Eng 9: Speak and Little Bits

We started today with more improv.  Last week we played symphony.  Today we played machine.  We end up creating a pretty disturbing little device, but hey!  Why not?

Then we busted out the Little Bits and experimented with what we might make with them.

Next class we will get much more intentional with the Little Bits.  We will be running a design sprint to invent devices that could help Melinda, Mr. Freeman, Heather or another character in Speak.  

After working with Little Bits we focused on completing empathy maps based on the characters in Speak.  Choose Melinda, Mr. Freeman, Heather or a character of your choice.  Identify what the character says and does by providing text evidence -- be certain to include page numbers.   On the right hand side of the empathy map, connect what that character says and does to what you believe the character thinks and feels.  The goal is to try and get into that character's point of view.

Turn your empathy map into a blog post.

For next class, please read through page 85

SHOW YOUR THINKING.

Blog.  Empathy Map: Speak.

Explain your thinking.

Due. Wednesday, March 2nd.

Read.  Speak.  Up to Page 85.

Due. Wednesday, March 2nd.

Study.  Roots 6-9 Quiz.

Due. Friday, March 4th.

Get ready for No Red Ink to return at the end of the week and during next.

Humanities: Fidget Design Challenge: This Week at a Glance

Hi folks,

Here you will find the game plan for Monday through Friday, including the blog prompts for each of the days.

Monday.

Station 1. Blake Videos.  Watch the videos.  As a group, affinity map them with Post-Its. What are the common denominators across the videos?  What are the outliers?

Station 2.  Low-Rez Tinkering.  Use the materials from the maker cart to experiment with designs for fidgets.  Our finished designs will be produced on the printer.  This is a chance to experiment in a quick way.  

Station 3.  Empathy Interview & Poll Design.  Work in a group to determine Qs to ask possible users as we try to create a design that meets their needs.  Determine poll items that we might be able to email/distribute through social media.

Station 4. Tinkercad Experimenting.  Play around with Tinkercad as you explore shapes, patterns and possibilities.  Try to create different textures w the tools available to you.

Station 5. Crazy Eights.  Use the Crazy Eights method to come up with 8 ideas for fidgets in only 5 minutes.  Then take one of those ideas and expand it into a 3-stage storyboard.  

Blog Prompt:  Adventure Grid Story.  Tell the story of your Discovery process.  What did you watch, read, listen and/or do and what did you learn along the way?   Use your storytelling skills to share your journey of learning about stress, anxiety, fidgets and design.   You should have an experience from at least three quadrants of the adventure grid.  DUE TUESDAY, 3/1.

Tuesday.

Station 1. Blake Videos.  Watch the videos.  As a group, affinity map them with Post-Its. What are the common denominators across the videos?  What are the outliers?  FINISH the videos?  Move on to the blog prompt.

Station 2.  Low-Rez Tinkering.  Doodle and use the materials from the maker cart to experiment with designs for fidgets.  Our finished designs will be produced on the printer.  This is a chance to experiment in a quick way.  

Station 3.  Empathy Interviews & Polls.  Go and interview.  You have enough time to hunt down at least one person.  We may also have some online opportunities to interview people/students not in our building.

Station 4. Tinkercad Experimenting.  Play around with Tinkercad as you explore shapes, patterns and possibilities.  Try to create different textures w the tools available to you.

Station 5. Crazy Eights.  Use the Crazy Eights method to come up with 8 ideas for fidgets in only 5 minutes.  Then take one of those ideas and expand it into a 3-stage storyboard.  Did it yesterday?  AWESOME.  MORE!  

Blog Prompt:  Blake Mycoskie and Start Something That Matters.  Based on the trends and outliers of what you saw in the Mycoskie videos, what do you believe it means to "Start Something That Matters?"  What are three questions you hope Mycoskie will answer in his book?   What are three OTHER questions you would like to ask him.  DUE WEDNESDAY, 3/2

Wednesday.

Station 1. Start Something That Matters Book Orientation.  Flip through the book.  Get familiar with how it is laid out, how the sections are determined, what sort of features are in there.  Create a sketchnote of how Start Something That Matters is organized and designed.  

Station 2. Empathy Interviews.  Go.  Interview.  Engage.

Station 3. Empathy Interviews.  Go.  Interview.  Engage.  More.  

Station 4. Low-Rez, Doodling and Tinkercad experimenting.

Station 5. Low-Rez, Doodling and Tinkercard experimenting.

Blog:  Empathy Interview and Empathy Map.  Document the results of your empathy interview and a complete an Empathy Map for at least one of your interviewees.  DUE THURSDAY, 3/3

Thursday.

1. Roots Quiz 9.  

2. Empathy Sorts.  What are the trends and outliers we are discovering in our interviews and our polls? 

What do we have to keep in mind with our experiments and our prototypes? Identify 3 big takeaways to inform our work. 

 

3. Tinkercad designing and printing.

Blog:  Connect the Dots.  Explain through sketchnotes, writing, audio and/or video how your current design for a fidget has been informed by your adventure grid work, your empathy interviews, crazy eights and/or any other process this week.  

Friday.

1. Experiment & print. 

2. Complete all blogs. 

3.  Group Share Out.  5 minutes per group.  Design so far.  Four corners critique sessions.