January 18th Fishbowl Live Blogging Participants:
8:25 am- 9:24 am MST
Dean Shareski:
Dean is a Digital Learning Consultant with the Prairie South School Division in Moose Jaw, SK, Canada. He specializes in the use of technology in the classroom. He holds a Masters of Education in Communications and Technology through the University of Saskatchewan. He is also a sessional lecturer for the University of Regina. He considers himself a digital learning specialist.
Darren Draper:
Darren is a technology Curriculum Specialist for the Jordan School District in Salt Lake City, UT. He is an avid educational technology enthusiast who loves technology, when it works...
Julie Lindsay:
Julie is the head of Information Technology at Qatar Academy in Doha.
235 comments:
1 – 200 of 235 Newer› Newest»Hey I'm sick again. I can't sleep and there's nothing on tv so I might blog with the fishbowl today
Testing...
Design is already being outsourced in many areas...while cultural differences exist, there are lots of examples of outsourced design
I'm sorry, get well soon, Aaron!
About the Design chapter, I think that a really good example of it is how the Apple Co. is constantly coming out with new designs of their products, such as their iPods. Anybody else notice that?
Okay everybody, I have a question,
On page 70 of the book Daniel Pink says “Design is a classic whole-minded aptitude. It is , to borrow Heskett’s terms, a combination of utility and significance.”
Where do these ideas show up in our world?
Well, to tie in to the inner circle, I think design cannot be outsourced, since it varies locally.
Art made in a farm town will not look the same as art inspired from New York
In the inner circle they are talking about whether or not design could be outsourced-
I don't think that it ever could be outsourced because a computer, like Liz said, can not have emotion which I think is a crucial part of design
Maddie F- I noticed that too. It seems like every month Apple comes out with a new design of iPod or computer.
"Our feelings and emotion are a part of our design."
I love that comment.
In fact, this is the very reason I don't think that computers will ever replace a teacher in the classroom.
How would you students feel if your teacher was replaced by a computer?
jose- although you are right, it is still art.
Molly, design shows up in our world from your nike shoe to the desk you're blogging on
I agree with Jose and with what the circle sayed, that you really need to be in the surroundings to design something effectively.
hey aweber! I agree with what Mark is talking about how design appeals to different cultures. It's hard of one culture to design for another when all cultures are so different. But I disagree with the idea that an "emotional" computer will never be created. Technology has progressed so far past our wildest dreams. No one can predict what will and will not be invented
darren- it wouldn't feel right to have a computer for a teacher. That'd be so weird...
Yeah, Shareski, that's really true. Many designs come from different cultures, who have their own ways of creating things and making them attractive to others. In home interior, people can decorate it based on different cultures, like Asian or European styles for example.
I think that design could eventually be outsourced because even though there is cultural differences between Asia and the U.S., we a lot of times except designs and cultural aspects from all different coutries, so I think we would just incorporate those designs with our own.
What about taking roll?
Don't you think THAT could be outsourced? It's a very repetitive task. Can't that be outsourced to save your teacher time?
I agree with maddie. I don't really know much about all of their products, but my guess would be that they all do about the same thing and it is just the look that is different. With iPods, they just keep on adding new features.
I agree with Louise that design can not be outsourced because machines can not feel emotions.
Do you define outsourcing as outsourcing to computers or to other countries?
My definition of outsourcing includes off site work by humans and/or computers
Shareski- Can you give some examples of design being outsourced to other places? I admit that I never knew about outsourcing and automation until i began to read this book so I am really curious about what is going on.
I agree that it's wrong to be taught by a computer... they can't answer hypothetical questions or anything like that! Computers should only be used as tools to help learning, just like we are doing
I think that Jose brought up a really good point.
Design varies from country to country; I know that American design and something like Chinese or Indian design are really different.
If design was outsourced wouldn't everyplace have the same design because it was all coming from one place?
It seems like if you buy an iPod, a month later there's a newer, better model. It's frustrating.
I see these in-class tasks as candidates for outsourcing:
Taking roll
Administering tests
Correcting assignments
Hmmmm. What else?
darren draper- i think that it is very possible that teachers will someday be replaced by computers. Even today there are computer programs and online college courses through which people are able to learn. I think that it all depends on what works best for the person.
darren- that could be, but it'd be almost pointless. Teachers take roll without us even knowing it.
Louise-
I agree with you to a point about design but we don't know what computers are going to be able to do in the future. Even though it is hard to imagine, computers could be able to "think" in the future. If you told someone 500 years ago that there would be a way of transportation that would exceed 100 miles and hour, they would laugh at you and yet planes and cars have been made that exceed that explaination by a longshot.
Darren- I could see some sort of technology invented to take roll for the teacher.
I agree with Shareski, that outsourcing involves both other countries and computers, however I believe that designs won't be outsourced to computers, but may be outsourced to other countries.
Darren- I think it would be very wierd to be taught by a machine. I would feel like I was being brain washed. My cousin is home schooled and she has her classes on DVD and its very wierd just to watch.
Darren- I couldn't even imagine having a computer instead of a teacher. With all the progress in technology being made, I have no doubt that a computer could teach a class, but I think it's really nice to have someone teaching us, and to be able to get a teacher's personal commentary on what we're learning and to be able to feel the enthusiasm of the teacher.
Darren Draper - I agree with you! Teachers are something that should never be outsourced. Have someone physically there adds a personal touch that immensely helps the learning environment.
Darren, if our teachers were replaced with computers, we would never be able to improve our social skills. Half the reason that kids go to school at such a young age is to learn how to act and react around others. If we had computers as teachers, we wouldn't be able to build a relationship with it. But yes, I do think that a computer could do simple left-brain tasks, just not educate a student by stuffing their brain full of facts.
I have a friend who is an inventer...he has a shell of an idea and outsources the design to a fellow in Boston and then works with another group from China who also have input on the design and they produce it as well
Shareski-
I define outsourcing as sending "work" to people and/or machines in other places.
Darren, I don't agree that those htings can be entirely outsourced. For example, if a teacher is taking role and a student hs an excuse or a note, how could a computer decide if that is legimite?
Allysa- I agree with you. Design might be hard to outsource, but it'd be even harder to outsource it to computers.
darren
it;s funny becuase were already having computers grade our tests with those bubble sheets that you just run through a machine
Mr. Shareski I believe that it is both. That at their own points in time and at their own instances both are coming at us and trying to outsource as at simultaneous times.
Darren- I think that computers could take the place of teachers because now more and more, I see myself wanted to be in control of my own learning, and I think that if my teacher was a computer I would be able to do that.
Don't we already outsource teaching? Is Distance Learning an example of outsourcing?
alyssas- I think that design can be outsorced to computers, and already is. If you go to websites such as www.bher.com, you can find different programs that you can actually upload a picture of a room, and the website will attempt to design the different paint color schemes, and such.
I think that something that could be "outsourced" to computers is the entire paper industry; we're using laptops and we write more than before faster than anything we can hand-write. All it takes is a little practice...
darren- that would be really wierd to have a computer as a teacher. I always feel awkward when you have to talk to a computer over the phone because you can't like ask a question, it doesn't know what you are talking about unless it is programmed to answer that specific question.
I also like the variety in my teachers. Every one has a different style of teaching, like some people use visuals and others like to give lectures, lots of lectures... and it would be kind of intimidating. I get to know people by reading their emotions, the things that they don't say rather then the things they do say. And a robot/computer teacher wouldn't have emotions so I wouldn't really, I don't know, trust it.
My definition of outsourcing came from A Whole New Mind. Left brain jobs are being giving to people across the world for much less pay. Is that a correct perception?
kristenw---That is funny. The thing is though, that same machine can't comprehend emotion or understand how to teach.
There are so many ways to learn from computers. Online classes, which the learner can create how, and what he/she learns.
Darren..I'd agree with that definition as well.
Phoebe- But isn't that something that was designed by humans and the computer just runs the program?
I think that even though it might be cheaper to have computers doing jobs for us I think that people will still want to do them, so computers will only replace the boring aspects of our lives.
stefo---That is correct.
Just to go along with what mark was saying in the inner circle... I think that it is really shocking to our parents that we are thinking about all these subjects in depth like this. They probably don't understand why we are concerned about things that they dont know much about.
I have a feeling that yes, left brain people are paid less...but this is a generalisation...we need statistics to back it up
Darren Draper-
I think that it is very possible that teachers could be replaced by humans in the future.
However, as a student, I think that having a computer for a teacher would be really weird. There would be so many things that would be missing from the classroom.
I think that discipline and individual help would be virtually pointless and the class could become chaos.
Have you heard of RFID? That would make taking roll and tracking assignments very easy.
Scary to think of things (and especially people) being fitted with computer chips, but it would make this idea of outsourcing very possible.
Some positive benefits include:
* Giving the teacher (and students) more time to focus on learning tasks instead of administration tasks
* Improved accuracy? People simply aren't perfect - we make mistakes.
What else?
Do you think that most teachers/school think of design, as Pink says "icing on the cake" and thus it only gets addressed in courses like arts education rather than being embedded in things like math. Does design need to be incorporated into all learning?
I have a question for Darren and Shareski- would you consider your jobs left-brained or right-brained, and have you personally noticed a shift in the kind of jobs available today?
Phoebe- But thoe kinds of websites are designed by people. The designs on those websites have been designed by people, who just put their designs on the internet. The computer didn't make those designs.
Shareski- I think that teachers are starting to be outsourced because more and more kids are being home schooled or there are college classes that you can take online. So if education continues be the way it is today it can be outsourced but I hope for the future school will include more right brained learning which a computer can't teach
julie
ya and thats interesting because before left brained jobs are the ones that had a big pay
Alex, I really do think that it is kind of humorous for us to see them struggling with a concept that we know all too well about, but kind of tragic at the same time, because if they don't adapt, their jobs could be at risk.
aweber- yes the progam is designed by humans and run by a computer, but a person isnt physically looking at the room, and designing it, it has "trained" the program to look at light, shadow and other colors in the room to decide on the best design.
Kristen W- I agree with you. Someone invented the Scantron testing so computers can grade tests faster and save the teachers work. However, it is easier for sudents to get a better grade just by guessing. Why would anyone study when they are given four choices? There's a 25% chance that they will be right if they just guess. Those odds are a lot better than having to write an essay about something that the student hadn't studied.
Alyssa- if people could program computers to think what we think, then it wouldn't be computers thinking by themselves, but rather us thinking for them.
Phoebe- Are the design's original or are they a basic kind of thing?
Yes, distance ed is a perfect example of outsourcing.
Right now in our district, they are able to teach Chinese to students in different buildings across the district - all using only one teacher.
A perfect example of outsourcing.
Shareski-
I think design does need to be incorperated in learning so we can become more left brained.
@maddief....Definitely a combination...For me, I have a great deal of freedom as I work with teachers and students in designing learning and environments. Organizations that value innovation tend to allow for design. There would be other organizations that do not and are still very top down and thus employees are more left brain in their work.
Ok I have three things to say. If teachers are outsourced or automated then there would be only one style of learning. Students need a surplus of learning style to learn.
My second thing is that school has already been automated with online school and outsourced just as Shareski said.
My third thing is that I do not believe we should isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. There are so many perceptions out there and the only way that we can truly progress in the future is to share all design and right brain ideas with the world and share feedback.
I have seen examples of teachers' jobs already being outsourced today. A friend of my dad's works for Douglas County Schools and next year they are starting a program for high school students so they can take all of their classes online and earn a diploma. Do think programs like these will be the way teachers' jobs will be outsourced?
The IBO middle years program incorporates the design cycle into its Technology subject
Nicole-
I agree with you that teaching is being outsourced. People don't have to go into a classroom to learn anymore.
Darren, to be honest, RFID is something we shouldn't mess with... chips in people might make jobs easier for tracking, but think about what the chips could be used for negatively; maybe it would be better to have a voice recognition system or somehting along those lines???
Yes shareski, I think that design needs to be incorporated into classes, not just some flimsy detail alongside the facts that teachers make us memorize. If teachers only strengthen our left brain thinking, then our generation may have difficulty getting jobs in the future, when left brain jobs are going to Asia and being replaced by computers.
Also, are computers capable of design? They can store memories of design that others have created, but can they themselves design?
Mr. Shareski,
I agree with that idea 100%. Araphahoe has that same type vibe, everything is focused on sports, with people needing 12 credit hours, when fine arts are just 6 credits needed, it feels like the administration was just like, humm maybe we should throw in some arts credits...
I think that in order to advance our world in design, we need to start in the schools and get the kids immersed in design.
Shareski-I do think most teachers think of design as the "icing on the cake." But I have found my history teacher incorporating design into the class room, for example she doesn't make powerpoints with a ton of text. She only puts the main points on the slide and decorates the slide with clip art and backgrounds that help us remember what we're studying. Then there's a discussion about the main points. Besides history, art, and English, I don't think any of my teachers really even consider incorporating design into the class. I think it would make class so much more interesting if it was though.
The design cycle is an important concept :
Investigate, design, plan, create, evaluate
What other global/local curriculum's incorporate this that you know of?
@nicolek....I don't think it's about one over the other. We'll choose a hybrid of education. We shouldn't be wasting time in schools learning things that don't require a teacher. For example, why come to class and have everyone read a chapter....you don't need a teacher to supervise you reading. Spend time in schools doing what you're doing right now..unraveling the ideas in a social setting.
I thought it was completely amazing how much more successful CHAD students are compared to the kids that go to public schools in Philidelphia. Especially since about 30% more students attend CHAD daily than the publc schools. I think that it truelly amazing!
megan-
thats very true but if the teachers choose answers that could all possibly be the answer then you do have to study
Shareski - I've always said that "Design Matters".
:)
Meganu - You make a great point. It can be easier to fool a computer than a teacher (as long as the teacher is "with it").
At the same time, I guess, the opposite could also be true.
Just a thought..
Is there a way to teach classes like math and science in a right-brained style? Or do we not need to, because Daniel Pink says that both left and right thinking are important.
Learn how to learn....is this a right brain or left brain skill?
Maddie, they cannot themselves design artistically; it is possible for a computer to tweak designs to make them more efficient, but not more beautiful.
Point in case, airplanes. Jet fighters aren't beautiful, but they are fast. They are tested in wind tunnels that are monitored by computers and people for aerodynamics
I thing the computers aren't thinking for themselves. They're just doing what they have been programmed to do by people. Hey! Would that mean that outsourcing would help the left-brained people because they would have to program the computers?
One thing I thought of: if someone wrote a persuasive and convincing book on how left-brain thinking is here to stay, would we believe them too?
aweber- from what i saw of the website the designs are somewhat basic, but still can be considered "unique". My guess is that the computer has a variety of designs to choose from, and then chooses the one that best incorporates the different light factors of the room. Im not saying that the computer actually creates the designs themselves, im just trying to make the point that design is being provided to less creative people by artificail intelligence. This, in a way, is out scorcing the work, somewhat like turbo tax. It does your taxes for you, but it doesnt actually "know" who you are.
Shareski-
I think that yes design should be incorporated into all of our learning. I remember that in elementary school we did lots of art projects all the time. We would learn how to read and also incorporate design by making books with pictures and drawings.
But as I go on in school, those incorporated art projects are virtually gone and almost all of my classes are extremely analytical and I don't feel that that is the best way to prepare me for the future.
Alex D.- That surprised me too. I think it may be because students who attend CHAD like the learning style that they are presented with, so they may be more eager to go to school because it is so diverse from other schools.
Alex-
I agree I was really surprised that CHAD students were so sucessful.
My response to the subject of isolation ourselves from the rest of the world hs been tried before, in both of the World Wars, and it didn't turn out too well. War aside, back before there was mass world travel, all the cultures were extremely different. But now, almost all cultures, especially here in the U.S., the culture has been influenced by other people's cultures.
I agree with you Stef, kids need to learn many different things in many different styles, so that way everyone goes for different jobs, and there isn't a surplus of people at one specific job. When there's too many people at a job, then there won't be room for anybody else.
@louiseb
Yes, good idea to incorporate into every class..but remember all features of the cycle, including the importance of evaluation/review
Phoebe and Aaron- I think that a computer is able to store the memory of design and give a person options, but someone would have had to create that computer program, which is an example of design.
julie lindsey-
I think that to learn how to learn in a right brained activity because the right side hold more emotion and emotion helps decide how you learn best.
Julie, I think that learning happens on both hemispheres of the brain....
Consider this English class. We linearly read a book, but then we artistically break it down symbolically and metaphorically, which are abilities that are housed in both sides of the brain. But for example, my math class is mostly left-brained, and so it's really hard for me to innovate new solutions to problems
Aaron-
Thats a good point! I never really thought of that, but I guess it would help left brained people.
Designers will have an edge. If you consider yourself as designers in whatever area you're interested in...you will be a player. Think of the example of the toilet brush. What can you do that sets your work apart?
I think that design is already being incorporated into schools. My opinion is different that Daniel Pink though. I believe that right brain activities will become increasing important but computer engineering is growing increasingly important. Technology is not coming to a halt. People will continue to create new things. Design is needed to make these products appealing. Does that make sense? We can't forget computer engineering
Is outsourcing a crisis really? I make effect some people jobs but we will just have to learn to adapt
allysas - Yes. That program will probably result in less teacher jobs - or at least different teacher jobs.
I think that eventually teachers could MAYBE be outsourced. I only think this because in one of my current classes (definitely not this one) the material could be taught through a computer and I would receive the same amount of information. My teacher in that class doesn't tell me anything that i couldn't learn on a computer.
Does anyone else have classes like that?
Amy, that's a good question. What would happen if someone wrote a a book about left brain thinking with a lot of good, strong arguements? I think Ms. Smith said we were going to have someone talk to us who doesn't believe in this shift to right brain thinking, so I think it will be interesting to get a different point of view.
aweber-
I think I've made that point in other fish bowls. Computers don't think for themselves, they can do only as much as we want them to do. So really, we are outsourcing ourselves by automation.
Caitlin A.- I can see your idea, but at the same time, if students learn from computers, they are in control of their own learning, so they can still use the best learning style for the students personally.
BrianC- that is true. If we became an isolationistic country, then I don't think we would survive. Think about all the exports, of food, and especially oil. How would we survive? Without outsourcing, how would we get some of the jobs done?
@josed, yes, good ideas/answer...OK, but is creativity really more on the left brain, or is the logical side needed to support the creative side...or counter-balance it?
Julie,
Living in Qatar. How important is it for your students to be quality speakers of English?
Alex, I do have a class like that: my Biology class. As a matter of fact, we are using the web more and more in that class.
Molly, that is so true. We need way more physical credits than art credits. I'm all for exercising and keeping our bodies healthy, but for our brains to be healthy, we need a balance of left and right brain.
@darren English is very important here to be able to compete in the world and interact with the world
Julie-
I think that learning happens on both sides of the brain.
I think that it happens in different ways but equal growth probably takes place in both hemispheres, it just depends on the task at hand.
Very few people who I meet or know here in terms of locals do not speak English
@stefo I don't think that outsourcing is necesarrily bad. The US is panicking because as a global economy develops, but the game is changing. It's about adaption and finding your niche.
Left brained jobs won't disappear, but those that are successful at design will definitely have the edge.
In fact, they already do now. If you are able to present your message in an aesthetically pleasing way then far more people are going to "buy" what you're "selling".
Well, julie, creativity resides on the right side of the brain in my opinion, but the left side of the brain is not counter-balancing it. They work together to mix artistic beauty with practicality and utility.
Shareski
I think that is the main point that Daniel Pink is trying to make. Technology will increase but the way to stay ontop is to design a product that has significance. The product needs to be pretty and modern and attractive. Make your the product that attracts the most people and you will stay ontop of the workforce
Maddie- I agree with your idea of balance between exercise and art. I think that this whole "right-brain movement" requires a new point of balance that we didn't have in the left-brain age.
Julie Lindsay, I think that it is very necessary to have a balance of our left brain and right brain. The only problem is, our school systems aren't giving us that balance.
julie-
For me in learning, if I only think logic, I get bored. And I don't always remember logic facts unless I connect it to a picture or see what it rhymes with. I think you need logic to learn but creativity to understand.
Well, not just English is important to know, but learning any other language will give you an edge over someone who only knows English. Another valuable skill is being able to understand different dialects and to be able to work efficiently with people of other nationnalities.
Maddie, is it a balance or a way to optimize both sides of the brain what you are looking for?
Darren- So R.Brain vs. L.Brain jobs is like the stock market and economy? ( And if that's true then they're in recession)
@alyssas
I like your idea about balance, this ties in with the holistic ideals of education and a balanced curriculum etc
Serena- I 100% agree with you and I like the way you phrased it. "You need logic to learn but creativity to understand."
Is your teacher from the Amazon?
Stef O- I agree with you. Products need to have an extra something that appeals to the buyer. I know with my cell phone, it's kind of big and bulky but then it flips open to show a keyboard. That is what I like about my phone, its design.
maddief- i think that the schools actually are giving us that opportunity to use our right brian. the problem is that people arent interested in those classes. For instance, people in band are not nessicarily "popular", and people today have a fear of that. people want to do whats "cool" and at this time people dont find things that use the right brain as "cool"
@serenal
"I think you need logic to learn but creativity to understand."
I love your comment!
There is some utility in even the stupidest fashion...it's just that significance is more prevelant...The best example is a man's tie.
Shareski, I can totally understand why our economy is panicking, seeing as how the previous generation built themselves up on left brain jobs. My question is, will our parents have to change their way of thinking, or will only our generation need to change in order to get jobs?
Shareski- no, just Fargo, ND
Mark... I love high heels! I am 14 years old and 5'1. I need all the help I can get!
Guys in our school wear girl pants. No utility, just significance.
Shareski Ms. Smith isn't from the Amazon. She just wishes she was :)
Just like Daniel Pink said, the MFA is the new MBA. Design is becoming more and more important, as we move past the "first's" and enter the age of Abundance, where now if the product is cute and appealing, it is more likely to sell.
I agree with Phoebe. We're offered many art classes, but most students just aren't interested in them. They'd rather take a P.E. class than a drawing class or drama class.
Nick B- I totally disagree with you. You said that no one would buy a hoodie that is paper thin but looks cool. I have a couple hoodies that I like a lot but don't necessarily keep me warm.
Are designers only right-brain thinkers?
Yes. EVERYBODY is a designer.
Even YOU.
Think about it. Every assignment you do in school is designed by you.
See, I like clothes that are more functional than cool looking, because if I use it to make my life easier or funner, I become more attached to it.
Why should design be linked with success and money? What can't design be altruistic?
I was thinking the same thing as Molly-
Everyone I know has a cell phone that does tons of things.
Also it seems like every week technology comes out with something new for a cell phone to do.
I know that my phone has internet, texting, TV. three way calling and it can play songs and I still feel like my phone is outdated because it is about a year old.
Also it seems like actually talking on the phone is one of the things kids do the least on their phone-other forms of communication are a lot more popular.
Darren
I never thought of it like that. We all used design in everyday world. Some just have more of a knack for it.
shareski-
Yea, that is a good example. I really don't see the point of wearing a tie other then it looks formal.
It's the same with guy's who wear low pants. It's just for the look.
@maddief...your parents might be safe...that said, they need to be paying attention (see Darren Draper's presentation) to their industries.
There's a great book called MicroTrends that really exploits small changes in society that end up having powerful significance. But your parents may not have to make many adjustments. You will.
Stef O- I agree with you 100%! However, I am 15 and 5'2. I wear high heels to make myself look taller. I don't wear them to school because my feet would kill me by the end of the day, but when it's appropriate, i do.
I guess I should rephrase. Every assignment that you COMPLETE in school is designed by you.
You choose how you will phrase your answers.
You choose how you will present your answers to your teachers.
Alyssas, I don't think most designers sre only right-brainers. Unless they're professional designers, they have to make something that's practical and looks good.
Darren, that's a very good point. We use design every day of our lives, whether it's deciding what to wear or how we want to do a school assignment.
Ha, nice one Aaron. But seriously, left brain jobs are in recession in the U.S. However, does that mean that the number of right brain jobs will go up, or that it will stay the same.
Also, Phoebe, I know what you mean about people only doing what society thinks is cool. But I think that it's the people who have the courage to do things that they enjoy who will succeed in business later on, because they have strengthened skills that could help them later on.
alyssas-
I don't think that only right brained thinkers. Anyone can be a designer we incorperate it in our everyday life whether we know it our not. And both hemispheres of our brain are used together so even if you are left brained you still use your right hemisphere.
Maybe design shouldn't be linked with those things, Julie, but that's the way the economy is gearing toward because there is an overabundance of everything. To stick out, you have to turn design into a sort of gateway to having success. Besides, since everyone has design in them, there will always be some design that is altruistic
I am not so sure about left brained thiking to design clothes and stuff, but more like tests or classes, and their learning.
"Should your teachers be designers?"
Wow.
Absolutely.
Those that aren't great designers really aren't great teachers. IMHO. Teachers that are effective designers are those that REACH the students.
Brain C.- So do you think that designers need to have a balance between right and left-brain thinking?
curriculum design, pedagogical design are important skills an educator learns
Darren Draper-
But isn't that example almost like left brain design?
Teachers have to be designers. They design class lessons and how the room is set up. Everything they do in essesence is design. Even they way they teach is a form of design
But Darren, unless teachers begin to value that aspect of student work, it's going to be seen as icing on the cake rather than a siginficant contribution to the message they are communicating.
Do you like how your classrooms are designed?
What about the new MacBook Air??? Is that not a sweet design that was a combination of right and left brain thinking?
Darren- what IMHO? I have never heard of it.
My Mom is a teacher, and the way that she reached out to her students, was through the design of the classroom. She had a wagon in her room, and beanbags, and just things that kids would like. Design can help to enhance one's learning.
katherinem-
To graduate, you have to have PE credits. I'm not sure about whether or not art/drama classes are required, but I think they should be. Just one at least, or teachers should encorporate(sp?) design into their classrooms and lesson plans.
Alyssa- I think that designers are for the most part are right brain thinkers, but there is also the left brain aspect on the job too. Like clothing designers have to buy fabric and make sure that the clothes would fit the client and I think that would be considered analytical thinking.
I agree, Darren. Mrs. Smith designs a curriculum that does just that. I think that's why she's such a good teacher and why people like you and Julie and Shareski are blogging with us. Designing this course is why the world is watching this class (at least I've been told the world is watching).
Shareski
I like the way some classes are designed. Relaxed and comfortable. Wide open rooms, I can feel myself expand mentally
Louise- I agree. Designers need a balance between right and left-brain thinking in order to make the product functional and "pretty."
I think teachers are designers by the way in which they teach and how they help students succeed.
Shareski-
For the most part I like the way my classrooms are designed but I wish we had windows. All of my classes have white walls and no windows so sometimes it feels like an asylum.
Yes Josed, good point, the world is watching to see how 21st century design for learning can start to make a difference to what we do
shareski-
No I don't really like how our school is set up. There are almost no windows or natural lighting in any of the classes. It kind of feels like jail.
serenal and kathrienm- you do need somewhere around 8 practical arts credits to graduate. Those credits are through art, drama, and music classes
Shareski-
I don't feel like our classrooms had any thoght put into them other than utility. Maybe learning would be more infulential if it was conducted in a natural, pretty, environment
I disagree, Darren, I don't think that a worksheet that is a "fill in the blank" homework assignment allows us to design. I don't think that homework that just requires us to write down a fact that we've memorized allows much room for design.
amanda-
I know what you mean about the classrooms!
Also if teachers joke around you feel more and more comfortable. Like this class is one of a kind. We have computers, and it's almost as if we are designing our own learning. It's just such an inviting class, and it's not a bore, like some classes where all you do is take notes on a power point, of facts from a textbook.
Alyssa S.-I think designers are more right-brained then left brained. After all, that's how they were taught and trained to think, in terms of design. And mabye I was wrong earlier, mabye big design companies have the 100% designers and then the 100% analizers, so they can have specialists in both categories. So, to answer your question, no, I don't think most designers are completely balanced, I think they use their right a lot more than their left, though they still use both sides.
Yes, producers of information, not consumers! Ideals to aspire to in a classroom. This is what makes a difference
Do you think you're influenced by what you've grown up with in schools in terms of physical space? What if you were building from scratch? What would you do to create new spaces that promote learning and interaction and design?
Serena- I agree with you. There are almost no windows in any classrooms, and even if their are, they are usually covered up. I can understand that teachers want to keep students focused in class, but we need some fresh air sometimes!
I think the way a classroom is designed definitely influences how I learn. I agree with Amanda. I really do not like classrooms with no windows and blank walls. I find it hard to even be comfortable in a classroom like that.
When our school was designed it was more the Information Age, so the people who designed it were probably just concerned about utility, not significance. Schools that are designed now would probably have more of a significance to them.
I think I'll bring a counter-example of BAD design into the mix. Last year, my middle school was basically the worst designed school I've ever seen. Brick walls painted green with red and blue contrast everywhere. There were grey tiles, and not many beautiful things. Lots of kids were like delinquents, and it wasn't a good place to learn. It even affected the teachers, who often got mad and snapped at us before we finished sentences.
Classroom design is determined by location and budget....or is it??
I agree with Serena-
I think that I learn a lot better in an outdoor environment because I am comfortable there.
Everything in this building feels very artificial because there is no natural light or like a breeze that comes in the window.
I think that it really all comes down to having the students be comfortable and sort of "feel at home" when they are learning in order to bring out their best.
Wait, no... the bricks weren't green, they were cream. Sorry about that typo.
Caitlin, my mom's a teacher too. It's so true how the design of the room enhances kids' learning. Blank classrooms with white walls are intimidating, but colorful ones spark kids' creativity.
@maddief...there are teachers who actually think there are design elements in creating worksheets.
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=339#more-339
You need to paint and dance.
mollys - Yes, at times teachers probably do incorporate "left-brained design". However, if they aren't creative in their presentation, are you going to pay attention?
aweber - Yes, the Macbook Airs are very well designed - a definite combination of left and right brained thinking. And now you've begun the salivation process once again. :)
stefo - Sorry. IMHO stands for "in my humble opinion".
serenal - In order to require art classes, you would be forced to drop (or cease requiring) other classes. Which classes do you think should be dropped from the required curriculum?
In AWNM I think Pink mentioned that the students with different colored walls learn better than a classroom with white walls.
Alyssas- I feel the same way! I only have a couple classes that actually do have windows but in those classrooms, those windows are either covered up with black paper or have the blinds closed. Not only do we need the fresh air, but even the sunlight helps me.
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