I don't really know what to write this week. I've been working on a lot of curriculum and sort of letting the theory rest for the week. I decided to create my Flickr account and take a few pictures from the kids work at my ceramics class to get warmed up for our Story in 5 Frames. I hope you enjoy them =D
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Death and Decay
Demo project for an advanced class. Dealt with visual metaphor and duality in art. The concept for this piece was to have one half of the pot look 'healthy' and symmetrical, and the other be disintegrating and being eaten by worms (Dali was my inspiration for that idea). The white portion painted with underglaze will be used to create a china painted section.
Blue Yellow
Another student with an excellent sense of design. Madison's work tends to be more classical in it's organization, with an elegant use of space and simple forms.
Suzan's Pot
Suzan is an advanced student who is alot of fun to work with. She's got tons of ideas and talent and takes criticism and suggestions very well. She is in the process of translating her excellent design sense with more advanced techniques to create better contrast and balance
Heart Box
First year student box that I felt had a very successful design. It is pretty large, probably 15" x 15"
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Chapter 2 of TDoEDT leads in by describing some common mishaps when using devices. He focused on "naive physics", whereby a user will tend to make incorrect assumptions about how things work. Also, he discussed how people tend to blame themselves for their misconceptions (even if by all available evidence they were correct). There was also the concepts of helplessness. In learned helplessness the user, after many failures, concludes that something cannot be done. In taught helplessness however, Donald asserts that poor design teaches users to be helpless by not allowing them to access the correct function of a device.
Next, he explores the "7 stages of action" broken down from 3 stages. You create a goal, and then in a circular feedback loop system of response and action execute actions and evaulate results.
Some quotes that made me go hmmmmm:
This could explain partially why students often exceed expectations on creative projects where they get interested. I've noticed many times when I teach a project in art class a kid may not do good work, but then will do an awesome job on something they thought to do themselves, even though they received no directed instruction.
Don't projectors in theaters still use reels of film, but have auto loaders?
On an aside, I started creating play lists in youtube to add to my class webpages for "how-to" stuff!. Like below, which I will then put into a webpage with descriptions. Ain't modern technology great?
http://noyesfamily.com/phil/BGHS/videos.htm
Next, he explores the "7 stages of action" broken down from 3 stages. You create a goal, and then in a circular feedback loop system of response and action execute actions and evaulate results.
Some quotes that made me go hmmmmm:
"Opportunistic actions are less precise and certain than specified goals, and intentions, but they result in less mental effort, less inconvenience, and perhaps more interest."
Norman, TDoEDT pg46
This could explain partially why students often exceed expectations on creative projects where they get interested. I've noticed many times when I teach a project in art class a kid may not do good work, but then will do an awesome job on something they thought to do themselves, even though they received no directed instruction.
"We may respond to the the events of the world...rather than to think out plans and goals"
This makes sense from the constructivist or collaborative stand points as an educator. Our job as instructor is to create an immersive environment and give things to respond to and gain interest in?
Norman, TDoEDT pg46
"Well in a little while, it won't matter. There won't be any film, just videotape"
Norman, TDoEDT pg51
Don't projectors in theaters still use reels of film, but have auto loaders?
On an aside, I started creating play lists in youtube to add to my class webpages for "how-to" stuff!. Like below, which I will then put into a webpage with descriptions. Ain't modern technology great?
http://noyesfamily.com/phil/BGHS/videos.htm
Monday, October 8, 2007
My microwave
Let me first say: I like my Microwave. It works very well and for the most part is easy to use. There is however, one fundamental flaw to its design that has led to me forming a slightly unusual habit.
It has a great feature, the add 30 second button. You hit it, it beeps, it not only adds 30 seconds to the timer but starts the microwave. It also has a hot water and popcorn preset. I use this button 95% of the time with the microwave.
The problem: I will even use this when it is a 10 minute timer (at 20 button clicks). Why you may ask?
Simple, otherwise you have to remember to hit power to set the power, before you can set the timer (or is it the other way? See I forget again). Since I never remember, and I end up hitting the wrong button first EVERY time (5 or 6 times really since it doesn't register to me at first why it is not beeping) I've just formed the habit of setting the time with the 30 second button.
Conceptually this is such an easy fix it is laughable to consider. Just make it so that either the power or timer button can be the first one to press and then be able to set the other. Thank goodness the defrost control makes sense, because I use that most of the time for long time settings!
Ok so in the lingo of the Book:
In terms of mapping it is reasonably clear and organized assuming you have used a microwave before. If I were a first time user I might have trouble figuring out how to open it. the open button is very large and allows you to push it in more deeply with gives some idea of what you are supposed to do.
There is clear text to explain usage and there is feedback when you hit a button and it does something (BEEP) and feedback when you open the door. There is an absence of feedback when you hit a button that has no effect, which is probably why I hit it like 5 times before I realize I am using the wrong one first.
I tried 3 other microwaves at work today. They all worked this same way! Clearly I need to design one that doesn't do this and have the world beat a path to my door...
Whole New Mind
I really enjoyed this book - ended up reading the whole thing and even brought parts of it in to the classroom to see what my students thought.
One thing in particular I did was to give them the multiple choice question from the book on page 58:
According to the latest research, IQ as accounts for what portion of career success?
a. 50 to 60 percent
b. 35 to 45
c. 23 to 29
d. 15 to 20
And of course the real answer was 4 to 10, so sneaky.
The average percentage taken from a fairly even distribution between the 4 possible answers was 35% for my students. This was the starting point for a quick 10 minute discussion about what they saw as Right/Left brain activities and whether they felt that school was preparing them for the future.
Interestingly, most students were well aware of outsourcing, and India and China, and yet also felt that the college track and knowledge sector jobs were still the most secure.
another tid bit I found shocking, less than half the class knew what their grandparents did for work. Only 3 or 4 in the classes generally could say what their great grandparents did!
At the end of the discussion I put up another poll (this is done on my course website):
The ideas presented in class regarding Left/Right brain thinking, and in particular how right brain thinking is more important than ever were
Confusing 21.7 %
Does not make sense with what I know about what colleges want from me 17.3%
Interesting and something to think about 43.4 %
A waste of class time 17.3 %
The whole discussion came on the heels of a 'Stressed Out Students' speaker (the founder of the program from Stanford) coming to the school a few weeks ago. What I found most interesting about THAT, was a small core community amongst the teachers that found disturbing the notion that any hint that rigorous AP courses and SAT scores were not the most laudable goal for any student. This is even though it has been pretty well proven a lot of the kids are cheating or not retaining the information OR doing better in their careers. One teacher started yelling how hard the AP kids work for their test scores and credits and that the speaker was crazy when she mentioned the possibility that listing where students go to college create a community of competition to go to the 'best' schools. He felt they deserved the top recognition for their achievement and alot of others agreed.
This reminded me of 3 years ago when a star athlete graduated. 15 minutes of the 40 minute 'Senior Farewell' at the end of the year was ALL about this one student. He was a great kid, but this was patently ridiculous and talk about sending bad messages to student. From what we publicize and applaud from the top down at our school site if you are not going to Stanford/Berkeley or better or a star athlete you are basically nobody. Nice.
One thing in particular I did was to give them the multiple choice question from the book on page 58:
According to the latest research, IQ as accounts for what portion of career success?
a. 50 to 60 percent
b. 35 to 45
c. 23 to 29
d. 15 to 20
And of course the real answer was 4 to 10, so sneaky.
The average percentage taken from a fairly even distribution between the 4 possible answers was 35% for my students. This was the starting point for a quick 10 minute discussion about what they saw as Right/Left brain activities and whether they felt that school was preparing them for the future.
Interestingly, most students were well aware of outsourcing, and India and China, and yet also felt that the college track and knowledge sector jobs were still the most secure.
another tid bit I found shocking, less than half the class knew what their grandparents did for work. Only 3 or 4 in the classes generally could say what their great grandparents did!
At the end of the discussion I put up another poll (this is done on my course website):
The ideas presented in class regarding Left/Right brain thinking, and in particular how right brain thinking is more important than ever were
Confusing 21.7 %
Does not make sense with what I know about what colleges want from me 17.3%
Interesting and something to think about 43.4 %
A waste of class time 17.3 %
The whole discussion came on the heels of a 'Stressed Out Students' speaker (the founder of the program from Stanford) coming to the school a few weeks ago. What I found most interesting about THAT, was a small core community amongst the teachers that found disturbing the notion that any hint that rigorous AP courses and SAT scores were not the most laudable goal for any student. This is even though it has been pretty well proven a lot of the kids are cheating or not retaining the information OR doing better in their careers. One teacher started yelling how hard the AP kids work for their test scores and credits and that the speaker was crazy when she mentioned the possibility that listing where students go to college create a community of competition to go to the 'best' schools. He felt they deserved the top recognition for their achievement and alot of others agreed.
This reminded me of 3 years ago when a star athlete graduated. 15 minutes of the 40 minute 'Senior Farewell' at the end of the year was ALL about this one student. He was a great kid, but this was patently ridiculous and talk about sending bad messages to student. From what we publicize and applaud from the top down at our school site if you are not going to Stanford/Berkeley or better or a star athlete you are basically nobody. Nice.
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