[MAKING] CONNECTIONS

[MAKING] CONNECTIONS is a low-tech, hands-on approach social
network building made popular by sites like Facebook, MySpace,
and Twitter. The centerpiece of the project is a 4’x12’ photo wall
comprised of photos of the 80+ people who attended the event at the
North Minneapolis YMCA’s Youth and Teen Enrichment Center this past Saturday (03.20.2010).
Upon arrival, each guest had his/her photo taken by a D.E.M.O. staff
member or volunteer.

As a critical mass of photos began to appear
on the wall, guests were asked to literally “make connections” by
linking pieces of color coded string between their own photos, photos
of those they knew prior to the event (purple string), and photos of
those they met for the first time at the event (orange string).

The end result was both a recorded visual record of the event’s many
attendees and a real-time visualization of the peer-to-peer connection
and community building process that took place over the course
of the evening.

VIDEO: Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson reminds us that we all had a capacity for creativity at one point in our lives. As the likes of Tim Brown (IDEO) and Tom Friedman (NYT) have pointed out, the type of education one receives is as important now as the amount of education one receives...

VIDEO: Rapid Prototyping in the Classroom!

The path to innovation is dependent on the process of experimentation and prototyping. Makerbot Industries has just made that process a lot more accessible with the introduction of a desktop 3d printer, appropriately dubbed the "CupCake CNC," that is available for under $1000! Now, that's still a good chunk of money, but compared to other 3d printers, which can cost $15,000-$60,000, it's a steal.

Makerbot promises to not only bring rapid prototyping technology to small shops and firms, but also expands its reach into the (k12) classroom without requiring a substantial investment or grant request. The possibilities are endless...