Please join us for a weekly conversation about design thinking in K12 education. We will have a variety of moderators with a wide range and depth of design thinking experiences. Each week, we will connect the dots to the design thinking methodology and how it can and will play a bigger role in today’s K12 educational arena.
Welcome to #DTk12chat everyone! Tonight we’re discussing the power of community connections & how we might use #designthinking to foster relationships btw school & community
Jodi from Longmont, CO! I'm excited to participate as part of a grad school assignment, but I'm even more excited to recognize @WickedDecent from a past episode of @VrainWaves! #dtk12chat#inte5665spr19
Hello all-- I'm a PhD student at Arizona State University studying how Maker education and design thinking can create lasting institutional change in education. #dtk12chat
For folks in the #designthinking#pblchat#makered communities that HAVEN'T seen what Connie is doing w @project_invent CONNECT with HER! It's all about human centered problem solving and getting beyond the paper prototype #dtk12chat
#Gigcity is an amazing place because I never feel alone as a changemaker, so many different people and organizations building and pushing forward and all ready to help other help others #dtk12chat
Um, I LOVE the fact that a Twitter chat is part of a grad school assignment! #dtk12chat literally changed my life in a few ways and I am not exaggerating!
In reply to
@JodiLGarner, @WickedDecent, @VrainWaves
@CityofEagan has some pretty great parks that I've been able to use year round and super helpful staff that have helped bring some big projects to life #dtk12chat
Reaching out and finding people who live in the neighborhood and have something to offer is a win-win. it can start with school hosting events and inviting the community. #dtk12chat
Trevor from the DC suburbs here! Just hit my 1,000th and finally started my personal/professional blog! Hoping to keep the good vibes going on #dtk12chathttps://t.co/Gh4Zb8UbNA
WU A) My community? Dang that’s a big question! I’m surrounded - IRL and virtually - by people who let themselves be vulnerable and honest, and we encourage and support vulnerability in our kids. 😍 #DTk12chat
Impressed with the great work done by the Immigrant Welcome Center in Portland, ME. https://t.co/rJJx6wrJ7l Connected with this organization as we studied current and historical immigration. #dtk12chat
Q1: one of our absolute favorite community partners in the SF Bay Area has been the Vista Center for the Blind. They consistently go above and beyond to connect our students with their B/VI clients to design new tech for the blind! #dtk12chat
Just dive in! Answer the Qs thrown out there AND if you have others, throw them on the table! #dtk12chat is an active and dynamic PLN full of good humans!
it all starts with empathy, right? and a lot of that is needed between neighbors LOL. We had xmas tree sales, plant sales, etc which raised money while providing value to the comm. have others had success with that?#dtk12chat
See all those answers to Q1? Like and retweet those, my friends; let's try to amplify awareness of those amazing organizations that make our communities that much the more rad #dtk12chat
Q1: @AZSciTechFest has done a great job organizing & mobilizing people and resources to create a grassroots STEM/STEAM "festival season" throughout Arizona #dtk12chat
A2: we’ve got some great dream partners, but my real dream is to get our Ss & those partners & their partners & other schools using the co-working spaces in town to bring everyone together to do real work in real time #DTk12chat
I work at a nonprofit that's working on a https://t.co/KrA1lrYYCy for teachers and local business/civic orgs. I'd love to know how any teachers have made these connections, other than @GrantLearns :) #dtk12chat
This place. Folks @thetellingroom is having a tremendous impact on students and families in Portland, Maine. Expand their reach. Explore their resources. Buy their publications. This is glorious work. #dtk12chat#nctechat#sschat#elachat
I had the pleasure of working with @StLawrencePlace when I was in high school and I still hope to get my students involved in that community - I know I can, but I just haven't done it yet #goals#dtk12chat
I'm an hour or so from DC, so I'm sure there are a boatload of organizations I can start working with. Finding partner organizations is 100% on my to do list for next year. Any suggestions appreciated! #dtk12chat
This is AWESOME. So, Grant. What are the names of the co-working spaces that exist in your community where you'd like your students to be working? #dtk12chat
A2: we’ve got some great dream partners, but my real dream is to get our Ss & those partners & their partners & other schools using the co-working spaces in town to bring everyone together to do real work in real time #DTk12chat
A2 It has been a number of years but I would really like to find a way to reconnect with @VitalSignsME and https://t.co/rJJx6wrJ7l Empower Ss to make a difference in their communities and environment. #dtk12chat
A1: also a shoutout to the @UNT_COE Kristin Farmer Autism Center who have been working closely with our team of student inventors at TAMS! Those students inspire me! https://t.co/1YGekaNsHK#dtk12chat
Don't have to think of 'em all! Just taking the time to think mindfully about the ones that first come to mind -- that's enough to start the process of deeper engagement #dtk12chat
In reply to
@TeachinSciMath, @YWCAUSA, @Habitat_org, @StampOutHunger, @SecondHarvestFB
I'm an hour or so from DC, so I'm sure there are a boatload of organizations I can start working with. Finding partner organizations is 100% on my to do list for next year. Any suggestions appreciated! #dtk12chat
A2) ... I’m paralyzed by this question... all of them? What @GrantLearns and @GHSTEAMchic said. And local farms and markets and food banks. And local watershed protection orgs. We have a big NOAA office nearby... Everything! #DTk12chat
A3 #dtk12chat With senior centers I already have kids working on documentaries of stories and something like The Moth story hour. I also have Ss looking into developing playlists for residents and learning from them and their favorite music.
Broadcasting out to my entire PLN! Connect w @JohnCahalin1 about your experiences partnering your schools w civic/business organizations; he's a SOLID dude doing important work #makered#appleeduchat#dtk12chat#edtech207
I work at a nonprofit that's working on a https://t.co/KrA1lrYYCy for teachers and local business/civic orgs. I'd love to know how any teachers have made these connections, other than @GrantLearns :) #dtk12chat
Q2: I would love to connect with @826National --there isn't one in Phoenix, but I think there could be some excellent cross-pollination between literacy, #making, and #designthinking#dtk12chat
A2+A3: we would love to work more closely with homeless populations! one challenge has been that since they are itinerant, our students aren't able to develop as strong of relationships. Working directly with shelter staff has been one way to get around that! #dtk12chat
baby steps, deep breath, pick one grade/class, explain choices and let kids pick? could even turn into a persuasive writing piece of having ss pitch their idea and class votes. Of course all of this is easy for me to say as I haven't done any of it yet - just ideas #dtk12chat
A2: I also love what @DonWettrick has done with innovation nights where students come together to work with a non-profit in the community to help solve an issue or need. #dtk12chat
LINDSEY! BIAS to ACTION! Pick one! Just . . . come along on this journey my friend! It's okay! You aren't committing to a lifestyle here -- just a notion! #dtk12chat
In reply to
@LindseyOwn, @GrantLearns, @GHSTEAMchic
A3 We use a thematic approach to our studies. Partnering with local orgs helps our Ss dive deeply into their work and puts real faces to the challenges we discuss in the classrooms. The stories of the community are so much more powerful. #dtk12chat
A2+A3: we would love to work more closely with homeless populations! one challenge has been that since they are itinerant, our students aren't able to develop as strong of relationships. Working directly with shelter staff has been one way to get around that! #dtk12chat
baby steps, deep breath, pick one grade/class, explain choices and let kids pick? could even turn into a persuasive writing piece of having ss pitch their idea and class votes. Of course all of this is easy for me to say as I haven't done any of it yet - just ideas #dtk12chat
A3: even before interviewing & attempting to empathize, you’ve gotta intentional look into your existing assumptions,& theirs, about how “school is done” and what the “business world” works. My last non Ed gig was Petsmart, so having real convos&sharing commonality #dtk12chat
I dig this a lot, Paul; how might teachers make that happening knowing a lot of these organizations work in spaces where confidentiality is key; thinking about how we establish the trust & understanding btw both school & org to let Ss see the real #dtk12chat
A3: Spending time together and building relationships will spark new ideas and help students + organizations better understand each other's needs and interests. Maybe job shadowing on both sides? Organization members could shadow students for a day and vice versa! #dtk12chat
I'm wondering if it would be helpful for Ss to explore the ideas of liberatory design & the work that @equityproject@designschoolx@k12lab have done around bias in design #dtk12chat
In reply to
@GrantLearns, @equityproject, @designschoolx, @k12lab
We do quite a few outside connections, mostly eco and homelessness-related. I want to get outside those, plus dev more ongoing relationships. Schools where I’ve seen most success have a dedicated person coordinating, not unlike makerspace success. 😉 #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @GrantLearns, @GHSTEAMchic
looking at https://t.co/4mplhzOZ2r, adding a dose of reflection after being in comm pumps up empathy/equity with students (e.g. after comm svc). All sides could engage in that w simple email exchg, not just students. #dtk12chat
Ohhhh! Jodi! I LOVE the idea of organization members ALSO shadowing students to get a sense of where they will be coming from in terms #dtk12chat I've not thought about this before!
A3: Spending time together and building relationships will spark new ideas and help students + organizations better understand each other's needs and interests. Maybe job shadowing on both sides? Organization members could shadow students for a day and vice versa! #dtk12chat
We were fortunate to have a similar experience. Also connected w local residents who were maintaining plots in the community garden. Conversation bubbles up over food & we were drawn in by the differences between plots & the stories of transition to this country. #dtk12chat
I'll take the easy way out first on this and mention that we integrate entrepreneurship content (one of the @WHS_StudioD electives) readily with collaboration - shark tanks, expert guests, trips, etc #dtk12chat
A4: Organizing content knowledge around transferable concepts can help make exploring real world contexts easier. I'm imagining a discussion about language, systems, and power in 1984 serving as a springboard for Ss to explore the inherent bias in local systems. #dtk12chat
Question for all: when coordinating community problem solving opportunities, do you usually have students choose the problem and then find a partner, or do you find a partner first? #dtk12chat
It's a LOT to coordinate which is what I think scares people off -- so how might we mitigate those fears? Might there me little lifts? Smaller scope yet still impactful experiences? Might there be value in design sprints? Weeklong or even day long collabs? #dtk12chat
In reply to
@LindseyOwn, @GrantLearns, @GHSTEAMchic
A4: There are two camps to this. One camp would say that you build this collaboration with the specific content as the foundation. The other camp would say to focus on the collaboration and figure out which content is applicable in that situation. #dtk12chat
I'll take the easy way out first on this and mention that we integrate entrepreneurship content (one of the @WHS_StudioD electives) readily with collaboration - shark tanks, expert guests, trips, etc #dtk12chat
Both, just depends on the situation. I actually think it's easier to find the partner with the need first, but sometimes the timing doesn't work out (e.g., they need something in May and there's like 3 weeks of school left) #dtk12chat
A3: Spending time together and building relationships will spark new ideas and help students + organizations better understand each other's needs and interests. Maybe job shadowing on both sides? Organization members could shadow students for a day and vice versa! #dtk12chat
We often do projects based on a theme. If the theme is poverty, then we look for partners in the community that are working in that realm and share out what our idea is for the project. #dtk12chat
I identify partners first and this is out of an efficiency need; I need to know that the community partner is going to be open to working w adolescents and to be okay w their . . . complexities . . #dtk12chat
Love the sprint idea! I sometimes find opportunities for teachers when they're already off & running with their own awesome agenda & so the timing is off - I really think it's been a timing thing for us a lot when it hasn't worked & some of that is length of project #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @LindseyOwn, @GrantLearns, @GHSTEAMchic
Wondering about having students build out storyboards of what the partnership MIGHT look like . . not the solution but just how working together might look; help the community partner see how the Ss envision it #dtk12chat
In reply to
@GrantLearns, @LindseyOwn, @GHSTEAMchic
I haven't done this yet, but hope to next year. I can see either way working; in some ways having a partner first eliminates what could be a big task #dtk12chat
So let's say you went with the former; what's some of the content with which your students wrangle that you could see being a good fit for a community collaboration? #dtk12chat
I love how ambitious we can be and sometimes I think our ambitions end up undermining the opportunities our students & community have to simply have a positive experience #dtk12chat
In reply to
@AshAusp, @LindseyOwn, @GrantLearns, @GHSTEAMchic
Powerful idea especially for those of us who draw students from a wide area. The variety of lenses will impact how the partnership is viewed. That variety is exciting and filled with opportunity. #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @GrantLearns, @LindseyOwn, @GHSTEAMchic
A5: we are partnering with local ice cream shop to help build creative fluency, originality& elaboration, oh and ice cream, & starting our own business, with proceeds going to community partners in need #dtk12chat
Oh. . and what if the organizations THEN provided feedback and students made adjustments to the storyboards so the collaboration starts on the same page #dtk12chat
In reply to
@GHSTEAMchic, @GrantLearns, @LindseyOwn
going to throw a nod at @projectwayfindr for this one! Their purpose compass (ahem, @ElaBenUr) helps students tie passions and skills with concerns to generate new project ideas -purposefully constrain those concerns to local community & have actionable ideas tomorrow #dtk12chat
A5: Have a dream day! Start with brainstorming. Possible question to ask: If you could change or improve anything in our community, what might it be?
My guess is that we'll be blown away by our students' answers, and an idea will naturally present itself! #dtk12chat
@LindseyOwn I agree with you that there are a lot of details. I've been fortunate to work with a teacher who does service learning and who helps facilitate and communicate with these outside organizations. It makes the logistics so much more manageable. #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @LindseyOwn, @GrantLearns, @GHSTEAMchic, @LindseyOwn
Ss are beginning to dive into their own independent research projects. Will be sending out feelers to the community so we can access the expertise of those around us and put a face to the facts. #dtk12chat
THIS is exactly it. I've been struggling with this. My students are so awesome I want them to save the world, but they're trying to graduate in 4 years or less so we scale back... and they still LEARN a ton & make a huge IMPACT #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @LindseyOwn, @GrantLearns, @GHSTEAMchic
Q5: Since we only have tomorrow left in our week of school, we could brainstorm some ideas. Also ss have special intentions they pray for daily(the poor, homeless, those without a coat) so we could find partners to help solve those problems they are passionate about. #dtk12chat
I could see a lot of SS content and utilizing the museums we have here as an opportunity for collaboration. Work on creating an exhibit together for instance would be an idea. #dtk12chat
I think it swings around to how we might make MAXIMUM impact within a given time -- a creative constraint t/t becomes part of the design challenge #dtk12chat
In reply to
@AshAusp, @LindseyOwn, @GrantLearns, @GHSTEAMchic
@GHSTEAMchic I don't know any place in MN, but I can tell you @WestwoodStuGov has had an ongoing service project with a local senior center for several years now & I know they have ideas about needs, how to help, what to do & how to do it #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @GHSTEAMchic, @WestwoodStuGov
A5: we are partnering with local ice cream shop to help build creative fluency, originality& elaboration, oh and ice cream, & starting our own business, with proceeds going to community partners in need #dtk12chat
As we near the end of the #dtk12chat POWER HOUR, I want to extend a #BOOMSHAKALAKA to all of the new to the chat folks who joined tonight and the bevy of veteran members of the community who came out this evening!
Be certain to take a moment and follow the folks you met on tonight's #dtk12chat and remember that our community is open 24/7! Didn't get what you needed during our hour? Just ask using the hashtag! Tag a few of the regulars and let us help!
A5: invite local enviro in to address how cc affects our town and lead a discussion about how to make an impact then design a project that includes creative writing, interviews w/ locals etc.
I've taken students to study with Museum Science professors at the University of Toronto + spend time with professionals at the Art Gallery of Ontario + the Museum of Inuit Art to think about the how museums tell stories + what stories they tell. Powerful! #DTK12Chat
People are definitely willing to host you + help teachers. It never hurts to ask! The professor I worked most closely with at the University of Toronto even helped curate coursepacks for each of our trips that I put together + published for students. #DTK12Chat
4th and 5th students at my school held a farmers market last year! They organized, planned, advertised, and sold the produce. All proceeds went back to our school to continue our community garden!
