I ran across this article today and was reminded of some of the background work that went into the creation of inNOVAtion Lab. In the summer of 2015, accompanied by my superintendent and our STEM coordinator, I visited Lehigh’s Mountain Top Program. We were led through the space by Dr. Sarah Stanlick. The immensity ofContinue reading “I have been to the Mountain Top…”
Tag Archives: Design
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 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”
Early Divisions & Design for Community
On Wednesday, August 28, just the third day of school, I offered to connect one section of my inNOVAtion Lab courses with an online community called “Modern Learners.” (More information about them is found here.) I’ve been a member of the community since its inception, and if you are an educator, you ought to checkContinue reading “Early Divisions & Design for Community”
Nova Lab Day 4–The Challenge and Promise of Community
(For most of the rest of the year, students in NOVA Lab will be blogging their reflections on the day’s events. Here is the next chapter in our story) Period 3– Today in class, we gathered in small groups and discussed our first thoughts on A Whole New Mind. We talked about how the readingContinue reading “Nova Lab Day 4–The Challenge and Promise of Community”
NOVA Lab–Second Day Reflection
One of the things we’ve discovered is that there are many ways to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Today was a great example. After we touched back on the contributions we made yesterday about the story of why we took this class, Mr. Heidt introduced us to the poem below. While it might seem a poemContinue reading “NOVA Lab–Second Day Reflection”
Design Thinking for College Admissions
I received the letter below from one of the counselors at my HS today. As a recap, I piloted a Design Thinking and Open Source Learning class last year for 13 students. For several reasons it didn’t fill up enough this year, but with the endorsement below, I’m hoping to be off and running likeContinue reading “Design Thinking for College Admissions”
Innovation Lab 