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

Next Generation of Makers

This cartoon by @howtoons exemplifies the kind of curiosity and desire to create that can empower students and make them the "life-long learners" we always hear about. When students take ownership of their learning, the game changes. They become passionate about learning.

The image also speaks to the idea that students are learning more on YouTube and elsewhere than inside a classroom. As Diana Laufenberg mentions in her TED Talk, content we used to passs on to students can be obtained elsewhere. We must be curators and guides as we empower our students to create and use their knowledge to be solve problems that matter to them and their community.

If we provide our students the opportunity to be curious and create, we are giving them the best education they could ever receive from us.

P.S. If you're interested in buying a print of the cartoon, you can find it here.

Photo credit: Howtoons

Why didn't I think of that?

When it comes to learning and design, the first hurdle is simply looking around and asking yourself, "how could this be better?"

For instance, someone applied the design process to a traditional watering can and came up with something much better.

So it stands, rather than asking 'Why didn't I think of that?", we should frame the way we approach learning with this question, "How can we make this better?"

This idea comes from the Cooper Hewitt Museum.

New rules

When I was growing up there were simple rules I was to follow.

1. Be a good person

2. Brush your teeth after you eat

3. Don't hit your sister

In a world that has been forever altered by the age of the Interwebs, these rules are still very much relevant (especially the one about not hitting your sister) but there are some very important rules that we must also understand.

We are no longer dependent on media monopolies for our information and the ability to access information from a number of different sources has never been easier. In turn, we must learn a new set of rules when it comes to media.

On the website for his book, Mediactive, Dan Gilmor states these "principles":

We are now not only consumers but creators of media. With this, comes responsibility. More often than not the information we receive is not exactly accurate.

So, as you go out and become a consumer or creator of media, which we all do in one way or another, be careful and follow Dan Gilmor's rules:

For Media “Consumers”

Even those of us who are creating a variety of media are still–and always will be–more consumers than creators. For all of us in this category, the principles come mostly from common sense. They include skepticism, judgment, reporting, expanding one’s own vision and understanding how it all works. More specifically:

1. Be skeptical of absolutely everything.

2. Don’t be equally skeptical of everything.

3. Go outside your personal comfort zone.

4. Ask more questions.

5. Understand and learn media techniques.

For Media Creators

All of the principles for consumers are part of the toolkit of every responsible journalist or information provider. So are the following. The first four — thoroughness, accuracy, fairness and independence — are standard for journalists of all kinds, and are widely accepted inside of traditional news organizations. The fifth — transparency — is somewhat new and considerably more controversial, and even more critical in a distributed media age.

1. Do your homework, and then do some more.

2. Get it right, every time.

3. Be fair to everyone.

4. Think independently, especially of your own biases.

5. Practice and demand transparency.

Photo credit: Kevin Lim

Three Ways of Learning

Diana Laufenberg, a friend and teacher at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA, gave a great TED Talk that speaks directly to what learning is and what it is not.

Specifically, Diana mentions that schools should not be repositories of information but rather opportunities for students to learn in the three ways mentioned above.

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