Eng 9 2B & 4B: Suit Up, 30 Circles & Oreo Challenges

Suit Up.

We started today with Suit Up, an opportunity to learn about one another's super powers (strengths) and kryptonite (weaknesses).  We completed charts about the people sitting in our table groups.

30 Circles.

We then tried out designer Bob McKim's 30 Circles exercise.  Two minutes.  Transform thirty circles as many ways as you can.   Here are some of the results.

Oreo Challenge.

We synthesized the thinking from Suit Up and 30 Circles into our Oreo Challenge: How might we represent our superpowers or kryptonite with an Oreo cookie?   Twenty minutes later we had a whole slew of answers.

Guidelines & Expectations.

We ended class with a review of our Guidelines & Expectations posted here below.

There's a signature page that accompanied these as well.  Please get it filled out and returned to me  by next Monday.

I will not be here next class.  There will be a sub who will have your work for you.   If my plans line up like they should, and you take advantage of the time in class, you should not have any out of class work this week or this weekend.  

And next week?  Oh . . . next week . . . 

Out of Class Work.

Guidelines & Expectations sheet completed.

Returned.

Monday. 9.19.16.

Pop Culture 1B: Pop 3's, Thirty Circles & Oreo Challenges

Pop 3's.

We started today with Pop 3's:  List three films, artists/bands, apps, shows and games that you love.  We then circulated around the room and tried to find others who love what we love.  We found a bunch of interesting common denominators in the room including Monopoly, Panic! at the Disco Taylor Swift, Dr. Who, Fast and the Furious,  Now You See Me, Deadpool, Star Wars and others.

30 Circles.

We then tried out designer Bob McKim's 30 Circles exercise.  Two minutes.  Transform thirty circles as many ways as you can.   Here are some of the results.

Oreo Challenge.

We synthesized the thinking from Pop 3's and 30 Circles into our Oreo Challenge: How might we advertise the pop culture we love with an Oreo cookie?   Twenty minutes later we had a whole slew of answers.

Next class you will embark on your first more involved design challenge: How might we build models of our pop culture lineage?  You will have two days in class to complete this.  

When I return from BIF Summit 2016, an innovation conference I'm headed to where I'm hoping to make some connections that will result in more rad things happening in our class this semester, we will discuss the guidelines and expectations of the class and take a look at your lineage projects.   (More on the lineage project will be coming your way on Wednesday.) 

We will also be starting our blogs on Blogger this week.  A great deal to do, not a ton of time to do it, and there will be greatness abounding!  Solid day, everyone!

Humanities 2BG: Doodling to Think

Today was our first day with laptops.

We'll began with our thirty circles again as a quick warm up.  This led right into the rest of our thinking.

We watched a short news clip about a recent story about a break-in in Maine.

 We  identified  the key points as a class and then set them aside for a moment, while I showed you about these super cool tools from Austin Kleon.

We'll did some work with this alphabet and saw what we can create.  I even added an alphabet item or two.

Then we'll bring it back over to the key points and find ways to demonstrate the key points using the visual symbols we can create with the drawing alphabet.   We find it incredibly helpful and powerful for people to be able to express their ideas in both words and images -- even if those images are super simple.  (Actually, simple images can sometimes do the work of representing an idea much better than complex ones.)  

From here, you will be able to choose one out of six readings/listening/watchings to explore using this new set of thinking and demonstrating tools.  All of these readings and listenings can be found on our new Google Classroom space.  

Out of Class Work

Complete.  Guidelines & Expectations signatures sheet.

ASAP.

Complete.  Personal flag.

ASAP.

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.

Humanities 2BG: Less & More, Guidelines & Expectations

Collect.

We want to make sure we get your flags today.  And we also want to make sure folks have their design kits all bagged up and ready to roll.

Less/More Hashtag Activity.

Today we'll start with this video from Amy Burvall.

As you watch, you'll jot down the less/mores that speak to you.  After a think-pair-share, you and a partner will put a couple on Post-Its and we'll see which connected most.

We're doing this activity so I can get a sense of your abilities to watch a video for information, think about it, discuss it, and create something new from it.  

Then we'll take a few minutes to create our own and tweet/Instagram/Periscope them out.

Thirty Circles.

We are participating in a bit of an experiment with other students and thinkers in western Maine.  It's the thirty circles doodle experiment.  You'll have three minutes to fill all of the circles.

We're doing this activity so I can see how well you process visually.  We are going to be using sketching and doodling all year to help us understand complex ideas and develop rad skills.

Guidelines & Expectations.

Finally, the big activity of the day will be exploring Guidelines & Expectations.  We'll be using a notice/wish/wonder tool to help us better understand the handout you'll receive in class.

Here's a video of the Guidelines  & Expectations as well.  It's a bit hard to see but . . . it's there.

We're doing this to better understand what you will be doing in class this year and also for me to start assessing your reading and thinking skills.

Out of Class Work.

Please get the information sheet from the guidelines and expectations completed this week.

Due Friday 9.11.15

Complete your personal flag if you have not yet.

Due Friday 9.11.15 

Eng 9: Less/More, Thirty Circle & Guidelines & Expectations

Less/More Hashtag Activity.

Today we'll start with this video from Amy Burvall.

As you watch, you'll jot down the less/mores that speak to you.  After a think-pair-share, you and a partner will put a couple on Post-Its and we'll see which connected most.

We're doing this activity so I can get a sense of your abilities to watch a video for information, think about it, discuss it, and create something new from it.  

Then we'll take a few minutes to create our own and tweet/Instagram/Periscope them out.

Thirty Circles.

We are participating in a bit of an experiment with other students and thinkers in western Maine.  It's the thirty circles doodle experiment.  You'll have three minutes to fill all of the circles.

We're doing this activity so I can see how well you process visually.  We are going to be using sketching and doodling all year to help us understand complex ideas and develop rad skills.

Guidelines & Expectations.

Finally, the big activity of the day will be exploring Guidelines & Expectations.  We'll be using a notice/wish/wonder tool to help us better understand the handout you'll receive in class.

Here's a video of the Guidelines  & Expectations as well.  It's a bit hard to see but . . . it's there.

We're doing this to better understand what you will be doing in class this year and also for me to start assessing your reading and thinking skills.