Get ready for your weekly serving of what’s been happening in my head and life!
Ed-Tech I’m Testing
This week one of my students introduced me to CapCut an online video editor to match the power of iMovie! It is free to use, available on both Android and iOS, as well as being browser-based. It has quite an extensive library of templates to browse from as well. Here are some example projects to get you going in the classroom:
- Stop-motion animation
- Virtual field trips
- News broadcasts
- Science experiments
- Music videos
- Public service announcements
- Historical reenactments
- Cooking tutorials
- Sports highlights
- Poetry recitals
Teaching Practice I’m Trying
The IDEO U website offers an insightful overview of design thinking, a creative approach to problem-solving that emphasizes empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing. The article explains that design thinking is a human-centred approach that seeks to understand people’s needs and create solutions that meet those needs. The process involves five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.
The article also emphasizes that design thinking is not just for designers. It can be used by anyone who wants to solve complex problems and create innovative solutions. The process is flexible, iterative, and collaborative, and it encourages individuals and teams to embrace ambiguity, take risks, and learn from failure. The article concludes by stating that design thinking is a powerful tool for creating meaningful change in the world.
YouTube Video I’m Watching
Ok, technically this is not even a video! It is a website with lofi beats with the occasional sound of air traffic control coming and interrupting the beats!
Things I’ve Learned
I have often wondered why International schools cap the class size at 20 students. Where does that come from? Is it an arbitrary number? Is there some theory and science behind it?
In reading Pauls Burn’s Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation, I came across Parkinson’s coefficient of inefficiency, and wonder if there was any link between this and class sizes. In research completed by Parkinson, he discovered that groups of adults, larger than 20 people, are less efficient at making effective decisions than groups smaller than that. I do prefer smaller class sizes, but I still wonder where this magic number of 20 students comes from in international schools.
The String I’m Pulling
Sticking with our guy, David Kelley, I watched him get interviewed on stage, where he talked about the design process and how it all started. You can watch the full interview here.
Quote, I’m Pondering
Not to constantly correct people or jump on their mistakes. Just add to the conversation. Meditations 10. The Literary Critic Alexander.