What we found today: Friday, September 21st, 2012

by Chad Sansing

Light Painting with the Kids by Ms. Phoenix

Light Painting with the Kids by Ms. Phoenix

  • “The Art of Web Design” from PBS’s Off Book (found via BoingBoing. This video covers the history of the web, the basics of design, the role of user research in design, and responsive design for different computing devices. I’ll share at least part of this with my kids – a great real-world example of a web resource talking about the stuff (HTML5, CSS, javascript, grids) we talk about in class. It’s funny to see 90s-era code with all those tables (rather than CSS) organizing content for presentation. I think I have a few kids who are almost 90s-era web designers after 4 weeks or so of web-authoring. Do we go after Flash next or embrace the canvas element of HTML5?

  • Reading “Mentoring Girls to Make: Lessons from Techbridge” on Makerspace. The post prompts a great question: are we thinking of including girls when we use hands-on activities as differentiation, projects, or student choices? (Or, for that matter, in games-based learning?) Also: let’s get tinkering experience in schools, not just outside them.

  • From the Wired Design blog, “7 Scholastic DIY Projects to Customize Your Study Space” (not that Scholastic, I don’t think). I hope some of these inspire my kids to add to their nascent workspaces in class. I’m thinking rustic/custom chalkboard might make for a great design challenge.

  • I’m pretty sure I would use the Replicator 2 to make rings set with tiny Replicator 2 models that we could call our presciouses. In working through the image on our computers this year, I’ve found some funky 3D design programs that seem aimed for elementary school; anyone using 3D printers in middle school with more real-world applications like 123D Catch for student visualizations and 3D composition/design work?

  • Finally, (thanks to Wired’s GeekDad blog) check out KIDS Vision, a “a colorful compilation of the ideas […] collected from children over time about the future of technology” as compiled by folks at Latitude who believe “young people shouldn’t be merely passive recipients of media and technology […] they should be active participants in imagining and creating the future of the Web.” There are are several resources in the sidebar, including webinar archives and infographics regarding learning from kids’ visions of the future. I’ll definitely be spending some time here, as well as on Latitutde’s other research projects.