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!

Eng 9 4B: Room Re-Design, Patterns & LEGO My Life

Eng 9 4B: Room Re-Design, Patterns & LEGO My Life

Patterns.

We started our day playing an improv game called patterns.  It is intended to get folks used to keeping track of information and learning the names of everyone in the room at the same time.  IMPORTANT GOAL.  Everyone knows everyone's names by the end of Fair Week.

We struggled just a wee bit and emerged victorious after only two efforts in our quest to complete both patterns at once.  

We'll be doing some more work next week on being okay with screw ups and foul ups and mistakes.

Classroom Re-Design.

Then we looked at the current state of affairs in the room redesign and giving some feedback using the Rose/Bud/Thorn process.

Here's a little video that explains Rose/Bud/Thorn from my friend, Dr. Lisa Abel-Palmieri, who introduced me to this bit of radness.

We circulated around the room and made observations of features and concerns that we could not see from our seats.  We noted and doodle them, shared within our groups, and then identified a key rose, bud and thorn from each group that was worth sharing.  We seem to be liking the seating arrangements (rose), we have high hopes for the design corner (bud), and we still see a lot of work to be done in terms of organizing the room -- especially the maker carts and the boxes above the closet (thorn).

LEGO My LIFE.

From there busted out the LEGO and faced this rapid fire design challenge: How might we show something meaningful to us in LEGO?  

Folks interpreted this question literally and figuratively, which was the whole point.  For me to see what aspects of your life matter to you, while also getting a sense of how you think and express your ideas.  Somehow I managed to miss a couple of LEGO designs from the room.   I thought I captured them all.

https://goo.gl/photos/oH14dUi6vCmchEEK8

Out of Class Work.

1-Page Writing:  Consider what you decided to make out of LEGO?  Why did you choose that of all things to create?  Why is it so important to you.

Let this piece of writing represent your best effort.  Give me a sense of your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

Eng 9 2B: Room Re-Design, Patterns & LEGO My Life

We started our day by looking at the current state of affairs in the room redesign and giving some feedback using the Rose/Bud/Thorn process.

Here's a little video that explains Rose/Bud/Thorn from my friend, Dr. Lisa Abel-Palmieri, who introduced me to this bit of radness.

We circulated around the room and made observations of features and concerns that we could not see from our seats.  We noted and doodle them, shared within our groups, and then identified a key rose, bud and thorn from each group that was worth sharing.  We seem to be liking the seating arrangements (rose), we have high hopes for the design corner (bud), and we still see a lot of work to be done in terms of organizing the room -- especially the maker carts and the boxes above the closet (thorn).

Patterns.

Then we played an improv game called patterns.  It is intended to get folks used to keeping track of information and learning the names of everyone in the room at the same time.  IMPORTANT GOAL.  Everyone knows everyone's names by the end of Fair Week.

We struggled a bit and emerged victorious in our question to complete both patterns at once.  

We'll be doing some more work next week on being okay with screw ups and foul ups and mistakes.

LEGO My LIFE.

From there busted out the LEGO and faced this rapid fire design challenge: How might we show something meaningful to us in LEGO?  

Folks interpreted this question literally and figuratively, which was the whole point.  For me to see what aspects of your life matter to you, while also getting a sense of how you think and express your ideas.

https://goo.gl/photos/QaPbiVJ3kefMEnWh9

We finished off this work with a brief writing prompt where you needed to explain your LEGO creation, focusing on the why this is so important to you.  This is an opportunity for me to get a sense of your writing skills while also learning something about you at the same time.

Pop Culture 1B: Room Redesign Rose/Bud/Thorn & LEGO My Pop Culture

Classroom Redesign Challenge.

We started our day by looking at the current state of affairs in the room redesign and giving some feedback using the Rose/Bud/Thorn process.

Here's a little video that explains Rose/Bud/Thorn from my friend, Dr. Lisa Abel-Palmieri, who introduced me to this bit of radness.

We circulated around the room and made observations of features and concerns that we could not see from our seats.  We noted and doodle them, shared within our groups, and then identified a key rose, bud and thorn from each group that was worth sharing.  We seem to be liking the seating arrangements (rose), we have high hopes for the design corner (bud), and we still see a lot of work to be done in terms of organizing the room -- especially the maker carts (thorn).

LEGO My Pop Culture.

From there busted out the LEGO and faced this rapid fire design challenge: How might we show what pop culture means to us in LEGO?  

Folks interpreted this question literally and figuratively, which was the whole point.  For me to see what aspects of pop culture matter to you, while also getting a sense of how you think and express your ideas.

https://goo.gl/photos/xGT1ywA36PaQ41WK8

Out of Classwork.

Explain your LEGO My Pop Culture creation in 1-2 well-written, detailed paragraphs.  The intention here is for me to get a sense of your writing, a sense of what aspects about pop culture interest you, and how you think.

Due Next Class.