Imaginative Bridges in Interior Design

As I reflect on the imaginative bridges that exist between interior design and teaching, one of the things that come to mind are the using different ceiling heights to make the room more interesting. As an instructor, I think it is important deliver your content in levels. Just as space with uniform ceiling heights can be monotonous, no one wants to listen to a presentation that all sounds the same. When providing instruction, you can enrich your delivery by interjecting humor, elevating your voice, soliciting audience participation. These are different methods of providing levels while teaching.

Additionally Susanka spoke about focusing your energy improving the rooms that you utilize the most. The bridge I draw to teaching, is that you should focus on the things that you set you apart as an instructor. I have seen trainers try to be funny, when that is just not their talent. It is important to decorate the room where your talent lives.

Module 2: Film and Television

It was a fun module. First off there was the video clip on The Godfather which is one my all time favorite movies. What a great scen because it speaks volume about the Godfather, and hardly speaks in the scene. Additionally We made our own compelling video clips, which was interesting because I utilized my family as the actors. It was a scene where I was trying to capture the stress of motherhood. Which is funny because I wife was actually mad at me as I started recording. I just cam back from traveling, so naturally three children can be stressful. However, as I started recording it lightened the mood; and she started getting into it. She kept asking me to allow her to put on some makeup, but I was looking for a raw and real feel.

One thing that I found particularly interesting about the reading was the interview with Walter Murch, where he poses the question why does the cut transition work in editing? What I found more interesting was rationale that he offered, which was the experience through dreams allows our mind to process a non-linear story line.

Work of Art

What I found most inspirational in this module was seeing pictures that my group members posted. Seeing the submissions is encouraging me to look at everything thing differently. So as I move through my day I have been trying to keep my eyes open for finding what is "interesting" in everyday things. It was interesting learning more about the mechanics behind what goes into good photography and shot composition. Photography is one of those activites that can be so simple on a basic level, yet so much complexity goes into the art of photography.

Imaginative Bridges in Photography

In drawing meaningful analogies between photography, my attention was drawn to the flash. What was interesting about the flash to me was its ability to draw out details. I found the flash analagous to the attention that educators pay to the student in the class. As I learned in the reading, the flash should be used in the day light to bring out the details. In the classroom, it is important to questions to engage the audience to see what they are thinking, and if they are truly understanding the content. Sometimes students are good at pretending that the are following you. Nobody wants to be exposed, so its good to turn on your imaginitive flash in the classroom.

Birth of a Salesman

White Paper

Web 2.0 Technology – The third dimension of communication

There has never been a time where electronic communication has been as pervasive as it is right now. Although, it is not a new concept, the advent of the Internet and increased Internet capability have really set the ground work for a communication explosion.  At the forefront of the communication explosion is the concept of Web 2.0 Internet sites. So what is Web 2.0? According to Wikipedia Web 2.0 is, “…is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web.”  Some of the characteristics of the Web 2.0 website are the promotion of organic growth, integration of multimedia components, integrated communication tools, and highly customizable layout.

As a result there is a growing movement to create richer, more interactive, electronic experiences. Consequently, the way that we teach students cannot remain the same. Teaching and learning have to also reflect the norms and traditions of the culture. The following curriculum will encourage students to explore Web 2.0 technology through the use of seven cognitive learning tools, that will not only focus on learning information about Web 2.0 technology, but to help develop a thorough understanding of the subject and a strong conceptual framework to utilize these tools to as effectively as possible.

What is the Cognitive Tools difference?

Cognitive tools help the learner to construct knowledge by taking we know and exploring new ideas about what we know, and assimilating it back into our knowledge structure. The following curriculum will explore seven cognitive tools that will help the learner develop a deeper understanding of Web 2.0 technology.  Each week a different cognitive tool will be explored and there will be a complementary activity to promote the understanding of that tool.

Seven Cognitive Tools:

·         Perceiving

·         Patterning

·         Abstracting

·         Embodied Thinking

·         Modeling

·         Playing

·         Synthesis

Lessons:

Module 1: Perceiving

What do we think we know?

The term Web 2.0 has become quite passé, but does it actually mean? There are various definitions, understandings, and potential uses for this technology; but what is the truth?

·        For this lesson the student will explain their own understanding of Web 2.0 technology.

o    Include the benefits of this technology.

o   This assignment is about establishing a baseline of what you know on the topic. If you are completely unfamiliar with the concept, take a wild guess? What does it sound like? There are no wrong answers

·        Visit five web sites that are classified as Web 2.0 and document the urls. Document what the things that you like best about these sites.

·        Think of a creative use for Web 2.0 site. Describe the features of the site. Feel free to be as creative as possible. Remember, there is an app for about anything that you can think of, so nothing is off limits.

Module 2: Patterning

To better recognize opportunities to incorporate Web 2.0 technology into a solution, it is important to identify the aspects of web site that are uniquely Web 2.0.

·         In this lesson you will, use the list that you documented from last week’s assignment to compare and contrast the features, the use o f the site, and the audience.

·         Summarize your findings:

o   Write-up on what why you felt certain features or choices were made in the designing stages of the site.

o   Include in your summary, any patterns that you recognize and what direction  you feel the technology is heading.

Module3: Abstracting

Analyze the core functionality of the identified websites from the previous lesson. Choose one word to describe the core essence of the site. After summarizing the site in one word, identify the features of the site that address the primary purpose of the site. Document any additional features that you believe would have enhance the core functionality of the site

Module 4: Embodied Thinking

·         Create a sculpture that represents your topic using household materials like clay, paper mache, aluminum foil, etc.  

·         Try to utilize materials that contribute to the overall sensation, or character of your topic.

·         Take a picture of your sculpture and upload it to your site.

Module 5: Modeling

·         Create a functional model of the Web 2.0 site. His can be developed in Powerpoint, HTML, or any other development tool provided that the output is exported to an industry standard format.

o   Functional model should reflect the color palette that you wish to utilize

o   Semi-functional placeholders for content

o   End-user navigation should also be well thought out and semi-functional

·         Write a brief description of the site and how the site structure contribute to the overall goal of the site,

Module 6: Playing

·         Engage in a group activity that demonstrates how social networks work, grow, and our utilize in our society.

·         Students will work in groups to develop the best use of the social network to achieve their goal.

·         Solution will be submitted to the teacher to determine the best worker of the problem.

Module 7: Synthesizing

·         Develop final presentation of Web 2.0 site.

·         Write a paper to describe what contribution (if any) the class assignments played in helping to define the vision of the site.

·         Point any enhancements that were the result of one the exercises.

Elevator PitchFrom the time we are babies we are utilizing our five senses to learn about the world. We want to grab the things that appeal to our visual senses, we place objects in our mouth to taste them, and we bang on them to hear how they sound. It is during our early childhood when are at our most playful, as we are discovering about ourselves and the world we live in, and then, we begin formal education. We trade- in our play time for straight lines, nursery rhymes for classroom lectures. It is time to return to what works, a return to the very instincts that we developed as children. In this curriculum we will utilize seven cognitive tools that help foster deeper understanding of Web 2.0 technology.

Twitter Pitch

There comes a time when conventional wisdom is jest outdated. Explore a technical curriculum that forces you to go deeper.

Module 7: What's the Big Idea?

What's the Big Idea.

This module examined Playing and Transforming.  From the outset the concept of Playing reminded me of Modeling. However, as I got into the reading it became more apparent that the fundamental differences hinged on expectations or lack there of. In modeling, you are trying to test how something will perform in reality. So you making assumptions and testing your assumptions. With playing you are exploring without expectation, you allow experimentation to reveal unsuspected truths. As I heard the personality descriptions of the inventors who exercised this thinking tool, it reminded me of myself. Today, I interrupted a presentation on an Avaya VOIP phone, because I couldn't stop playing with the features. In the end, I may frustrated the Instructor, but I walked out there knowing how to use all of the phones features and even showed the Instructor how to change the ring tones on the phone.

Transformations, the creative process of changing ones  approach to resolving problems. In diagnosing difficult problems, sometimes the only thing that we can change is ourselves and how we are looking at a thing. The text illustrates several examples where people were able to resolve difficult problems by simply changing their approach to the problem. The most graphic description being that of the MSU students who were able to detect subtle difference in urine by using sound

Module 7: Zoom In

I applied this Painted effect to my picture studying for this class. To do this I had to learn to use an application called FotoFlexer. Playing with the available settings helped me understand how to achieve the result I was looking for.