VIDEO: Left Brain/Right Brain LEGO Commercial

LEGO just released a great commercial that is a perfect illustration of the topic of "play" discussed by IDEO's Tim Brown in the previous entry. The new TV spot shows a father (on the left...left brain) and son (on the right...right brain) working together to build a LEGO house. The father's creation is a perfectly organized left-brain house that, not surprisingly, looks like what most adults think a house should look like. The son's creation, as you'll see in the video, is pure right-brained creativity and "play." He's not "self-editing," as Tim Brown would say, to build something based on what he thinks others will want to see. Rather, he's building something based solely on what he himself can dream up! All of us, at some point, have a natural comfort level with this type of working (or playing)...but somewhere between the age of 5 and 25 it seems to evaporate.

Now, perhaps I'm over-analyzing this a bit (after all, the father's house is pretty cool), but LEGO's message is a clear one...have fun and PLAY! Agreed.

VIDEO: Tim Brown on the Role of "Play" in Innovation

In this talk at the 2008 Serious Play conference, Tim Brown of IDEO (we tend to like them if you can't tell) discusses the role of "play" in innovation and creativity. At first glance it seems obvious that play would be a part of creativity, but as Brown points out, adults (even those in so-called creative fields) tend to self-edit to the point that anything that could conceivably be called "play" is cut short. Using design legends Charles and Ray Eames as examples, he points out the fact that great ideas often come as a result of not simply stopping when a good idea has been developed.

The openness of play, a time for generating and testing ideas without fear of judgement, is an essential part of innovation. That openness, however, has been drained out of many of us by the time we reach adulthood. Kids, Brown states in the video, "are more engaged with open possibilities."

We at DEMO are strong believers in helping kids maintain and even further develop their natural comfort level with creativity so they don't have to go back and attempt to re-learn it as adults...

ARTICLE: IDEO'S Thoughts on 21st Century Learning

http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20090218/ideos-ten-tips-for-creating-a-21st-century-classroom-experience

Originally featured in last February's issues of Metropolis magazine, this article highlights IDEO's 10 core beliefs for learning in the 21st century. While the list is general and sheds little light on how one would actually implement such measures, it is, nonetheless, very thought provoking.

We particularly like the fact that they not only acknowledge the need to strengthen core skills (math, reading, science), but also advocate adding more emphasis on the so-called "soft skills" (creativity, collaboration, communication, empathy, and adaptability). In fact, their 3rd point calls for end of the term "soft skills" altogether. We agree, especially since such skills are now required by many employers. The trick, as they mention in their final point, is figuring out how to measure (and justify the value of) these skills in a world focused on hard numbers and right/wrong answers...

WORKSHOP: Google SketchUp with the Walker

Click the link below to view the blog post I wrote reflecting on the SketchUp / Digital Design workshop DEMO taught in partnership with the Walker Art Center this past Saturday:
http://blogs.walkerart.org/ecp/2009/11/19/reflections-on-my-net-google-sketchup/

Above image courtesy of Walker Art Center.

VIDEO - Shane Coen on Future of Design

Landscape architect and DEMO advisory board member, Shane Coen, was a featured presenter at the Future of Design conference held by the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. While all of what he says is important, his closing statements about the importance and power of design in K-12 education are right on! Take a moment to watch...

VIDEO - Danish Design School

The DEMO team really enjoyed this great video from the staff and students at Design School Kolding in Denmark. In addition to being visually (and aurally) stunning, the video clearly communicates what we at DEMO feel is the true power of design in education: using innovative approaches to solve real world problems and become active participants in the world around us. Take a look...we hope it motivates you as much as it motivates us!

Check out their site and brush up on your Danish: http://www.designskolenkolding.dk/

VIDEO - Motivation [in Education?]

Dan Pink's TED talk on the value of intrinsic motivation presents an interesting discussion on why personal interest, empowerment and ownership are important factors in success (and even in defining what success is). While Pink focuses mainly on the business world, it's clear that such internal motivations are equally, if not more, important to recognize and foster in the classroom.

Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by the new DEMO blog!

In the coming days and weeks we'll be adding videos, articles, and links to both our own work and the work of others that focuses on the important crossroads of design thinking and education.

To find out more about who we are, visit of main website at www.demo-schools.org.