This student reflection gives some insight into where we are and why. I’m not going to comment beyond pointing to the way this author posits ownership over clarifying the brand of the class in the last paragraph. Don’t know if I could ask for more. There’s much work to be done, but with students like these, who wouldn’t look forward to it all. (Though I will say that a lot of this “dis-comfort” probably stems from the rhizomatic nature of the learning I’m engaging them in. (See my post from earlier today on that.)
What Happened?
Today’s class started off with the students splitting up into small groups of about 6 people. We were continuing the activity from yesterday, where we were all given 8 articles to read regarding the class itself. The articles ranged from the original proposal for the class, to the parent email for the course, as well as postings made by other design thinking aficionados. Everyone in the group read one or two of the articles, so that every document was read. While reading, we all were looking for themes that stood out to us. My group in particular used common words and tones to illustrate the similarities between all of these very different articles. After we read, we created a common list for all of the words and phrases that stood out, then used that list to create an image for the class itself.
So What?
The past few days, the class has been focused on creating a brand. We have been working on creating a clear image of what the class is, as many people don’t automatically understand what innovation lab is. By using the written materials talking about design thinking and the class itself, we came up with common themes that defined all of the class and the processes used within NOVA Lab. Having these common themes made it so easy to create a logo/image that represents the class itself.
Next What?
After this logo, we plan to continue to work on defining the class. Presenting a clear and concise idea of what the class is to the public will help us, as students, better understand the class. I’m excited to see where this takes us, as one of the things I have been writing about in my personal journal is that the definition of the class seems a little shaky. The logo and other class branding activities will definitely stamp all of that uncertainty out. Hopefully, this also helps the rest of the class feel as though we have a solid idea of what and who we are, before we focus on who others are and begin designing for those other people.
Innovation Lab 