Table Of ContentSPRINGER BRIEFS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Elise Lemle
Katherine Bomkamp
Marcella Klein Williams
Elizabeth Cutbirth
Two Bit Circus
and the Future of
Entertainment
123
SpringerBriefs in Computer Science
Series Editors
Stan Zdonik
Shashi Shekhar
Jonathan Katz
Xindong Wu
Lakhmi C. Jain
David Padua
Xuemin (Sherman) Shen
Borko Furht
V.S. Subrahmanian
Martial Hebert
Katsushi I keuchi
Bruno Siciliano
Sushil Jajodia
Newton Lee
More information about this series at h ttp://www.springer.com/series/10028
Elise Lemle • Katherine Bomkamp
Marcella Klein Williams • Elizabeth Cutbirth
Two Bit Circus
and the Future
of Entertainment
Elise Lemle Katherine Bomkamp
Two Bit Circus Two Bit Circus
Los Angeles , CA , USA Los Angeles , CA , USA
Marcella Klein Williams Elizabeth Cutbirth
Solve for Pattern Los Angeles , CA , USA
Los Angeles , CA , USA
ISSN 2191-5768 ISSN 2191-5776 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs in Computer Science
ISBN 978-3-319-25791-4 ISBN 978-3-319-25793-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-25793-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015959076
Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
© The Author(s) 2015
T his work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
T he use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
T he publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors
or omissions that may have been made.
Printed on acid-free paper
S pringer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media
(www.springer.com)
Prol ogue
Abstract Educating a future STEM literate workforce requires a paradigm shift in
how we approach teaching those disciplines. Collaboration with technological inno-
vators can bring experiential learning opportunities to the classroom. Exposing stu-
dents to these innovators and their work can enable those students to see their own
pathways to STEM careers.
Prologue
I adjust the straps to my head, carefully, to keep them from snagging my hair.
I already feel woefully out of place, but this young guy is nice. It’ll be okay. I’m
standing in the shop of Two Bit Circus where Hector Alvarez, the Creative Director,
helps me try out the virtual reality headset. My eyes adjust to the scene. The impact
of the immersive experience is just so much more “wow” than I anticipated. Let’s
be honest, this isn’t my world, and my expectations hadn’t been stretched enough to
be ready for it. I’m a little scared, and my hand squirms around until I fi nd Hector’s
shoulder. There’s something reassuring about simple human connectedness. My fear
subsides, and I am in another world and awed by the strange mix of both virtual and
reality. The experience opens a window for me into the world of technology, the
innovators that create it, and the pathways that led them there.
Introduction
I’m an educator. Our profession prepares children for the future, yet classrooms
today look astonishingly similar to those of decades past. Meanwhile the rest of our
life, from work to play, has galloped along in an incredible era of innovation.
Transforming classrooms to meet the future requires more than the spark of a great
idea. It’s some mix of the right team, the right idea, and the right time.
v
vi Prologue
Fig. 1 Popular Mechanic’s 2014 Breakthrough awardees, Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman of
Two Bit Circus
Science, math, and engineering are disciplines children have struggled with
mightily in this country for nearly a generation. Brent Bushnell, CEO of Two Bit
Circus, summarizes his plan for overhauling how we teach children these essential
subjects in three words: “lasers, fi re, and robots.” Two Bit Circus won Popular
Mechanics Magazine’s 2014 Breakthrough Award. Their achievement is making
children want to learn (Howard 2014) . Two Bit Circus offers an instructive model
bridging the world of emerging technology with learning. Overhauling how we
teach means rolling up our sleeves and diving into a system where words like
“lasers, fi re, and robots” can evoke fear among faint-of-heart school leaders. This is
a story of how bravery, camaraderie, and sheer fun combine in a quest to help learn-
ers design their own better world.
It Began with a Rube Goldberg Machine
W hen they were part of a team constructing a 40,000 square foot Rube Goldberg
machine, the last adjective Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman would have used to
describe their work was educational. A Rube Goldman machine is an elaborate
piece of engineering that performs a very basic task. The one Bushnell and Gradman
worked on was the centerpiece of a music video for the band OK Go. The commer-
cial and critical success of that Rube Goldberg machine provided the initial spark
that would ultimately lead to a dedicated program designed to reignite students’
interest in technological careers and inspire the next generation of inventors (Two
Bit Circus 2 014 ).
Prologue vii
The pair went on to found Two Bit Circus, an engineering entertainment com-
pany that is reinventing the ways that people of all ages play and learn. Their unique
productions encourage playful collaboration across multiple platforms in interac-
tive and meaningful ways. After successfully installing games and interactive expe-
riences at amusement parks, restaurants, and corporate events, they decided to
design their own STEM event (Two Bit Circus 2 014 ).
W hile exploring the potential of such an event, Bushnell, Gradman, and the Two
Bit Circus team became aware of heartbreaking statistics describing the decline of
student profi ciency and interest in valuable STEM disciplines: science, technology,
engineering, and math. However, they saw a real opportunity to reengage students
by including art—transforming STEM into STEAM and inspiring a new pathway
for learning (Two Bit Circus 2 014 ).
T hat was the genesis of STEAM Carnival—an entertainment showcase packed
with lasers, fi re, and robots. The event leverages children’s interests in music, fash-
ion, and games to expose them to STEAM and get them excited to create.
Fig. 2 Children playing with interactive musical chairs during the Los Angeles STEAM Carnival
viii Prologue
Fig. 3 Kids experimenting with an interactive musical art installation at the Los Angeles STEAM
Carnival
Portfolio of Experiential Learning
E ach Two Bit Circus project incorporates one or more of the named seven experien-
tial learning characteristics: locus of control, physical involvement, intellectual
involvement, social and emotional involvement, context, element of risk, and
embedded refl ection (McLain 2014) . These physical and digital playgrounds engi-
neer purposeful play, the recipe for high-quality learning designed to drive both
content mastery and constructive understanding.
This bias toward experiential learning refl ects changing landscapes. Our busi-
ness leaders and economic forecasters implore education to keep up for the health
and continued prosperity of our nation.
Educators can no longer afford to go it alone. The days of replicating decades-
old practices are gone. Today we are building while we go. Doing that successfully
requires collaboration with innovators who are brave enough to try new approaches.
We hope to instill in school children the twenty-fi rst-century competencies of
communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking (National Education
Association 2 012) . Those same competencies are going to help us construct the
future of education. Two Bit Circus is just one example of private sector collabora-
tion in STEM Education. Theirs is the story of a collaboration that hits at the right
time, has the right ideas, and is composed of the right team.
Prologue ix
The Right Team
“A band of nerds,” that’s how Brent Bushnell refers to the Two Bit Circus team.
This creative group has talents well outside the typical bounds of science, technol-
ogy, and engineering. Their path to the Big Top included interesting stops along the
way such as winner of North American Unicycling Championship, professional
whistler, singer, actor, educator, artist, and more. The diversity of backgrounds, tal-
ents, passions, and perspectives makes for lively collaboration that is harnessed into
work that is actually useful.
The work done in their shop is largely based on emerging technology with inno-
vative twists on old ideas. It is both exhilarating and sometimes scary. Prototyping,
testing, tweaking, and iterating happen every day. Two Bit Circus’ “offi ce” is a
working shop toward the back with couches and desks in the front. Electronic wid-
gets are everywhere. This band is a happy lot, and it’s likely that their humor and
easiness grease the skids for the tough collaborative work in that it takes to integrate
slivers of genius to create something great. According to Brent Bushnell: “What we
Fig. 4 The Two Bit Circus
“band of nerds”
