the crazy cat lady that I am, I attempted to design a cat (this was the most creative thing my mind could conjure up on a Monday morning).
Now, prepare for another disclaimer: The cat I created is nose-less and mouth-less and looks almost nothing like a cat.
After a few mistakes here and there, all of which the app made me aware of by displaying an error or success message as I attempted to ‘run’ my code, I was able to create my feline friend and display it proudly on my imagiCharm. At this point, I was feeling like a technical genius.
But what now?
The next step for me was to try and see if I could change the colour of the cat by adjusting the code. I looked back at the examples to try to unpick their code, giving myself a point of reference to what I was trying to achieve. And just like that, my cat went from white to orange with its green eyes glowing on my imagiCharm.
The final challenge I set myself was to see if I could code an image to move or scroll across the tiny screen. I bravely ventured into the section entitled ‘Code Ninja’ and began browsing the options. Using a pre-existing example as my foundation, I was able to create a line of text to scroll across the screen, changing the colour and background as I pleased.
And that was it.
For the first time in my life, I had coded. What was once a vast and complicated terrain was now a… well, it was still a vast and complicated terrain. I’m almost positive that coding is a lot more than creating half-formed cats and colourful words, but at least now I have been able to gain a peek into this rich and expansive landscape.
Overall, my experience with the imagiCharm was a positive one. The app proposed the notion of creative coding in a way that was clear and accessible for someone of my experience level to comprehend.
The short tutorials promoted hands-on learning and offered me enough information to get by but without overwhelming me. The multitude of coding examples provided me with real-time instances of how functioning code operates, allowing me to create or replicate at my leisure.
Given the style of self-motivated learning and the absence of step-by-step instructions, I think that some teens would benefit from having the imagiCharm embedded within structured lessons from a parent or teacher. (Side note: I’m pretty sure imagiLabs offers support materials for parents or teachers on their website.) This extra guidance could help coding novices, like myself, transition into the world of coding smoother and more confidently.
Final thoughts
After the initial uncertainty of where and how to begin, it was so easy to become engaged with this pocket-sized device. Whilst I didn’t feel like it taught me the fundamentals of coding, it provided me with a user-friendly platform and the tools needed to explore the possibilities of creative coding on my own terms.
I can say with almost complete certainty that had pre-teen me got her hands on an imagiCharm, the next day she would have sauntered into school with her head held high and her imagiCharm swinging proudly in the breeze on her purple rucksack.
I can also say with complete certainty that she would have undoubtedly programmed it to display a swear word in a last ditch attempt to appear edgy and cool.
Isn’t self expression a wonderful thing?
Now, I can’t say that creative coding is now my passion and that I’ll devout the rest of my days to it… but I can say that for someone with no prior knowledge of coding (and who falls out of the intended audience for this device), I had fun experimenting and creating within a medium I never thought I’d get to explore.
Editors Note: Increasing engagement with learners is a key attribute of Immersive Learning. This article highlights the numerous ways the design of the imagiCharm and the learning methods incorporated in its use have been specifically included in order to break down barriers. Looking at how your Immersive Learning scenario or activity supports participation and inclusion should always be a key part of your design process in order to ensure engagement and consequently facilitate successful learning.
Emily Moulton is passionate about creating, designing and delivering Immersive Learning events and experiences, as a part of the team at chronyko. To find out more about Immersive Learning, check out the Immersive Learning publication or sign up to the chronyko newsletter.
