Chapter 8 Reflection

I have not used technology to do much designing, except for starting my Scratch project this past week. Before reading this chapter, I had not considered designing with technologies are something that I would really use in my classroom. I think that is because I do not consider this to be something that I enjoy, but maybe it is because when I was a student, I was not exposed to designing with technology. It requires a lot of creativity and deep thinking in a way that I don’t believe is one of my better skills. However, the reading showed me that technology can and should be used for design. I think that it can be motivational for students because it would allow them to work hands-on in many subjects, such as music, math, and science. If students are designing their own things on topics they are interested in, they will be more invested in their work. I had also never thought about how designing is similar to problem solving. Now that I think about it, I think that the main difference is that in problem solving, the problem is already there, as well as many possible solutions. We usually just have to think of solutions and consider which are best. In designing, we in effect have to create a need/opportunity – the “problem” – and then create a whole new solution of our own, that may not work. I think this is the aspect of designing that makes it something that some people love and others find very challenging. This would be a great learning opportunity for real life as well as allow teachers to teach in a constructivist nature.

As a teacher, I think that I would have my students use Scratch to create their own games. I would only use it with older children though, because it seems too challenging for younger kids. Students could demonstrate creativity and expression as they selected topics and determined what would occur in the game. I could also have them use programs like Pro-Desktop to make sketches and drawings, as well as get feedback that I may not be able to provide (since I don’t consider myself to be an expert in this arena). I believe that programs like SketchUp would be for students to design a floorplan and 3-D model. I had to do this in the 6^th grade, but back then we had to hand-write our blueprints on graph paper and physically build our models. I also like the idea of using simulators to test ideas. Often, students will plan and build something, only to have it not work. Simulators could prevent this type of problem. I also made an animation in elementary school using technology that caused it to be very jumpy (I am not sure what we used). I remember it being a fun experience though, and so I would love to have my students use iStopMotion or similar software to create animations of their own that would be of higher quality. Last, GarageBand would be a great tool to use with my students. The other day we read an article for MAE 4310 about learning fractions through reading music. I think that composing music could also work to assist students in being creative and learning math concepts. I would like to learn more about the most recent design programs available for my classroom, especially ones for younger students.