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
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Just publish
I found the Do Lectures today. Similar to TED, these talks highlight great ideas and bring them to the public via the use of video. Unlike TED, each speaker is required to issue a "Do" statement, requesting that the audience take action.
In his "Do" Talk, which can be found below, Craig Mod, focuses on how digital media is giving the publishing world a new life rather than destroying it.
Mod wrote Kickstartup, which documents how he used Kickstarter to get his book Art Space Tokyo published after it had been out of print. He states that this model can be recreated by anyone in order to re-think what it means to publish in a digital world.
In his talk, Mod's request or "Do" was that everyone:
In a world where text can now become interactive and the restrictions that prevent publishing have become almost zero, the value of publishing as an educational pathway has never been more evident.
But I don't mean having students writing a blog for grade and for the blog to have no meaning. Good writing does not come from pressure to preform for a grade, good writing starts with a passion.
If students engage in something that matters to them, are given a voice, and develop an audience, learning WILL happen.
If the passion is there, it will be nurtured and fed. If the passion is there, a community will develop. If the passion is there, the student will become an AUTHOR.
If every student published a blog that was driven by their passion, learning will happen not because it was required by the teacher for a grade but because the student cared. Learning is not something you force. It is something that grows. If we give students a platform for a passion, it will can become the perfect vehicle for learning while also providing them a sense of self worth and pride.
So, do me a favor and have each of your students grant Mod's request - Just Publish
In his "Do" Talk, which can be found below, Craig Mod, focuses on how digital media is giving the publishing world a new life rather than destroying it.
Mod wrote Kickstartup, which documents how he used Kickstarter to get his book Art Space Tokyo published after it had been out of print. He states that this model can be recreated by anyone in order to re-think what it means to publish in a digital world.
In his talk, Mod's request or "Do" was that everyone:
- Read digital artifacts
- Publish
In a world where text can now become interactive and the restrictions that prevent publishing have become almost zero, the value of publishing as an educational pathway has never been more evident.
But I don't mean having students writing a blog for grade and for the blog to have no meaning. Good writing does not come from pressure to preform for a grade, good writing starts with a passion.
If students engage in something that matters to them, are given a voice, and develop an audience, learning WILL happen.
If the passion is there, it will be nurtured and fed. If the passion is there, a community will develop. If the passion is there, the student will become an AUTHOR.
If every student published a blog that was driven by their passion, learning will happen not because it was required by the teacher for a grade but because the student cared. Learning is not something you force. It is something that grows. If we give students a platform for a passion, it will can become the perfect vehicle for learning while also providing them a sense of self worth and pride.
So, do me a favor and have each of your students grant Mod's request - Just Publish
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Thirty Conversations on Design
"Thirty Conversations on Design" documents what some of the most creative professionals think of design. While there were a number of great talks, and I suggest you take a look, there were a few that stood out to me
This included a talk by Emily Pilloton, who describes how learning can be reshaped by using design principles. She runs Project H Design, which is dedicated to "the re-thinking of environments, products, experiences, and curricula for K-12 education institutions in the US."
Another education related talk was Dan Pink, who discusses using design to reshape systems. In particular, he focuses on how we should not be optimizing current systems, which has been the traditional practice but rather use design thinking to create new approaches to solving our biggest problems within education and other systems like health care.
If you believe we must rethink how we approach what, how and where students learn, I challenge you to take a deeper look into design thinking and how it can be a catalyst for actual reform within systems like education.
To learn more, visit
K-12 Lab @ Standford's d.school
Project H Design
Nueva School
This included a talk by Emily Pilloton, who describes how learning can be reshaped by using design principles. She runs Project H Design, which is dedicated to "the re-thinking of environments, products, experiences, and curricula for K-12 education institutions in the US."
Another education related talk was Dan Pink, who discusses using design to reshape systems. In particular, he focuses on how we should not be optimizing current systems, which has been the traditional practice but rather use design thinking to create new approaches to solving our biggest problems within education and other systems like health care.
If you believe we must rethink how we approach what, how and where students learn, I challenge you to take a deeper look into design thinking and how it can be a catalyst for actual reform within systems like education.
To learn more, visit
K-12 Lab @ Standford's d.school
Project H Design
Nueva School
Friday, July 30, 2010
Requirements for change
The word change has different connotations depending upon who you are. For some, it incites fear. For others, it is thrilling and the focus of their work. In my experience, leadership is about harnessing an ability to be visionary and anticipate change while also being able to understand your colleagues, their predispositions towards change, meet them where they are and be persistent in the support of your vision in order to successfully implement that change.
Vision
For many leaders, this is the easy part. Vision is an ability to see possibilities, to envision a better school through certain changes, understanding that like every other industry, your world changes and to stay relevant you must be able to adapt to that change. When a leader is able to look forward and has a clear vision to what school must include, she is taking the first step. There are many school leaders that embody this idea but a couple that stand out are Chris Lehmann and George Couros. If you want to understand why vision is so important, read up on these men. They are true visionaries.
Understanding
Almost more importantly, understanding your faculty and their inclinations towards change is vital to a successful implementation of a clear vision. While you should not limit your vision because your faculty may not all be supportive, you must understand where your faculty are and be able to find a path for them to reach your vision on their own terms. For a school leader to be able to implement her vision, she must be able to find methods that meet their faculty half way. Understanding and acknowledging their biases while giving them incentive to think forward will lead to a greater chance of success.
Instituting mandates to create change will not work. Ensure that you create a cohort of supporters who will readily test your vision in order to provide you data. In addition, provide your reluctant adopters the time and support to explore your vision on their own terms. They may not value your vision at first but that's where persistence comes into play.
Persistence
To ensure a successful change in a school, a leader must be persistent. When a leader does not give up and makes an idea the cornerstone of her success, the faculty will understand that it will not simply go away. That being said, keep the idea manageable. Ensure that your faculty will not be biting off more than they can chew at one time. If the vision is powerful yet manageable and your support for it is persistent, the faculty will understand that they cannot simply avoid it. In turn, the vision will begin to receive traction, data will begin to be collected to validate and if successful, the idea will become accepted by the community.
Change will initially be met by challenges but a leader who has a clear vision, understands her faculty, maps out a clear path to meet them half way and is persistent in continuing to stick to the vision will ultimately find success.
Photo Credit: Scott McLeod
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Time Perspectives and Education
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Yesterday I watched this talk given by Phillip Zimbardo, a psychologist and professor at Stanford University. In the talk, he focuses on how cultures are divided by perspectives of time and uses education as a case study. He broke it down the differences into being “past oriented” or “future oriented”.
Zimbardo states that our current model of education is a “past oriented” one: a culture that connects to adults and what they needed in order to function based upon their understanding of time. While this model was successful in the past, it has not successful for students today and is leading to a student dropout rate of one student every nine seconds.
Current students on the other hand, are growing up in a digital age and are “future oriented”. Students are living in a world where they create and play. They are using digital technologies, playing video games, and their sense of time and what is important to them is vastly different from that of adults. Young adults are struggling with the current model of education, as their brains have been “digitally rewired”.
As we deal with these two orientations, Zimbardo suggests that we do our best to balance this conflict of time perspectives. When thinking of the current education system, it is our job as educational innovators to do the following:
1. Do everything we can to help “past oriented” folks understand the shifts that are taking place and why they matter to how we teach;
2. work with our administrations and teachers to examine alternative paths that reach the “future oriented” students;
3. and find a balance so both “past oriented” teachers and “future oriented” students are successful.
If we can find that balance between the “past oriented” and “future oriented” cultures, our students will be more engaged and will want to be in school. Speak to your administrators, show them this video, and have frank conversations about what approaches work for your school’s culture and moves you closer to addressing the needs of a “future oriented” student body.
See below for examples of some schools that are implementing a different approach to address this problem. Hopefully these examples will help as you try to address the conflict of time perspectives at your respective school.
Links
Yesterday I watched this talk given by Phillip Zimbardo, a psychologist and professor at Stanford University. In the talk, he focuses on how cultures are divided by perspectives of time and uses education as a case study. He broke it down the differences into being “past oriented” or “future oriented”.
Past Oriented
Zimbardo states that our current model of education is a “past oriented” one: a culture that connects to adults and what they needed in order to function based upon their understanding of time. While this model was successful in the past, it has not successful for students today and is leading to a student dropout rate of one student every nine seconds.
Future Oriented
Current students on the other hand, are growing up in a digital age and are “future oriented”. Students are living in a world where they create and play. They are using digital technologies, playing video games, and their sense of time and what is important to them is vastly different from that of adults. Young adults are struggling with the current model of education, as their brains have been “digitally rewired”.
Conflict of Time Perspectives
As we deal with these two orientations, Zimbardo suggests that we do our best to balance this conflict of time perspectives. When thinking of the current education system, it is our job as educational innovators to do the following:
1. Do everything we can to help “past oriented” folks understand the shifts that are taking place and why they matter to how we teach;
2. work with our administrations and teachers to examine alternative paths that reach the “future oriented” students;
3. and find a balance so both “past oriented” teachers and “future oriented” students are successful.
If we can find that balance between the “past oriented” and “future oriented” cultures, our students will be more engaged and will want to be in school. Speak to your administrators, show them this video, and have frank conversations about what approaches work for your school’s culture and moves you closer to addressing the needs of a “future oriented” student body.
See below for examples of some schools that are implementing a different approach to address this problem. Hopefully these examples will help as you try to address the conflict of time perspectives at your respective school.
Links
Hacking Secondary Education
A great deal has been written about education reform. It seems as though there are as many approaches to reforming school as there are reformers. This is as true in secondary education as it is in higher education. To a certain degree, the principles behind reforming or “hacking” the educational system are uniform. In an era where technology is completely transforming how we connect, collaborate and create, the world of education is struggling to deal with this shift. In my mind there seem to be three areas where secondary educators can “hack” classroom and curriculum design.
Independent Learning
In an era where information is everywhere, educators must reexamine how and from where content is obtained. Students should receive a Google Reader account rather than a textbook. Information is no longer static, we should no longer be willing to accept that a textbook offers us the best option. Access to RSS feeds and direction from a teacher on what to look for, allows students to become curators of their own learning. When we empower students with the opportunity to learn on their own, while helping them understand what to look for, they take ownership of their learning and it inherently becomes more meaningful. In addition, using micro-blogging platforms like Twitter or creating using social bookmarking sites like Diigo allows the emphasis to be put on the students as curators of information rather than the teachers as the distrubtors of knowledge. When a student takes ownership of his or her learning, not only do we disrupt the current model but we create students who see begin to see the value of learning.
Authentic Learning
The end result of learning does not have to be a multiple choice test. When learning can be directly connected to something real, something tangible, something meaningful, students will rise to the occasion. This is not a unrealistic goal. With the advent of mobile devices like the iPhone, learning does not have to be restricted to the classroom. Using a number of applications on their phone, Math students learning about geometry could develop a greenhouse for their school. Following the CrisisCommons model and aiding their local community, a History class could learn about the 1950’s atomic culture by documenting all the public emergency locations on a Google Map and releasing it to the public. No matter the discipline, there are opportunities to make learning a real and meaningful experience that goes beyond the test.
Styles of Learning
To truly hack the secondary educational system, we need to have multiple tracks for students to take based upon their learning style. If a student is not a morning person, then he or she should be given the opportunity to take the majority of his or her core classes online at their leisure while coming into the physical school in the afternoon for labs or collaborative planning sessions. Online learning not only allows flexible schedules but also provides opportunities for students to learn through their strengths. Auditory learners can listen to recorded podcasts on any given topic. Visual learners could access a repository of videos. Online media can become an opportunity for students to master content on their own terms. Learning outcomes that are developed when a student is learning in his or her comfort zone will lead to a deeper understanding.
Conclusion
New technologies are transforming the way we operate on a daily basis. Many traditional institutions are struggling as they adapt. Secondary education is no different. The opportunities are there, the platforms are online, the information is available. It is now up to us to take the and ensure that our schools understand their options and realize that the status quo is not good enough as we move further into the 21st century and our students need to be prepared for an entirely different world.
Independent Learning
In an era where information is everywhere, educators must reexamine how and from where content is obtained. Students should receive a Google Reader account rather than a textbook. Information is no longer static, we should no longer be willing to accept that a textbook offers us the best option. Access to RSS feeds and direction from a teacher on what to look for, allows students to become curators of their own learning. When we empower students with the opportunity to learn on their own, while helping them understand what to look for, they take ownership of their learning and it inherently becomes more meaningful. In addition, using micro-blogging platforms like Twitter or creating using social bookmarking sites like Diigo allows the emphasis to be put on the students as curators of information rather than the teachers as the distrubtors of knowledge. When a student takes ownership of his or her learning, not only do we disrupt the current model but we create students who see begin to see the value of learning.
Authentic Learning
The end result of learning does not have to be a multiple choice test. When learning can be directly connected to something real, something tangible, something meaningful, students will rise to the occasion. This is not a unrealistic goal. With the advent of mobile devices like the iPhone, learning does not have to be restricted to the classroom. Using a number of applications on their phone, Math students learning about geometry could develop a greenhouse for their school. Following the CrisisCommons model and aiding their local community, a History class could learn about the 1950’s atomic culture by documenting all the public emergency locations on a Google Map and releasing it to the public. No matter the discipline, there are opportunities to make learning a real and meaningful experience that goes beyond the test.
Styles of Learning
To truly hack the secondary educational system, we need to have multiple tracks for students to take based upon their learning style. If a student is not a morning person, then he or she should be given the opportunity to take the majority of his or her core classes online at their leisure while coming into the physical school in the afternoon for labs or collaborative planning sessions. Online learning not only allows flexible schedules but also provides opportunities for students to learn through their strengths. Auditory learners can listen to recorded podcasts on any given topic. Visual learners could access a repository of videos. Online media can become an opportunity for students to master content on their own terms. Learning outcomes that are developed when a student is learning in his or her comfort zone will lead to a deeper understanding.
Conclusion
New technologies are transforming the way we operate on a daily basis. Many traditional institutions are struggling as they adapt. Secondary education is no different. The opportunities are there, the platforms are online, the information is available. It is now up to us to take the and ensure that our schools understand their options and realize that the status quo is not good enough as we move further into the 21st century and our students need to be prepared for an entirely different world.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Banning social media is a bad call
Last night I found this article. It is about Anthony Orsini, a principal in New Jersey, who is asking parents to ban all social media from their children. In a letter to parents Orsini wrote:
It is leadership like this that is misguided and more dangerous than prohibiting the technologies from the students. By banning social media you create a us vs. them scenario that is destined to create a greater rift between students and parents and schools.
Social media is not going away. If schools turn their head to the ubiquity of social media in our students lives not only will we push them away but we will be doing them a disservice as they will not be prepared for a world where connectivity drives all industries.
The only viable approach we can take is to educate our students, faculty and parents on the potential and danger with social technologies. To turn a blind eye to how our students communicate is dangerous but so is to ban all technologies. It is our responsibility to adapt to changes, understand how we can utilize them to best prepare our students while teaching them of the dangers as well.
Please do the following: sit down with your child (and they are just children still) and tell them that they are not allowed to be a member of any social networking site. Today!Let them know that you will at some point every week be checking their text messages online! You have the ability to do this through your cell phone provider.
Let them know that you will be installing Parental Control Software so you can tell every place they have visited online, and everything they have instant messaged or written to a friend. Don't install it behind their back, but install it!
It is leadership like this that is misguided and more dangerous than prohibiting the technologies from the students. By banning social media you create a us vs. them scenario that is destined to create a greater rift between students and parents and schools.
Social media is not going away. If schools turn their head to the ubiquity of social media in our students lives not only will we push them away but we will be doing them a disservice as they will not be prepared for a world where connectivity drives all industries.
The only viable approach we can take is to educate our students, faculty and parents on the potential and danger with social technologies. To turn a blind eye to how our students communicate is dangerous but so is to ban all technologies. It is our responsibility to adapt to changes, understand how we can utilize them to best prepare our students while teaching them of the dangers as well.
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