iPads

The district where I work piloted a 1:1 iPad program starting in the 7th grade.  The initiative will grow next year to include grades eight and nine.  Recently, there have been some questions as to whether we should continue with iPads or switch to Chromebooks.  I believe the push for Chromebooks stems from the fact that they are a cheaper alternative and that the integrated keyboard is better suited for PARCC exams.  In short, brief discussions have emerged comparing the two options.

In the course of one conversation a colleague had the following to say:

I've seen how kids, first-hand, unkindly treat our the netbooks, simply because they don't value them.  Put iPads in their hands and it's a different story.  The kids cherish the iPads because they cherish the experience that the device gives them.  The tactile nature, the immersive experience, the ergonomics of the thing...none of it can be replicated on anything resembling a laptop.  User experience is #1 and there's no competition here in my book.  

I was reminded of this comment last night during one of my daughter's choral concert.  During the concert parents and relatives were filming and taking pictures of the performance with either an iPad or smartphone.  After the performance we used our iPhones to take pictures of my daughter and her friends.  It was on our way for post-performance ice cream at the local scoop shop where I connected my colleague's commentary about iPads and the popular device of choice for archiving the choral concert.  I thought about why would we engage in another discussion that draws a separation between school and life outside of school.

I understand that there is a budget and our district is like any other in that a range of needs have to be addressed.  Maintaining diverse programs and continuing to be innovative is a challenge under the current fiscal parameters.  However, so many of us, and in particular our students, live in a connected world where we have the freedom to take pictures, shoot video and create content.  In my mind moving to Chromebooks would establish a wall between how we observe, archive, reflect and create in and out of school. We should foster an organic flow between school and not school.  Leveraging the potential of iPads to the fullest equally addresses any concerns about mandated testing and the desire for our students to see a connection between life in and outside of the classroom.

 

 

Design School Four Year Sequence

Sharing updated work for our Design School.  Starting to build out a four year sequence for the Academy.  The sequence is provided and a draft of descriptions for the individual course/experiences.  We are particular excited about the Designer Practicum and Designer Portal which empowers our capstone architects (still searching for a name) to build a design team from our 10th and 11th grade design school students.  We have to figure out how it will work so feedback is greatly appreciated.  Our school is moving to an A/B schedule with 4 80 minute blocks each day.  Sequence also reflect New Jersey graduation requirements.

Year 1

A Day (Design Day)                       

• American Experience I                   
• Intro to Technology and Design                
• Design Pathway                      

B Day (Traditional Day)

• World Language  
• Math
• Physics
• Gym

Year 2

A Day (Design Day)                     

• American Experience II                   
•  Design Theory and Practice I               
•  Design Pathway                      

                                 

B Day (Traditional Day)

• Math 
•  Chemistry 
• World Language  
•  Gym 

Year 3

A Day (Design Day)                       

• The Global Citizen                       
•  Design Theory and Practice II            
•  Design Pathway                   

                                  

B Day (Traditional Day)

• Math 
• Biology/Environmental 
• Gym 
• Elective (could continue with World Language) 

Year 4

A Day (Design Day)                    

• English Independent Study                   
• Designer Practicum                       
• Design Seminar                      

                                  

                       

 B Day (Traditional Day)

• Design School Portal  
• Elective #1
• Elective #2 
• Elective #3     

        *Design School TA experience 

Description of Courses

American Experience and Global Citizen

American Experience and Global Citizen are interdisciplinary humanities courses.  Through the design school students will be able to address core graduation requirements for Language Arts and Social Studies.  The course will be co-taught and generally follow the thread of transitioning from American to World History.  Both American Experience and Global Citizen will take a thematic approach and be influenced by the design process.  For example, students in American Experience could examine the theme of economic disparity.  Readings and a developing understanding of American History will support students as they engage in examining the the socio-economic divide in this country.  Students will research contemporary developments/scenarios and offer solutions to disrupt the debilitating cycle of poverty afflicting countless Americans.  Global Citizen would mirror American Experience.  A potential theme could be the exploitation of natural resources.  Again, the core subjects will support students investigate and pose solutions to current issues such as Global Warming, Deforestation, Pollution, Water Deficits, shrinking Biodiversity.

Design Pathway

Design Pathway is an elective option for students.  The goal is for students to “major” in a technical or performance arts content area during their tenure as a student in the design school. Additionally, the opportunity will exist for students to seek certification in the Design Pathway.   

Intro to Tech and Design

Introduction to Technology and Design furthers the current curriculum.  The current version introduces students to various technology systems such as structures, mechanics, electronics, transportation, and aeronautics. In Introduction to Technology and Design Students experiment with designing a problem solving process and using technological systems to address design challenges.  An updated version will further the materials/systems students are introduced to.  The revision builds off a premise that students coming to the high school have limited experience  with the content presented in our elective offerings. Introduction to Technology and Design would provide a place for our students to experiment with samples from our elective offerings and further shape the interests/passion of design school students.

Design Theory and Practice

Design Theory and Practice serves a dual purpose with both outlets connected to the design process.  Students would work on a series of mini-projects where they are investigating a community or school-based need.  Design Theory and Practice would allow students to experiment on a smaller more controlled scale gradually building the capacity of students to engage in the design thinking process and enhance their understanding of core beliefs expressed in the Design School Manifesto for Growth.  Additionally, the course will allow 10th and 11th graders to contribute towards a 12th grade capstone project (see Designer Practicum).  10th and 11th graders will be part of a team working to address a need defined in a capstone project.

Designer Practicum

12th grade students in the Design School will be required to develop a year long capstone project.  In conjunction with a mentor(s) a senior student will have to uncover a human need and work towards addressing that need.  The senior will be viewed as the architect of the capstone experience and initially, assume responsibility for interpreting and defining the problem.  Once a need has been uncovered, each senior must build a plan on how to address the problem.  A required part of of the plan is for each senior (lead architect, head designer, capstone CEO) to build a team which will assist in executing the plan.  10th and 11th grade design students will be recruited (have to define what this actually means) to join a capstone team(s).  

Designer Seminar

Designer Seminar is a space for 12th graders to meet to discuss their capstone experience.  Designer Seminar serves as an internal network where capstone architects share ideas and resources and seek feedback from peers.  Additionally, materials presented in Designer Seminar will stimulate discourse about leadership, conflict resolution and social entrepreneurship

English Independent Study

Senior year English will function as an independent study.  The contents of each independent study will be dictated by the Designer Practicum experience.  The idea of offering 12th grade English as an independent study stems from the belief that after three years as members of the Design School, students are capable of collaborating with a mentor to determine a personalized language arts experience.

Design School Portal

Once the program supports four grades the plan is to group freshman and seniors together on A Day and hold design school course for sophomores and juniors on B Day.  One reason for this arrangement is to allow seniors to work with sophomores and juniors on the capstone project.  

*Additionally, we envision an opportunity for design students to serve as teacher assistants.  As part of senior year, as one of their electives students will have the chance to spend the year int he classroom as a teacher’s assistant. 

Getting Out Of The Classroom

I had the pleasure today to participate in a walking tour of Morristown, New Jersey.  The tour was for students in our Latin American Studies course.  Over the course of one hour, we were able to stop at several different locations within the town, interview residents and visit local businesses.  At various points during the tour the group stopped to share insights and to discuss town geography. 


The Latin American Studies course dedicates time to investigating the Latino history in Morristown.  It aspires to build a historical picture of the Latino community in Morristown and engage students in examining present day circumstances.  As part of the investigation for both the past and present, students take a critical look at how people from very different backgrounds interact in the town. 

As students walked through the town they had to reflect on the architectural design of specific buildings, the use of commercial and residential space and designation of public spaces, particularly parks, in the town.  Students had with them an iPad or phone and were encouraged  to take pictures.  They could further reflect on the tour through their pictures at home.  Also, students were encouraged to interview residents and in a few instances, planned stops were arranged with owners of local businesses.

Being able to walk through the town provided a different lens for students.  I'm sure our two Latin American Studies teachers could reference a familiar structure during a class discussion.  However, it is a far different experience when stakeholders are walking around a structure, freely taking pictures and speaking to local residents.  You could witness during the walking tour our students were considering different perspectives.  A previously held opinion might not have changed but all those who participated were compelled to reflect, analyze information, assess new possibilities and formulate an informed response. 

Being able to experience a topic in the physical world raised the level of discourse between classroom stakeholders.  The ideas exchanged during the walking tour and what hopefully will continue to transpire in the next days and weeks was only possible through getting out of the classroom.  I truly hope that in a world where student growth objectives influence evaluation systems and standardized tests determine a school's report card grade "field trips" will not slowly become something we used to do.

Worth Reading...

From the archives...

1. There Goes Pig Farmer Pete Langley (Stanford d. school)- application of design thinking to explore what makes us passionate about our heroes.  The field of study includes the fans of the Dale Earnhardt Sr, Michael Jordan and Stephen Colbert.

Design thinking has always been keen on observing and interviewing extreme users to learn how their needs and workarounds are amplified; this tends to expose meaningful insights that aren’t easily visible in the middle of the bell curve. But how does a superfan relate to an extreme user and what exactly are they ‘using’? If we think of the hero as a consumable, the superfan is its most ardent extreme user.

2.  The Forefront of Performance-Based Design- insight into an attempt to build the greenest commercial building in the world.  The building is seeking to meet the ambitious goals of the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most strenuous benchmark for sustainability.

The goal of the Bullitt Center is to change the way buildings are designed, built and operated to improve long-term environmental performance and promote broader implementation of energy efficiency, renewable energy and other green building technologies in the Northwest.

3.  How We Might Use Social Business to Improve Health In Low Income Communities (Open IDEO)- OpenIDEO has partnered with the Holistic Social Business Movement (HSBM) of Caldas – a joint venture between the Grameen Creative Lab and the Government of Caldas, Colombia – to consider how social businesses can improve the health of low-income communities in Colombia and around the world.  Leveraging social business and the entrepreneurs who buil them to improve healthcare in low-income communities.  

4. Innovation Enters the Classroom- more about the impact they physical classroom has on learning.  Ideas for creating flexible learning spaces. 

“We like to offer different types of spaces for students to work in so that they can be intentional about what space they want to work in during that phase of their process,” says Scott Doorley, a professor at Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. “So we can have students jump into a space that has low couches when they want to have a discussion or reflect. Or a space that has tools if they want to be building, or a space that has whiteboards and stools if they want to have a brainstorm and be active about sharing ideas. We try to give students an environment that allows them to be intentional about what they need at any given time.”

5.  Why Primary Kids Tweet (Cassidy)- sharing benefits of having primary school kids tweet.  Development of key literacy skills through composing a message.

The tweets we composed together were authentic writing. They came from something that the children wanted to say and were directed at a real audience. Let’s see–meaningful text, authentic writing and a real audience. Isn’t that a good recipe for successful writing instruction? The development of empathy for people in another culture and the beginnings of a worldview were just delightful side benefits.

6.  Interactive User Experience On The High Line- One of my favorite spots in NYC.  Also a great walking tour experience for students.  School of Visual Arts students ere asked to create a networked, mobile or interactive installation that enhances or extends the experience of the High Line park in NYC. Each group presented a concept document that included research documentation and an experience journey of the concept to a guest panel which included a representative of Friends of the High Line. 

7. Teacher Remixed: 5 Ways To Change Our Profession-  rethinking what it means to be a teacher

from answers to questions.

Another way to put it: we should help kids find the answers to their answers. Our questions should be meant to elicit kids’ questions, not to cue “correct” answers, reward “proper” behavior, or trigger deflective behaviors that “justify” the punishments we dole out to kids. Inquiry should be our foundational pedagogy, but not our only one. Questioning our own beliefs and behaviors should come before questioning our kids. We should ask and learn to discover, not to confirm.

8. A Lesson In Empathy

Inspiring Words

Just had the chance to read through the President's remarks from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston’s South End on Thursday.  Inspiring commentary for both the country, for anyone who has ever competed and for all who face obstacles.

Like Bill Iffrig, 78 years old -- the runner in the orange tank top who we all saw get knocked down by the blast -- we may be momentarily knocked off our feet, but we’ll pick ourselves up. We’ll keep going. We will finish the race. 

In the words of Dick Hoyt, who has pushed his disabled son, Rick, in 31 Boston Marathons, “We can’t let something like this stop us.” This doesn’t stop us.

 And that’s what you’ve taught us, Boston. That’s what you’ve reminded us -- to push on. To persevere. To not grow weary. To not get faint. Even when it hurts. Even when our heart aches. We summon the strength that maybe we didn’t even know we had, and we carry on. We finish the race. We finish the race. And we do that because of who we are. And we do that because we know that somewhere around the bend a stranger has a cup of water. Around the bend, somebody is there to boost our spirits. On that toughest mile, just when we think that we’ve hit a wall, someone will be there to cheer us on and pick us up if we fall. We know that.

And this time next year, on the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for the 118th Boston Marathon. Bet on it.

Walking On Water: Reading, Writing And Revolution

Sharing a few personal highlights from Walking On Water: Reading, Writing And Revolution by Derrick Jensen.

Here are some questions I’ve been asking lately: What are the effects of schooling on creativity? How well does schooling foster the uniqueness of each child who passes through? Does schooling make children happier? For that matter, does our culture as a whole engender happy children? What does each new child receive in exchange for the so many hours for years on end that she or he gives to the school system? How does school help to make each child who he or she is?

Another way to say this is that before asking whether I or anyone else has been successful in the classroom, we need to ask what we want to accomplish. And before we can rely on our answer to this second question, we need to ask what we are already doing and what we are currently creating by the process of schooling, because that understanding will help us understand—all rhetoric aside—what we really want, and will also make clear the stakes involved in the formation of students’ characters

“Power. If I’ve got power or authority over someone, it’s my responsibility to use that only to help them. It’s my job to accept and praise them into becoming who they are. But if I see someone misusing power to harm someone else, it’s just as much my responsibility to stop them, using whatever means necessary.”

“Passion, love, hate, fear, hope. The best writing springs from these sources. Life itself springs from these sources, and what is writing without life? Writing and life. Life and writing. One is the stuff of the other, and the other is the stuff of the one. So by definition this is as much a class in life—in passion, love, fear, experience, relation—as it is in writing. Be warned. If you’re here purely for credit, hoping to sleep through yet another quarter of semicolons, diagrammed sentences, and five-paragraph essays, this class will be an incredible drag both for you and for me. If you’re not interested in approaching the ragged edge of control where instinct and euphoria set you free from time and consciousness, you would in all honesty be better off in another class

deconstruction of what I believe and perceive to be the way things are, to continuously break down in my own mind what I believe, and continuously add to my knowledge and understanding. In other words, never to be satisfied that I’m satisfied. That sounds like I’m dissatisfied, but it doesn’t mean that. It means never to be complacent and think I’ve come to a conclusion about things, to always question my own thinking

The foundation of my work in the classroom remains the same for both college and prison, which is to respect and love my students into becoming who they are

“One of the most important things we can do is help young people find their way to be in service to something larger than themselves. Normally the only reason kids go to college or graduate school—and, in Wes Jackson’s words, the only real major offered—is upward mobility. But we fail to teach our children that service to something greater than themselves is far more likely to lead to a joyful and satisfying life, and one that is environmentally rich.

It becomes our task in this world to remember our gifts, our task, and to realize them, with the help of guiding spirits, or daimons. Thus eudaimonia, which literally means “having a good guardian spirit.

Design School Presentation

Presented the other day about the potential of a Design School.  The presentation was anchored by a belief in the design process and structuring learning engagements around things that matter.  Also, the presentation was framed through the lens of a slide ripped from a presentation given by Chris Anderson.  In speaking about the New Industrial Revolution, Chris Anderson offered the following:

The History of 20 Years In 2 Sentences

The past decade was about finding new social and innovation models on the web

The next decade will be about applying them to the real world

  

A driving force behind the Design School is a focus on what students do and why they are doing it.  In structuring learning around real-problems or human-centered design challenges, students are pushed to think critically, conduct extensive research inquiries, embrace the concept of prototyping and even understand the importance of failure, work collaboratively, build meaningful social networks and realize unique talents and potential.  In a process of creative innovative problem-solving students are engaged in the New Industrial Revolution / Maker Movement and not bystanders waiting they get older to begin building, creating and making a difference.