Category Archives: Student and Teachers’ Daily Reflection

The Most Amazing Day(s): Teaching as Experience Design

For the past few days, ever since inNOVAtion Lab’s phenomenal trip to Corbett Inc.’s Fluxspace, I’ve been trying to figure out what has been happening in class.  The trip to Flux was a highlight of a very young year, and it comes on the heels of another highlight, our trip to the B.Phl Innovation Festival Continue reading “The Most Amazing Day(s): Teaching as Experience Design”

Brains, Cheetos, and a Theory of Creativity

(The final installment of my blog posts about the B.Phl Innovation Festival. Here’s the first post.  Here’s the second.) On Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, 31 of the 54 students enrolled in NOVA Lab attended the third day of the first annual B.Phl Innovation Festival. While our trip was somewhat shortened (traffic on the abominable SchukyllContinue reading “Brains, Cheetos, and a Theory of Creativity”

A Day in the Life of a BPhl Innovation Festival Attendee

This was a long week, but I wish it were longer. And that is due to the B.Phl Innovation festival. Centered at the Independence Blue Cross (IBX) building (1901 Market), with Ground Zero being the IBX Innovation Center on the 13th and 14th floors. However, the festival spread out around the city, from the UniversityContinue reading “A Day in the Life of a BPhl Innovation Festival Attendee”

When a Plan Comes Together

Since Phil Holcombe’s Monday discussion with our classes on the value and methods of branding, we’ve been discovering the common signals that seem to emanate from the documents we’ve explored about this class and others like it. Today we got to the point where the two classes had (as smaller groups) defined their common signalsContinue reading “When a Plan Comes Together”

Who’s Telling Your Story?

Today the students in NOVA Lab got a chance to hear from the undergraduate director of Industrial Design at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Phil Holcombe.  Phil is also the principal designer at the Educational Design Consultancy, Form & Faculty. The students’ first real-world design challenge is to help create the brand and storyContinue reading “Who’s Telling Your Story?”

Rhizomes, Design Thinking, and Learning

This week has been a true learning curve for me.  And I say that after 26 years in the classroom.  I still have much to learn. We began the week by finishing up our design sprint using the Extraordinaires Design Studio.  Students completed a run-through of the Design Thinking (DT) cycle and sketched a potentialContinue reading “Rhizomes, Design Thinking, and Learning”

NOVA Lab–Procedural Info: Grading

Many of you know that I have been shifting, slowly and imperfectly, from using grades (a habit born of . . . oh . . . a lifetime of being graded, earning grades, needing the approval of others, and, of course, “giving grades.” For years I played that game, and I was (am) GOOD atContinue reading “NOVA Lab–Procedural Info: Grading”

Days 9-10: Extraordinaires Design Sprint

For the  past two days, students in NOVA Lab have been experiencing the entirety of the Design Thinking Mindset through the amazing “Extraordinaires Design Studio” @Extraordinaires by Hub Games (@wearehubgames) . I’ve worked with this product before, with middle school students in 2016-17 in a middle school pilot for the company, and also with MS teachersContinue reading “Days 9-10: Extraordinaires Design Sprint”

Nova Lab Day 8: Disruptus Amongus

‘Broke out the good ‘ol “Disruptus” box and moved kids through a quick cycle of combinatory innovation.  Presentations had to point to what the original objects were, then who they designed for, why they needed it, and how it worked.  Though light-hearted, the presentations were prefaced by asking students to treat themselves as professionals.  That’sContinue reading “Nova Lab Day 8: Disruptus Amongus”