Reflecting upon the projects we have completed in class thus far, I can say that I have both struggled and accomplished quite a bit. Each day, with a new task at hand, I felt overwhelmed with what I didn’t know. Since I had never done any of the projects before, nor have I taken an art class since elementary school, I felt nervous to begin each one. I never thought I was particularly creative in anything other than writing, and I was not really proposed with many opportunities to be creative within my school life. Though I have a strong appreciation for art, I never thought of myself as someone who could “do” art.
Nonetheless, each day this week I have created a new piece of artwork. Not only is it art, but it’s technology too! It’s so exciting to have a goal that’s lenient enough for you to make the piece unique. There’s been a lot of leeway for innovation within our projects; each student has managed to come up with an exclusive idea within the project itself. It’s nice that we all start off with one common goal, but we each end up taking different routes to get there. In terms of teaching, this allows for students to both complete a specific task and to design a work that represents themselves. Although as a student, it’s kind of scary to be given somewhat vague directions and then be expected to dive into a project, but it does give students that push to figure it out themselves. In using the handouts, talking with classmates, and asking the professor questions, students can absolutely manage to reach a goal.
It’s most certainly frustrating for me in the beginning stages of a project; I generally don’t know where to begin because I always fear I’ll do something incorrectly. Even if I’ve listened to directions, I still hesitate in getting started because I’m afraid of making mistakes. However, in our class what I’ve found is that the more mistakes I make the more I’ve been able to learn. Apparently, being wrong is quite valuable in the case of design and technology.
Out of the projects we’ve completed so far, I think the one I struggled with the most was the drawing machine. I was frustrated with myself for not taking my idea and bringing it down to a smaller size. It could have easily worked, but I wasn’t focused enough on the primary goal of the project-to get the machine to move. I didn’t think logically about the physics involved, and that my piece was way too heavy to be moved with that little motor! The project I think I did well with was the bookmark book light. Once I understood all of the steps involved by trial and error and by consulting with my professor, I was able to attain the end goal-the heartbeat light.
The project that I enjoyed the most was the LED circuit; in the beginning I had no idea how to even approach the project and I think it’s because the schematics scared me off. However, discussing with my peers and professor, I was able to better understand how to get the light to flash. I may not have comprehended the role of every single component within the circuit, but I believe I learned so much from the beginning until the end. I learned about majority of the components and their purposes, and how each would connect to the circuit to generate electricity. I think each student took a different approach to the circuit and that’s what made the project unique. While I didn’t think I’d get my light to flash, I eventually did and that made me feel extremely accomplished.
These projects have given me a new sense of drive; they have showed me that I am capable even if I make errors and that letting go of my insecurities is what is necessary to be able to create great pieces of work.
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Based on readings and video:
There are a multitude of important concepts within both of these readings and within the TED talk video that can and should be implemented into classrooms. The first idea is that play brings about a sense of joy. As humans, we are designed to play throughout our lives. Stuart Brown emphasizes this point in his TED talk video, as well as the fact that as we grow older, the play signals we had once used become used less and less. He reminds us that the opposite of play, would be depression. The opposite of joy would be sadness. Humans are the most youthful of all creatures on Earth, the most playful- so why is that as we age there is less time for play? If we are deprived of play, it can be a transformative force within our lives. If our lives are programmed so much so that our days become monotonous, routine, and robotic, we feel much less empowered. We feel that we must succumb to a life without play- but that just isn’t human nature. We want to play, and we should. By playing, people learn how to work together.
The second idea is that play can lead to innovation. Engaging in playful behavior may just help your brain to develop skills such as problem solving. According to Stuart Brown, the need for play impacts the health and wellbeing of an individual. In his studies, he has learned that highly creative people live lives that are focused on play. Especially in the field of science, Brown acknowledges that play and science can lead to transformation. In the article, aesthetics of play, the author states that we as humans have an innate desire to play. Thus, if this is true, we have the potential to be great innovators of our world.
The third idea is that art/project based learning experiences allow for play. In the article, The Aesthetics of Play, Dylan Kendall says that play is a key component of human development in which we are likely to be influenced. In having playful experiences, we can imagine and experiment with concepts that are not a part of our daily lives. This will ultimately lead to critical thinking and decision making. By playing, we can use our imaginations and ideas to act in our communities and to promote positive change.
The fourth and last idea is that learning is different than education. According to the reading Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, learning is described as learning through engagement, design, and building. It states “the best way to understand circles is to reinvent the wheel.” This quote really emphasizes how learning occurs. In traditional classrooms, students are like piggybanks; teachers lecture and feed students information which they are supposed to accept without question. However, this leaves students feeling lazy and unempowered. By giving them the opportunity to create, to involve themselves, and to incorporate their own ideas, they will feel much more satisfied and they will actually learn by doing.
All of these ideas have the potential to be imbedded into any classroom, regardless of the field of study. By incorporating project based learning that promotes play, students will be more creative, more critical in their thinking, and more innovative. They will be filled with joy in learning new concepts and in creating. They will attain new skills, further develop the ones they already have, and feel empowered in doing so.
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3 words to describe my experience during the course:
1. Expressive
During this course, we had the opportunity every day to use our creative minds to design within the realm of each project. Though there were guidelines for each project and a task to be completed, we had the chance to make each project unique. In my academic experiences, rarely have I ever used classroom time for art. There was always such a distinct separation between technical fields and design, but this class showed me that it doesn't have to be that way. Students can and should be able to be creative in their classroom experiences. It provides an outlet for all of those emotions that students bring with them to the classroom, but still allows for them to learn the technical and/or scientific concepts they need to know.
2. Captivating
With each project, my mind was incredibly captivated. Who knew I could design a bookmark by sewing on a microprocessor and a heartbeat light? Who knew my huge cardboard cutout would actually move by offsetting that little dc motor? Who even knew about the existence of conductive paint!? Still, I am blown away by what I have learned. Each project was quite an experience that was both challenging and intriguing.
3. Fulfilling
At the beginning of each project, I felt frustrated and unsure of where to start. However, I discovered that (with a little bit of help) I have the ability to create designs that are not only expressive but are functional! What I really loved about the class, is that each challenge brought about room for accomplishment. Sometimes my pieces looked better than they worked, and sometimes they worked better than they looked. No matter what the outcome was, I felt productive and I felt that what I had done was worthwhile. The ups and the downs of experimenting with design in the technical field were more fulfilling than words can describe.