September 14, 2010

By: Don D. from Hillsboro, OR
Comments: 17

Posted By: Don Domes
On: 4/18/2008 9:19:40 PM

Is there a way to add a picture to a conversation? Can you explain...? I know that if I have a picture on a web site I can link to it, but I am wondering if this tool supports adding a picture in the body of the comment? Also - what resolution should the picture be? Thanks Don Domes, Hillsboro High School, Oregon

Posted By: Don Domes
On: 4/18/2008 9:34:11 PM

The following article has been written about one of my students and I want to post it with the picture: “I like inventing things.” (title and caption under the photo) Jacob Seawell, a Hilhi junior, took on a challenge in his Drafting 4 class to create a product that consumers would want at a price they would be willing to pay. What’s remarkable about Jacob’s work is that he created his product using computer-assisted design software called “Rhinocerous,” a $20,000 laser cutter, and a vinyl cutter in the school’s technology lab. Jacob’s product is shown here in its seven phases of design, each representing a new cycle of what teacher Don Domes calls “design thinking.” At each stage, Jacob had to analyze how the product could be improved, and then work with technology to make it happen. Jacob’s final product? He calls it a “tri-tractor,” which is a geometric tool combining a protractor, a 30/60/90 degree triangle, and a ruler all in one. As a senior, Jacob will continue his drafting work as independent study. His career goal is to be an aerospace engineer, but, he says, “I have to figure out how to do it without being in a desk all day.”

Posted By: kathleen aacosta
On: 4/19/2008 1:21:20 AM

I would love to see the pictures of his steps in design process. Jacob sounds like a very promising student. I bet we read about him in the future.

Posted By: Mary Hannon
On: 4/19/2008 3:07:37 PM

If there is no such feature, maybe C-H could consider having its web designers incorporate one in the future. I think many people would like to post embedded pictures.

Posted By: Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
On: 4/23/2008 12:38:04 PM

The picture is attached. You can see it by clicking on the small JPEG symbol in Don's comments. You can attach pictures and other documents by clicking on "Browse" beneath the comment box and choosing the file you would like to attach.

Posted By: Don Domes
On: 4/26/2008 12:02:00 PM

I have finally found the JPEG symbol! It is very small and is at the end of the first sentence in the post where I quote the article that described the project! The JPEG symbol was so small I never saw it until this AM. When I click on it the picture loads in another window. For those trying to see the picture open the thread and go to the second post where I describe the project. Don Domes - Hillsboro High School - Oregon

Posted By: William Bobrowsky
On: 4/27/2008 7:21:47 AM

Don, this is a great project. Lots of questions. How did some of the other projects turn out? Where were the sticking points for many students? What kind of user testing did the students do come to their final designs? What are the next steps for Jacob and the other great projects you see? Is Jacob ready to move to the innovation phase and begin selling his product and have the world see it? How did you determine, "a price they were willing to pay?" I work with HS tech teachers and this is exactly the type of thing I'd like to see them try with their students. Thanks. Enjoy. -Bill

Posted By: Don Domes
On: 4/27/2008 12:06:40 PM

Bill, Let me try to respond.... We do these type of projects all the time. Jacob is one that is simple to share. Jacob did a ton of testing to get his geomety tools to work correctly. Some of the last steps were in getting the edges smooth - we used 400 wet or dry sandpaper as the laser edge needs a little lapping to get it smooth. Jacob is using his tool in Geometry and other students are creating their own tools. I will try to post the circle gage another student created. Jacob is moving on to the next project he will attempt, but he is teaching himself how to write G&M; codes for our CNC mill first. The key for me is the self-instruction materials the kids learn from. With large classes and 4 levels going on at the same time I don't have time to lecture how to run a CNC mill. My entire instruction time with Jacob on the Laser Cutter was under 5 minutes.... He used instructional materials created by other students to learn how to run the machine. He learning the CAD program Rhinosous by doing the learning guides that come with the program as a .pdf The real story here is how I empower students by the Design of the way my classroom operates. We have so many unique projects going on that it is mind boggling at times. Bill, I am in Oregon - we have visitors all the time. Can you come visit us? I teach Robotics, Architecture, Electronics, and Drafting and Design. My classes are packed and I teach every period that kids are on the campus under a special contract. Our school is about 1500 students and we have about 4+ full time tech teachers. About 1/3 of our school is in a tech type class every day. To teach Design where kids actually create products it really helps if you have great opportunities for them to learn basic skills that empower them.

Posted By: Nancy Gerber
On: 4/29/2008 11:32:53 PM

Don, How do you monitor the student work with so many projects and and required resources and outcomes? Is there a software program that is useful? Do your students have websites and/or electronic portfolios? do you have a good electronic portfolio to recommend? Congrats on your impressive work and teaching methods. I wonder what it looks like for 8 year olds.

Posted By: Don Domes
On: 4/30/2008 6:54:38 AM

Nancy, Great to hear from you! In the level one classes we have a performance based system where completed projects earn a set amount of points. The projects are sequential and a project generally will need to be completed at an almost 90% level to demonstrate enough mastery to apply that concept in future projects (and be awared points). As students complete the projects or assignments they earn the points. If a project or assignment lacks the level of mastery they don't recieve the points until it is re-done at the required level. Who wants to pay for an 80% brake job on a car? Using these type of comparisons helps them understand. If you hired someone to roof your house do you want part of the roof to be leaky? I don't pay until the roof does not leak. We have a point total that must be achieved for a letter grade. The grade is based on quality with levels of quantity becoming the lower letter grades. Sometimes I have students with low skills that may only complete 1/2 of a class. They would fail the class the first time and then the second time in the class they may complete the requirements and could earn an A on that body of knowledge. They do become good at the work, they just learn it slower than the course design for most students. This builds strong foundational understanding and skills. With this foundaton the students enter level two classes knowing they will have to manage their time and complete projects well to get points. The advanced (level 2 and above) are usually only 6-12 students out of a 32 student class. Those students have worked under the performance based system and they know they have to produce to get points. They continue to do more advanced projects that are also sequential for skill development and understanding. By the 3rd or 4th class they are empowered to function very much on their own. Because they are blended in with lower level students they end up helping me help the beginners and that serves as the review component. The portfolios are heavily paper based. They do have a folder on their computer that they save all computer based work to, but I have not gotten to the point of electronic portfolios yet. I am trying to get to websites, but we just hired a web teacher this year and I have not had time to build a self instructional system for kids to self learn how to set up web sites and post to them. The new teacher and I are working on that, but we are still probably a year of more away. In some ways this looks like the old country school that had many grade levels in the same room or the home school model of a large family, but it is applied to a large 1500 student urban high school. My advanced students are all required to do a lot of self assesment and to present that self assesment analysis to me when we do mid-term (6 weeks) and final (12 week) grading. I usually have a student aide that is also helping. Because of having the advanced students there is usually knowledge transfer facilitated by the more experienced kids. I depend a lot on students helping other students and they each have their paper based portfolio that they can use to provide examples of how they completed requirements. I think it could work at lower grade levels, a very similar project and performance based system worked really well when I taught junior high. Essentially it is a proficiency based system.

Posted By: lv xiaok
On: 9/14/2010 11:46:41 PM

Kenneth Pool Amsale Aberra is designed to play, but more classical than Amsale and Christos dream. Victorian embroidered diamond pattern Casual Informal Wedding Dresses is the finishing touch, beautifully ornate and not spread, even over the body, but also primary and secondary levels, and not seem piled complicated, such as wrapped up in a, bra and skirt Casual Wedding Dressis part of the decorative embroidery lace , detailed patterns and skirt a large area of the blank contrast, traditional and yet modern atmosphere.Innovation relative to other Casual Wedding Dresses designers, Lazaro's designs seem more traditional, but this does not mean that the design not good enough. Ed-style chic and elegant multi-hem skirt, not as any gorgeous skirt.