Students should recognize the importance of identifying technostress and developing strategies to manage it. By working on an Arduino piano project, they learn how technological challenges can cause stress, but also how technology can simultaneously be used to combat stress. They discover that the conscious use of music and technology can help strengthen their mental health and improve their focus.
| Piano | |
| Title | Piano |
| reator Creator | Qais Hourani |
| Main Idea / Description | Students should recognize the importance of identifying technostress and developing strategies to manage it. By working on an Arduino piano project, they learn how technological challenges can cause stress, but also how technology can simultaneously be used to combat stress. They discover that the conscious use of music and technology can help strengthen their mental health and improve their focus. |
| Target Group (students’ age, learning level, background, disabilities) | Students120 minAger: 12-15 |
| Curriculum & Learning Subjects | All Subjects |
| Learning Objectives | Learning Objectives:Students can define the term “technostress” and explain how technical challenges during a project can cause stress.Students can describe the effects of technological stress on their concentration and productivity and reflect on how such stressors occur during the Arduino project.Students learn to understand and apply the importance of clear breaks and stress management strategies during technical projects.Students can plan and implement stress management strategies during technical tasks, such as through planning, troubleshooting, and prioritization.Students can reflect on how technology can also be used for relaxation, for example, through the calming effect of the music created by their Arduino piano.Students develop an awareness of the balance between technology as both a challenge and a solution and put this into practice in their project. |
| Teachers’ Wellness Competences | Competencies Teachers Need to Mitigate Technostress:Teachers should identify and address typical stressors in technical projects, such as programming errors or unclear instructions, at an early stage.Teachers should understand the causes of technostress, such as technical challenges and time pressure, and develop strategies to minimize these in the classroom.Teachers should assist learners in solving technical problems systematically while also reducing their emotional strain.Teachers should reflect on their own stress factors, such as technical difficulties in project planning, and develop strategies to remain calm and effective.Select from the List of Teachers’ Socio-Emotional E-Competencies (TABLE 1):Emotional e-independenceSocial e-competenceE-self-management |
| Learning Scenario Framework | |
| Pedagogical Method | PI2. Emotional ManagementPI8. Focusing on Sense of purpose |
| Software & Materials | Context of Distance Learning:How will the scenario be presented to learners? On which platform will it be offered? The scenario will be delivered via a learning platform, such as Moodle or Google Classroom. For group work and discussions, communication tools like Microsoft Teams or Zoom will be used. What tools and resources will be required?Technical Equipment:Computers or laptops with Arduino IDE installed and internet access.Arduino boards, cables, speakers or buzzers, breadboards, and buttons for the circuit. Additional Resources:Worksheets or digital documents as guides for building and programming the Arduino piano.Online simulation tools like Tinkercad to test virtual circuits before physically assembling them. How will learners interact with the scenario?Project Work in Groups:Students will work in teams to develop the Arduino piano, dividing tasks such as circuit design and programming while supporting one another. Discussions and Reflection:After completing the project, students will participate in a moderated discussion to share their experiences with challenges and technostress factors. Where will the learning take place for the learners?Individual Work Environment:Students will work at a desk or in a quiet room with the opportunity to consciously integrate offline breaks. Virtual Collaboration:Group activities will take place in virtual spaces via communication platforms like Zoom. Who are the involved actors? (Moderators)IT SupportTeachers How will technostress be mitigated in this distance learning environment?Recognizing Stress:Students will learn to identify signs such as inner restlessness, feeling overwhelmed, or concentration issues during the project. Stress Management Strategies:Planning offline times: Breaks will be integrated into the project schedule. Prioritizing tasks: Students will learn to tackle tasks step by step to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Minimizing technological distractions: Disabling notifications and focusing on one task at a time. |
| Evaluation Tools | EvaluationHow will you assess the learners’ progress?Discussion rounds, reflection tasks, and teacher observations of students’ active participation and contributions during group work. How will you provide feedback on learners’ performance?Online feedback via communication tools such as Moodle, Google Classroom, or Microsoft Teams.Group feedback sessions. How will you evaluate the effectiveness of technostress mitigation?Feedback discussions and self-assessment forms. Debriefing: How will you help learners reflect on their learning?Ask reflection questions:“Which aspects of the project did you find most stressful and why?”“What strategies helped you cope with the stress?”“What would you do differently in a similar project?” What questions will you ask to encourage deeper reflection?When did you feel particularly stressed during the Arduino project?What strategies helped you reduce the stress?How did you feel when you scheduled offline time?Are there improvements you’d like to make in how you manage technology?Which aspects of the project helped you better manage technostress? How will the mitigation of technostress be discussed during the debriefing?Students share their experiences and successful strategies.Together, new ideas are developed to make technical projects less stressful.Students compare their approaches to stress management and reflect on which strategies were most effective. |
| Learning Scenario Implementation | |
| Learning Activities (Description, duration, worksheets, etc.) | Introduction: The teacher begins with a brief scenario: “A student is working on an Arduino project while receiving constant notifications from other projects, group work, and private chats. Technical issues with the circuit and programming further complicate their work, leading to stress and difficulty concentrating.”The teacher asks students if they have had similar experiences with technical projects or other school activities. Objective: Students reflect on their own experiences with technostress during technical projects and recognize the importance of applying stress management strategies. Materials: No specific materials are needed, just an open discussion with the class. Elaboration: The class is divided into two groups: Group 1: Acts out a scenario where a student is stressed during an Arduino project (e.g., constant programming errors, interruptions from notifications). Gruppe 2: Zeigt, wie Freunde, Familie oder Lehrkräfte dem Schüler helfen können, den Stress zu bewältigen (z. B. durch strukturierte Pausen, gemeinsames Debugging oder Abschalten von Ablenkungen). Reflection: Individuelle Reflexion: Die Schüler*innen denken darüber nach, welche Situationen sie während technischer Projekte als besonders stressig empfinden und welche Strategien sie künftig anwenden möchten. Reflexionsfragen: Die Lehrkraft stellt folgende Fragen:„Wann hast du dich während eines technischen Projekts besonders gestresst gefühlt?“„Welche Strategien helfen dir, dich zu entspannen?“„Welche Offline-Aktivitäten oder Pausen unterstützen dich, den Kopf freizubekommen?“ Abschluss: Jeder Schülerin teilt eine Strategie, die er oder sie bei zukünftigen technischen Projekten ausprobieren möchte. |