Most constructionist efforts have focused on supporting learners with tools for designing with digital and/or physical media. Recent developments in life sciences now allow K-12 learners to design with living materials, or to biodesign. In this paper, we report on the development of a biodesign studio activity called biocakes wherein teams of high school youth genetically modified a yeast strain to bake a nutrient fortified food product. Using a qualitative deductive analysis of classroom observations, interviews and projects, we examined high school youth experiences and reflections of these activities to answer three research questions: (1) What kind of artefacts did youth make with living media? (2) How did youth engage in biodesign? and (3) What did youth have to say about their biodesign experiences? We discuss how our analyses of biodesign applications highlight the importance of assembly practices, social engagement and imaginative design for constructionist learning. These insights provide compelling examples for designing with living media in K-12 education.

中文翻译：

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生物设计工作室：高中青年对生活媒体制作的构建和思考

大多数建构主义者的努力都集中在支持学习者使用数字和/或物理媒体进行设计的工具上。生命科学的最新发展现在允许 K-12 学习者使用生物材料进行设计或生物设计。在本文中，我们报告了一项名为 biocakes 的生物设计工作室活动的发展，其中高中青年团队对酵母菌株进行基因改造以烘烤营养强化食品。通过对课堂观察、访谈和项目的定性演绎分析，我们检查了高中青年的经历和对这些活动的反思，以回答三个研究问题：(1) 年轻人用生活媒体制作了什么样的工艺品？(2) 青少年如何参与生物设计？(3) 年轻人对他们的生物设计经历有什么看法？我们讨论了我们对生物设计应用的分析如何强调组装实践、社会参与和富有想象力的设计对建构主义学习的重要性。这些见解为在 K-12 教育中使用实时媒体进行设计提供了令人信服的例子。