Pop Culture: Design Challenge: Design a Band

Pop Culture: Design a Band

We start today with this "How Might We . . . ?"

How might we create an intentional band out of random elements?  

This will be run similar to a DEEPdt  flash lab.

DISCOVER.

Make a list of bands and artists that you believe have really great names. Even if you don't love the music or consider them a favorite, you hear the name and think, "that's a great name."  Throw in good names of movies, good names of books, TV series, while you are at it.  

Put three of your favorite names -- music or not -- and put each on a sticky note and up the marker board.

I notice.  I wish.  I wonder.  We'll look at those band names up on the board and discuss using only those stems to start our thinking.

EMPATHY.

Partner with someone you don't know particularly well.

PART 1. 

4 Questions

1. How big of a role does music play in your life?

2. When do you listen to music?

3. What sorts of music do you listen to in those times? Bands or artists

4. Tell me about a time  you remember listening to band, going to a concert, or having another experience with music that you really enjoyed.

PART 2.

3x3 Interviews.  Three questions.  Three subjects.

1. What sorts of fonts appeal to you?  Handwriting? Block? Serif? San Serif?

by mostash.

2. What colors appeal to you?

by Dehahs.

3. Do you prefer realistic or abstract images?

Realistic To Abstract from kyoung

Collect your responses and include them on your blog post when you discuss the album art you create.  Use what you know appeals to others visually to inform your choices.

EXPERIMENT.

Create-A-Band Process 

I'd Give Credit to the Creator of this Process  But It's From a While Back & I Can't Recall the Link! #arghface.

1. Go to the Random Article link on the Wikipedia front page. (You can find it in the top left navigation menu.) The title of the random article is your new band/artist's name.

2. Go to the Random Quote link on the Quotations Page front page. (You can find it in the left side navigation menu.) You will get a list of random quotes. Pull either a full or partial quote from that page. That is the album title for your band's latest release. (You might also find some song titles this way as well.)

3. Go to Flickr and click on the 'Interesting Uploads from the Last 7 Days' link. (You can find it by scrolling down and looking beside the 'Take the Tour' link.)

4. Pull that information together and then use an app like Pages, Google Draw or Google Docs, a photo editor like iPhoto or Gimp, or any other application that lets you manipulate words and images, and create your album cover.  Export your finished work as a .JPG and post it or  PDF and screenshot it and post it on your blog.

PRODUCE.

5.  On your blog, create a context for your band.  Who are the members?  How did they form and when?  What genre(s) do they play?  What was the gig that led to them making this album?  Where do they play? In other words, what is the story behind the band?  

Here's the big huge giant challenge of this creative endeavor: take those random elements from above and make them all seem intentional.  How might you create sense out of what might be nonsense by applying the filter of music to it?  What does this say about the power of music?

6. In a separate blog post, choose an artist or band you enjoy.  Select an album by that performer. Explore the relationship between the artist's name, the album's name, and the cover art for that album.  To what extent do they align?  Where do you see a clear relationship between the visuals and the music?  Where do you see it not working out?  What about the band's logo or the font used on the album cover?

One to two descriptive paragraphs with visuals to illustrate.

Extra helpful?  Embed some Vimeo links or Spotify links or other ways of proving your point through the music.

You might get some inspiration for your album covers here

10 Iconic Album Covers (Yahoo) Here

99 Well Designed Album Covers (Inspiredology) Here

21 Great Albums with Not So Great Art (AV Club) Here

Lego'd Album Covers Here

Next class we'll get into some feedback rounds for our bands.

Eng 9: To Solve a Mockingbird Day One

How might we invent solutions to the problems characters in To Kill a Mockingbird face using Little Bits and our maker cart materials?

DISCOVER.
Today we started by breaking into three groups and circulating around the room in a modified Chalk Talk.  Everyone had a marker and added to the chart paper asking what sorts of problems the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird are facing.   We considered Tom Robinson, Atticus, Jem, Scout and Boo.

Then we chose design teams.  People can work by themselves, with a partner or with two partners for this design challenge.  

EMPATHY.

Once teams were chosen, we selected the characters for whom we want to invent problem solving solutions.

We used a new tool called the Innovator's Compass to help us wrangle with our challenge.  It was created by a rad designer and educator, Ela Ben-Ur, and you can hear her explain it in this video.

We used it on the makerboard to create an example for Scout, since no one in class chose to design for her.

Here's the results of that work.

After completing Innovator's Compass' for each of our characters in our design teams, we ran the design sprint 8 Box protocol.  That's where you try to come up with 8 ideas in just four minutes.

I didn't take many pictures at this point because I was trying to help folks out.  But here's some rough video I captured.

Tonight's homework follows and it should help you set up for some great experimenting and producing on Wednesday and Friday.  

SHOW YOUR THINKING.

8 Box.  Put 4 minutes on the clock.   

Come up with 8 ideas for invention possibilities that could solve your character's problem.  

Time yourself and take a video using your laptop camera or any other device.  Submit your video to me on Google Drive in your Eng 9 IN folder.

Take a picture of your 8 Box.  Submit that to your folder as well.

Due. Wednesday 5.11.16

Empathy Map.

Use the Empathy Map template to map out what your character is saying and doing and how that relates to what they are thinking and feeling.  We've done this all year going back to Of Mice & Men.  Same idea.  New character.  New challenge.

Submit your map to your IN Folder.

Due. Wednesday 5.11.16

Innovator's Compass.

Please take pics of your compass and put them in your IN folder.

Due. Wednesday 5.11.16

AP Lit: To Be or Not to Be Design Challenge

I've copy and pasted the text from the design challenge brief that was shared with you in your Google Drive. I thought it would be helpful for you to have here as you revise and explore new iterations. Any components of the project or documentation of your process could also serve as excellent content for your blog and standards evidence there.

To Be or Not to Be: Design Challenge

Design Challenge.  How might we create dramatic presentations of “To Be or Not to Be” to demonstrate our analysis and understanding of the play as a whole?

Soliloquy Criteria.

• Must include original Shakespearean language, though it may be filtered through any sort of creative interpretation you so choose

• Must take the form of a product that can be watched and experienced, including video, animation, animatic (storyboard w voice over), radio drama/podcast, live performance

• Must be accompanied by a 1-page well-composed rationale that explains the intentions behind the production

• Must feel like an excerpt from a larger production and be aligned to those grander intentions

To achieve that final criterion, you must also create the following “story bible”

Story Bible Criteria.

• One paragraph descriptions for each of the central six characters: Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Polonious, Gertrude, Laertes

• Detailed description of the setting in which the narrative takes place

• One paragraph summaries of each Act in your production, with particular attention to the relationship these events have to your staging of Hamlet’s soliloquy; your goal here is alignment

You may include any visuals here that you believe will help convey your concept.

Design Process Criteria.

Document each of the first three stages of the design process with meaningful evidence.  

Discovery.  (Research & Exploration)

Empathy.  (Audience and User Needs; Character Empathy)

Experiment. (Doodles and Storyboards, Maps and Maybes)

Eng 9: Speak and Safety and Sanctuary Begin . . .

NO RED INK. We'll start with No Red Ink and our new unit there in complete sentences and fragments.  It's challenging stuff AND when people are doing the practice, they are getting stronger.

You can still retake Confusing Words 2 IF you complete some practice first and show me evidence.

DREAM TIME. Then we're going to do some dream time:  doodle a diagram of a castle, bank or house that is the safest place you can imagine.

DESIGN CHALLENGE. That takes us into a discussion of what makes us feel safe and our next design challenge:  How might we design a sanctuary for others?

You will design a sanctuary for another member of this class, someone you do not know well.  This will challenge your ability to empathize and to design for a real life user.

OR

You will design a sanctuary for a character in Speak that is not Melinda.  She already has a sanctuary.  This will challenge you to empathize AND to demonstrate understanding of the characters in the book.

We'll be going through the DEEP design process to do this starting today.

DISCOVERY.  What does it it mean to be safe? What are the experiences in our lives that make us feel secure? What does it mean to be unsafe? What are the experiences that make us experience fear? Where are the sanctuaries from which we can draw inspiration?

EMPATHY.  How might we understand another's worries and fears?  What unites us.  How might we see through another's eyes.

EXPERIMENT.  Drawings.  Models.  Minecraft.  Unity.  Tinkercad. Many options.

PRODUCE.  Present your findings.   Receive feedback.  Make plans for another iteration.

RAPID FIRE EMPATHY INTERVIEWS.  What makes us feel safe?

We'll start with a group brainstorm and then we'll run some empathy interviews and create empathy maps JUST like you did last week for Freaks and Geeks.

We'll also try to rock a whole mess of Post-It notes.

And then we'll keep reading Speak.  These next several chapters are going to be intense and I want to prepare you for them.

SHOW YOUR THINKING.

Blog.  Describe and/or draw  a place that makes you feel safe.  Then compare your space to the places in Speak that make Melinda feel safe.  Use evidence from the book to prove your points including the page numbers.

This could serve as reading evidence.

Due.  Wednesday.  3.16.16.

Read. Speak.

Pages 83 - 100.

Due. 3.16.16.

Study.  Roots Quiz 6-10.

Quiz. Friday. 3.25.16.

Humanities: Example of How to Design a Sanctuary for Others

Pop Culture: HMW Design a Film Festival

How might we design a film festival?  How might we demonstrate our listening & speaking skills via a film festival?

We'll use these for DISCOVERY phase. 15 min

http://www.sundance.org/pdf/film-guide/SFF14-FilmGuide.pdf

http://fantasticfest.com/

http://www.miff.org/

http://allsportslafilmfest.com/

http://iffboston.org/

http://www.festival-cannes.com/en.html

You might Notice/Wish/Wonder:

What do you notice about these film festivals?

What do you wish about film festivals?

What do you wonder about these film festivals?

OR

Rose/Bud/Thorn:

What are the roses (cool aspects) of these film festivals?

What are the buds (opportunities/ideas you have) based on these film festivals?

What are the thorns (things you don't like/find ineffective) in these film festivals?

EMPATHY phase. 15

Interview at least 2 people from another design team.

Ask these three Qs

Which genres of film do you enjoy the most?

Would you rather watch a film you love again or watch something new?

What

Ask at least one follow up question in each interview to help you program your festival.

Record the answers.

EXPERIMENT phase. 15 min.

Craft it!  Design it.  What are the films you would show?  What would it be called? Where would it be held?   Why?  Use your empathy knowledge and your discovery to help you.

PRODUCTION phase. 15 min.

Four corners feedback.  (More on this in class.)

Eng 9: Cardboard Challenge: Day One

A couple of weeks ago, you were introduced to Caine's Arcade and the Global Cardboard Challenge while I was away.

This week, we start meeting this Global Cardboard Challenge, our second design challenge on the heels of our Playlist for Others challenge.

Design Challenge: Global Cardboard Challenge

Design Challenge: How might we use cardboard to solve problems, create joy, and share passions?

Today we start our Discovery Phase by watching another video: Adventures of a Cardboard Box.

But first!  Box Doodles.  We've done Thirty Circles.  Now, we'll take three minutes and see what we can do with just a box.  Or as many boxes as you can muster.   (10 min.)

Keep those.  You'll need them as we watch . . .


The Adventures of a Cardboard Box from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

Think-Pair-Share. (30 min.)

Think. You'll have time to sketch more ideas from the video & see which ideas of yours show up in the video. (5 min.)

Pair. Then you will get together with a partner to share your notes and answer this question: What do you think the filmmakers want us to take away from "Adventures?" What's the message being delivered? The theme? (5 min.)

Share.  On index cards, doodle one of your box ideas.  On another (the bigger one) write the message you believe is being delivered. (5 min.)

Map & Sort.  We'll work in two groups.  One to sort the box ideas, one to sort the messages.  See what trends are emerging. (10 min.)

10 Minute Mini-Make. (Discover & Experiment.) (10 min.) 

I won't be giving you a box.  I'll be giving you a manilla folder, tape, 4 paper clips, and whatever is in your design kits to create something that either solves a problem, brings joy, or shares a passion.  These might become prototypes for your cardboard challenge.

This would fall under both of the Discover & Experiment phases of our design process.  (Next class, we'll be practicing some Empathy, experimenting some more, and getting into our design teams.)

Blogging.

We're going to add a new routine -- something I've never tried before.  Every class will end at 9.  You will have until the end of class to blog your takeaways from the class, to post evidence of your understanding, to read what others are saying.  I'll be-bop around the room to answer questions, help with technical problems, etc.

Show Your Learning.

Blog: 3+ Posts 

Creative Blog Post. #ShowYourWork on Your Global Cardboard Challenge design.

Sketches. Doodles. Maps.  Lists. Ideas.  Mini Makes. 

Due. Friday. 10.2.15 

Study. Roots Quiz #1  FRIDAY. (We should have taken this last week.)

Use the Quizlet to Help You Study.

Know the Root & What It Means.

Other Evidence of Learning:  In addition to the taking the quiz, you may want to create a roots product that demonstrates your understanding of the roots and what they mean.  Some of us struggle with quizzes as a way of proving we know something, but if we get a chance to use our knowledge, we knock it out of the park.  Consider writing a story, a set of instructions, making a video, recording a podcast, building something on Minecraft or in LEGO, recording a song, drawing a comic strip, or some other way of showing me that you know those roots and what they mean in a way that shows you truly understand. 

Due.  Friday. 10.2.15 

Pop Culture: Design-a-Band

Blogging Rubric 2015.


We start today with this "How Might We . . . ?"

How might we create an intentional band out of random elements?  

This will be run similar to a DEEPdt  flash lab.

DISCOVER.

Make a list of bands and artists that you believe have really great names. Even if you don't love the music or consider them a favorite, you hear the name and think, "that's a great name."  Throw in good names of movies, good names of books, TV series, while you are at it.  

Put three of your favorite names -- music or not -- and put each on a sticky note and up the marker board.

I notice.  I wish.  I wonder.  We'll look at those band names up on the board and discuss using only those stems to start our thinking.

EMPATHY.

3x3 Interviews.  Three questions.  Three subjects.

1. What sorts of fonts appeal to you?  Handwriting? Block? Serif? San Serif?

by mostash.

2. What colors appeal to you?

by Dehahs.

3. Do you prefer realistic or abstract images?

Realistic To Abstract from kyoung

Collect your responses and include them on your blog post when you discuss the album art you create.  Use what you know appeals to others visually to inform your choices.

EXPERIMENT.

Create-A-Band Process 

I'd Give Credit to the Creator of this Process  But It's From a While Back & I Can't Recall the Link! #arghface.

1. Go to the Random Article link on the Wikipedia front page. (You can find it in the top left navigation menu.) The title of the random article is your new band/artist's name.

2. Go to the Random Quote link on the Quotations Page front page. (You can find it in the left side navigation menu.) You will get a list of random quotes. Pull either a full or partial quote from that page. That is the album title for your band's latest release. (You might also find some song titles this way as well.)

3. Go to Flickr and click on the 'Interesting Uploads from the Last 7 Days' link. (You can find it by scrolling down and looking beside the 'Take the Tour' link.)

4. Pull that information together and then use an app like Pages, Google Draw or Google Docs, a photo editor like iPhoto or Gimp, or any other application that lets you manipulate words and images, and create your album cover.  Export your finished work as a .JPG and post it or  PDF and screenshot it and post it on your blog.

PRODUCE.

5.  On your blog, create a context for your band.  Who are the members?  How did they form and when?  What genre(s) do they play?  What was the gig that led to them making this album?  Where do they play? In other words, what is the story behind the band?  

Here's the big huge giant challenge of this creative endeavor: take those random elements from above and make them all seem intentional.  How might you create sense out of what might be nonsense by applying the filter of music to it?  What does this say about the power of music?

6. In a separate blog post, choose an artist or band you enjoy.  Select an album by that performer. Explore the relationship between the artist's name, the album's name, and the cover art for that album.  To what extent do they align?  Where do you see a clear relationship between the visuals and the music?  Where do you see it not working out?  What about the band's logo or the font used on the album cover?

One to two descriptive paragraphs with visuals to illustrate.

Extra helpful?  Embed some Vimeo links or Spotify links or other ways of proving your point through the music.

You might get some inspiration for your album covers here

10 Iconic Album Covers (Yahoo) Here

99 Well Designed Album Covers (Inspiredology) Here

21 Great Albums with Not So Great Art (AV Club) Here

Lego'd Album Covers Here

Show Your Learning.

Blog. 3+ Posts.

Creative Blog Post. Create a 5 Card Flickr where each image you choose becomes either a) an alternative album cover for an album that already exists or b) a new album by an artist/band that already exists.  Explain your thinking in a few sentences for each new cover.

Due. Friday, Sept 18. 

Other Posts?  

5.  On your blog, create a context for your band.  Who are the members?  How did they form and when?  What genre(s) do they play?  What was the gig that led to them making this album?  Where do they play? In other words, what is the story behind the band?  

Here's the big huge giant challenge of this creative endeavor: take those random elements from above and make them all seem intentional.  How might you create sense out of what might be nonsense by applying the filter of music to it?  What does this say about the power of music?

6. In a separate blog post, choose an artist or band you enjoy.  Select an album by that performer. Explore the relationship between the artist's name, the album's name, and the cover art for that album.  To what extent do they align?  Where do you see a clear relationship between the visuals and the music?  Where do you see it not working out?  What about the band's logo or the font used on the album cover?

One to two descriptive paragraphs with visuals to illustrate.

Extra helpful?  Embed some Vimeo links or Spotify links or other ways of proving your point through the music.

Curate. 1 item.

Pin on Your Pop Culture Pinboard & Use #Flight307pc.

Due.  Friday, Sept 18.

Humanities 2BG: Oreo Challenge & Blogs

Today, you we set up our blogs on Blogger.

Blogging.

Blogging Rubric 2015.
You will be keeping a blog throughout the year on Blogger using your school Gmail account. I've embedded and linked the rubric for blogging here.

What content should you include?  Each week you can expect a creative challenge related to our current focus.  The other two-plus entries may come from day to day work you are doing for class, from creative expression, from general reflections.  Show your thinking.  Provide evidence of your knowing.  That's the goal.

After the first week, you should be looking to connect to at least one other thinker in the Humanities ranks, linking to an idea that inspires you to respond. There are several intentions to the blog:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the readings, viewings, and listenings from class.
• Connect and reflect upon one another's ideas.
• Reach beyond the walls of our classroom to share our thinking and benefit from other perspectives.
• Create a record of learning, illustrating your growth over the space of your year.

Design Challenge: HMW Oreo?

You had twenty to minutes to work with a partner, two partners, or solo, use any space on campus, any materials in the room, as you tackled the following design challenge: How might we advertise Humanities with an Oreo?

Post your results on your blog and I will post links and share out the greatness.  

Show the Learning.
Blog. 3+ Posts.
Creative Blog Post: Create a 5 Card Flickr Story Related to One of Articles/Videos from the Selection Mr. Brackett posted on Google Classroom.
Due. Friday, 9.18.15
Study.  Roots List #1
Quiz. Thursday, 9.24.15

Eng 9: Laptops, Suiting Up and Oreos.

Today was our first day with laptops.  We did a pretty good job staying on point.  We really need to to be careful about getting distracted with laptop issues when we don't need to be focused on them.  (VPP could have waited.)

That said, we did some great work with Suit Up, an opportunity to get to know one another a bit better, names, strengths, weakness, Oreos.

After getting to know five other people in class, you then tackled the mini-design challenge of "How might we demonstrate a super power or kryptonite with an Oreo?"  You were allowed to use any materials in the room and could get a additional Oreos if you pitched the idea to me.

Out of Class Work

Bring In to School. Over the weekend, find three items from home that represent you in a meaningful way and bring them in.  Please do not bring anything valuable or fragile.  And these items need to be transportable in a reasonable way.  Think about what might fit in a backpack or a pocket.

Due.  Monday, 9.14.15.

Complete.  Guidelines and Expectations signature sheet.  

Due. ASAP.

If Possible, Gather.  Design Kit.

Due. ASAP if Possible.

Pop Culture 3B: Circles and Oreos

Thirty Circles.

We opened today with the thirty circles exercise.


We will be revisiting this exercise a bunch of times, with variations on each,  to help us jog our brains and get thinking about possibilities and creative solutions.  This exercise is used by designers, engineers, and collaborative teams in all sorts of industries to help shake up typical ways of thinking.

Circles of Pop Culture

From there we identified the various categories of pop culture and then narrowed them down to eight.  These eight will constitute our curriculum for the semester: music, film, fashion, internet/social media, food, gaming, sports, TV.

We used sets of colored circles to demonstrate individual, and in some cases group, preferences and interest in the above categories.

I will use these images (and the others provided) as polling data to help me design the course for the semester, starting with next week.

Oreo Design Challenge

With our last twenty minutes, we tackled another mini design challenge: How might we create advertisements for the pop culture we love using an Oreo?   Using only twenty minutes, an Oreo (or two), and any materials/locations in the school, create a visual advertisement for a piece of pop culture you love.

Here are a few of our results.

Friday, we'll tackle our next mini design challenge and we'll use our DEEPdt design process for the first time this year.