Design. Learn. Solve.

We Are All Designers

“We are all designers.”

Some may balk at this statement. Some may say that they don’t even actually know what that means.

I don’t make that statement lightly.  I taught history, am  a “techie”,  and  can’t draw very well (i’m trying though). In the past, I did not consider myself as the creative type.

With that in mind, design is not about making logos, building websites, or creating an inexpensive incubator for countries in the third world. Design is a mindset. It is an approach that addresses how we collaborate, how and what  we create.

Design is about creating interactions. Design is about understanding our users. Design is about developing something that will make a difference. As educators, we do this ALL the time. We create lessons and experiences that support our students’ learning. Design is at the core of what we do.

This past weekend at Next Chapter in Atlanta, GA, we heard this over and over again: “ design is a verb not a noun.” I know some people may say, “What does that even mean?” but it is at the core of how we can improve how we teach and learn. Design is about how we interact and create.

To understand and embrace this concept of design takes time. I’ll be the first to admit, seeing ourselves as designers does not come easily. You are not the expert. For some, this may be antithetical to how they were trained, how they have operated, how they have built their career. The outcomes, while undefined, may not be what they suggested or had in mind. It may not come easily. We were taught to have structure and a clearly defined outcome or argument.

Despite that, I ask you to try to let go. Try to embrace the uncertainty of the process. Many of our colleagues cry out for empowering our students, to create curriculum that is authentic. We talk about teacher as “facilitator” or as “guide on the side”. If we are truly to embrace the concept of authentic and student-centered learning, we must be open to letting go: to embrace a process that is messy and does not have a pre-defined outcome.

I am not suggesting that you upend your life to embrace the design process. Rather, find small ways that you can incorporate  the process into your life. Start by  addressing  a small challenge that your colleagues, students, or family is facing. For example:

1. Use the process with students and teachers to define how to recreate a space in the  library to best suit the needs of the community.


2. Build it into a unit for a class you teach.


3. Brainstorm exercise with a few of your colleagues during a faculty or department meeting.


4. With your family, reconsider how you use your backyard.

Give yourself the time and space to explore the process in a way that suits your personality and needs. Do not try to copy an approach. Think about who you are and what you need.

If you  need guidance, find someone who would be willing to explore this challenge with you. Do you need to research before you begin? See below for some resources. Find an approach that speaks to you and adapt it to suit your particular need.

The idea of design and design thinking is not to uproot  our core values but to heighten  our ability to create experiences that will extend how we teach and learn. It will empower our students and colleagues. It will create experiences and outcomes that we could never have imagined.

Release. Play. Make. Celebrate.

Resources

• IDEO - “Design Thinking for Educators”


• Stanford - “k12 Lab Wiki”


• Prototype - Design Thinking Resources

Photo credit: Hugh MacLeod

Mobile Learning is coming but…

I saw a tweet that included the poster shown below. As I scanned the poster I was in agreement with the overarching thesis:

YES

mobile technologies are here.

YES

they are transforming how our students learn/interact/think.

YES

we must be aware of this and think about how we can best incorporate mobile technologies in to our teaching.

BUT

before we do, let us take a step back and think long and hard about the approach. Is the technology allowing the curriculum to be something much more transformative? Is archiving our notes or being able to record your voice going to transform how our students learn in a world that is changing before our eyes or is it simply creating a shinier tool for an outdated model of learning?

As you examine how technology can be incorporated into your school, make sure you think through these questions:

1. How is [fill in the blank] creating a more engaging and dynamic learning experience?
2. Will this empower students to be self-directed learners?
3. Is it allowing students to create their own knowledge?
4. How is this extending the classroom?
5. Is it helping students realize that learning is not about getting to the next step?

YES

there will be some technologies that simply improve how we operate and effectively transfer information.

BUT

if we are able to answer these questions knowing that we are using the available technologies to transform our learning environments, then we will be headed in the right direction.


Via: Voxy Blog

Photo Credit: Yagan Kiely

Using Design to Make Life More Interesting

A really great talk from TEDxSanJose that speaks to the power of design. When we think about our students, we should see it as a similar opportunity to rethink where, how, when, and what we learn.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvqcS6-7tNc[/youtube]

Rives and the iPad

Rives is a man of many talents, he is a spoken word poet, emcee, pop-up book writer, and conversationalist. As one of the hosts of TEDxSMU this past October, he was given the chance to show off some of his skills and gave a powerful storytelling performance using an iPad.

His four minute “talk”, seen below, is an example of the potential of the iPad, or any tablet for that matter. Far too often we see computers as a means to check email, write papers, or watch videos. In an age of, as Clay Shirky puts it, “cognitive surplus”, we have the opportunity to use that technology and our time towards “doing something” and being “creative”, two things that we must ensure our students embrace. The tools at our disposal, including the iPad, are extremely powerful, so let’s make sure that our students are using the technology to do more than write five paragraph essays or create PowerPoints. Let’s make sure they truly create.

In the end, as Rives points out, no matter the medium, it is about telling a “story”. We need to let our students embrace the mediums that work for them (iPads/cellphones/whatever) and allow them to create stories that they care about. By giving them a voice, we will not only empower our students but allow them to develop their creative spirit all while maximizing that “cognitive surplus”.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNhdRvBfg7A&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Learning from Google’s Creative Lab

Google’s Creative Lab has been around for a few years but the concept has been a transformative one for the company and a model that schools should consider.

The Creative Lab

Google, which had been known more for their search than their advertising, has made a large impact in the digital media scene over the past few years. Their multi-disciplinary team in the Creative Lab has been responsible for some very critically acclaimed work including, their “Google Chrome Speed Tests”, “Wilderness Downtown”, and “Parisian Love”.

Projects like these have transformed Google’s image. The Creative Lab has been an opportunity to infuse creative talent into an Internet company while also training the “creatives” on the power of Google. Those who work in the Creative Lab stay for a year or two before being sent back into their respective industries. By following such a model, Google has been able not only train up and coming designers and writers on the power of Google but reap the benefits of their talent.

Bringing the Creative Lab to schools

The power of the Creative Lab has been in the fact that it has helped transform Google into a force in the digital media world.

Why can’t the same be done in schools?

It could be a “Teach For America” for creatives. Innovators and designers will spend two years working within a school to help bring innovation and an understanding of design thinking into schools while in turn they are trained as educators. The schools benefit by having access to amazing creatives who can help transform the experience of learning in an academic institution while the creatives benefit by being trained as educators. After a stint in a school, the creatives return to their professional worlds with an understanding of education that many dedicated to helping lack.

Far too often I meet very creative people who want to make a difference in the world of education but do not understand schools. By developing a program like this, a school will give those passionate creatives an opportunity to make a difference the world of education and in turn become a much more informed public. This type of work would provide an opportunity to solve two problems:

1. The need for schools to truly embrace a different way of thinking when it comes to learning


2. Create more informed social entrepreneurs, innovators, and designers

The Google Creative Lab has transformed Google into a powerful player in the advertising and media space. Schools can benefit from the same approach. Design and innovation are becoming more important in our schools and this is a great opportunity to create more “teachers” while benefiting from the power of creativity and innovation.

If anyone is interested in such an idea, let me know and lets dream this up together.

Education, Play and Design

I found this video by Plikums via @ethanbodnar.

It focuses on the intersection of education, play, and design. In my mind, it is a powerful video about real learning that we should all watch and take to heart.

”Education is not learning the system”

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/20949186[/vimeo]

Why we need a new conversation

Twitter is full of education hashtags. Those symbols of community bring educators from around the world together. One hashtag in particular is very powerful within the our community. #edchat has become a beacon for many educators. It has connected them, it has enabled them to share ideas, resources, and stories. I believe that hashtags like #edchat are critical to create a sense of community for educators, many whom feel isolated in their schools or districts.

I will not speak poorly of #edchat. As I mentioned, it has played an important role in connecting and enabling many educators. I value what the creators and curators of #edchat are doing to unite and support educators around the globe.

BUT

I believe we must move beyond #edchat.

While it plays an important role, I believe we need to hear new voices. Many educators are stuck in an echo chamber. Rather than learning about another web 2.0 tool or rehashing futile debates, I want us to be inspired. I want us to be challenged. I want to extend us to extend our thinking about what is possible in the world of education.

For the past few years I have been seeking inspiration and connections among my fellow educators but also reaching out to innovators, designers, and visionaries. This has led to some eye opening experiences and connections that are transforming the way I work and in turn helping others understand how to engage with educators.

For educators to move beyond the echo chamber, It is necessary for us to engage in conversations with people outside the world of education We should be reading more Fast Company and GOOD, just to name two, and fewer teacher blogs, including mine. Educators are not the only ones who want to improve the status of education. Very smart and creative people are looking to help. They are looking to make a difference. We should be engaging these innovators and designers to dream up ways to improve where, how, and when learning happens.

To make this happen, not only do we need to create conversations that kill the echo chamber but educators should attend events that have nothing to do with their specific discipline. True innovation comes when there are disruptors. For changes to be made at a national level, we must do a better job at engaging innovators in other industries. Those innovators can help us think differently about how our schools function, we can build partnerships, and in turn we can help educate a non educators about the real challenges we face.

Schools like the REALM Charter School in Berkeley, CA, or Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA are examples of how this can be done. They are being very particular and creating a close relationship with institutions and companies that provide educators and students an opportunity to connect the worlds between education and innovation.

Educators have the chance to change the conversation by reaching out to their communities and build relationships with individuals, companies, and organizations who want to make a difference.

We can learn from the amazing creatives who are rethinking so many different industries. If educators do not engage these people, if they do not join these conversations and build these relationships, a huge opportunity will be lost.

You should still continue to be a part of #edchat and the myriad of other education hashtags but all I ask is that you also join a conversation in a completely different field. Be madly curious. Go engage and by doing so you’ll be able to transform your practice and open your students up to a world of new opportunities.

Links:
REALM Charter School
Science Leadership Academy
#edchat
Fast Company
GOOD

Serving Up PD

For the the past few years, I have been exploring the idea of professional development. While the mindset of helping educators has always been the same, the methodology has evolved.

There are a number of people out there who are doing the same thing. We are attempting to inspire and connect by using models that include edcamps and TEDx.

My first exploration started a few years ago when I ran across TEDx. In my mind, TEDxNYED and TEDxSFED were meant to be the answer, TED like events that brought inspiration to educators. These are powerful opportunities but these are once a year.

Over the past few months I have been thinking about the idea of community, learning, and innovation.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that TEDx as a one day event, while inspiring, does not bring the type of results I have been seeking. The real goal is to create opportunities for sustained interaction between educators, innovators, and designers.

What got me to this mind set was at first the TEDxNY salon. Then there was Detroit Soup. And finally, today I read Glen Lubbert’s post on Jeffersonian dinners.

These events all have something in common: bringing people together to connect, share, and explore what is possible. They are not difficult to produce and they are not time consuming. They are simple methods to connect and create opportunities that can transform education.

As I move forward, my goals are to:

1. Provide a platform for educators to connect on a regular basis
2. Introduce the worlds of education and innovation to each other

That is possible by:

1. Following the TEDxNY and TEDx Tuesdays at SMU models and create a regularly scheduled salon that bringing educators and innovators together to inspire, learn, share, and create opportunites that will transform education.

2. Create regularly scheduled dinners like Detroit Soup or the Jeffersonian Dinners that provide opportunities to inspire, connect, and plan over a meal.

I know these ideas are not new but I do not see many opportunities that connect the worlds of education and innovation. My goal is to bridge the divide of education and innovation by creating opportunities for the two worlds to meet. Far too often educators are not included in these type of events.

Hopefully, by introducing these models, I will be able to help feed the conversation around how we can assist our educators, expand their network, and transform their teaching.

In order to give credit where credit is due, the ideas mentioned stemmed from the following models:

TEDxNY
Detroit Soup
Jeffersonian Dinners
edcamp

While TEDxSFED is on April 9th, I believe these goals are definitely ideas worth spreading and plan to move forward soon after our first iteration of TEDxSFED is over. I hope that you do the same and create your own Jeffersonian Dinners or something similar and help bring educators and innovators together in order to serve up better professional development.

Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon

I’m an educator, I mean designer, I mean…

I had the chance to attend CompostModern this past weekend. It is a conference for designers by designers.

As an educator, I was not exactly sure what to expect. I initially felt as though I would be the odd man out. I mean, I was no where near as fashionable as 99% of the attendees and at no point have I or will I pretend to be an artist. Just ask my old students, I was the master of the stick figure.

That being said, I do consider myself a designer. In my mind all educators are. The bonds that unite “designers” and “educators” are far deeper than you would expect.

Both are asked to solve problems. Both deal with clients who don’t necessarily like their ideas. Both must find ways to sell their ideas and, if they are good, will use images to do so.

Far too often, I see teachers simply consider themselves to be content experts and get caught up in data and numbers. Rather than focusing purely on statistics, let us, as “educators”, think as designers:

• How can you use a story to solve your problem? (i.e. help your students learn)


• How can you visualize the learning process?


• How can you ensure that you stay true to your vision (i.e. the content) while meeting your client (i.e. the student) where they are as well?

What really hit me while at CompostModern, a conference on sustainability and design, was the fact that so many designers want to make a difference. Many of those designers want to help or be educators. This became obvious when I offered an unconference session on education and design and it was attended by over 30 people. As educators, we cannot ignore this. We must look to designers for help as we have a lot to learn on how as Dan Meyer put it, “sell a product the consumer doesn’t want to buy”.

The power of design, story, and imagery have changed the world. Images and story have helped shape our culture. In an age of abundance and information overload it is becoming every more apparent that what we as educators need to do is think more like designers.

It doesn’t matter how many gadgets or gizmos you throw at a classroom, they will not make a difference unless the story behind the material is compelling, unless the process is visual, and unless you engage your students differently.

So I ask you, from one educator to another, to think about the following:

• Are you presenting your students with a clear and relevant problem?


• Is the material clear and telling a story?


• Is your approach visual?

If you are answering yes to all three, then you are more of a designer than you think. If you did not answer yes to the questions, then think about how you could change reconstruct your approach.

What we teach must take design into consideration. The days of just buying a shoe are over. Consumers want a story (TOMS) they can believe in. Education is no different. Designers are itching to make a difference. If you are not comfortable with this transition, reach out to someone who can help.

In short, designers can be educators and educators can be designers.

Photo credit: Active Free

Design as a mindset. Design as a methodology.

I recently joined the Be Playful team. After a year of transition, I have found an opportunity where I will help others understand the process of Design Thinking in order to engage our students and help them solve problems.

The concept of Design Thinking is something that is not necessarily new, rather it is a mindset that enable students to solve problems. When faced with a world where students, for the most part, are disconnected from school and are not engaged in the learning process, Design Thinking offers an alternative methodology that will transform any learning environment.

Below, David Kelly, the Founder and Chairman of IDEO, explains Design Thinking and how it can empower our students.



As an educator, I have seen students who came to school and went through the routine because it is what they are “required” to do in order to get to the next step in their lives. For those students, learning was not the goal, personal fulfillment was not the goal. A curriculum based around the principles of passion and problem solving changes that.

I am extremely excited about this next step in my career as it will enable me to help schools, and more importantly, students engage in their learning. This path will help students become active learners and problem solvers rather than passive recipients of information.

To learn more about Design Thinking, download this bootcamp provided by the Stanford d.school.

Photo credit: Think Public