Assignment 30/3 ：2D design

 

This is a design work I made using Figma, which represents my love of sharing music with friends. The basic shapes I use here are circles and squares. I applied different transparency to the color of the circles and layer them up to make a ripple-like effect. And then I use the material that I found in the Figma Community to represent me as the character in the scene. Then I combined squares and different album covers and scatter them randomly with varying sizes and transparencies. 

Ideas of 2D design in education

1.  Teachers can organize students to use available tools to conduct 2D designs to decorate the classroom. In the beginning, teachers can show students some examples via slides. Then, teachers can divide students into several groups and start brainstorming ideas and making a plan (including draft, tools). Lastly, students can start designing once they get prepared. 

2. Badge design using digital tools. Teachers can introduce students to certain digital tools that teachers want students to master. In the first half of the class, teachers can briefly introduce some basic features of the tool, and then give students online learning resources to learn more about the design tool. Then students will be divided into several groups with no more than 3 in each group. They can use digital tools to design their school badge. Teachers can collect students' work and make real ones give students as rewards. 

3. Using basic shapes and colors to design a logo. For beginners, knowing about basic shapes and colors is essential for further study. Teachers can teach some principles in terms of the use of shapes and colors, show students some examples of logo design using basic shapes and colors. Then students can engage in group activities to design personal logos or logos for local businesses. In the end, students need to present their thoughts and how they make it in front of the class. 

Assignment 9/3: Creative Coding

 

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/489063091

This is a project that I made using Scratch. It is a name animation. Scratch has enjoyed great popularity across the world in STEM education, including China. It is a good start for children who are interested in coding since it is a beginner-friendly coding tool. It converts complicated coding language into a game like a puzzle game. Gamification of coding education has the power to attract children's attention and engage them in the learning process. It is such a creative expression that children can use it to implement every little idea in their minds and make them come true. 

Impact 25

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Exdg6O1ORba1FQZRX0r80OOz6iIITAjxBgBI3MohXIU/edit

I worked on Impact 25 with Qing. We invited 25 people to collaboratively tell a story with 25 given keywords. The starter and the end of the story were provided. Each person picks up keywords to write either a sentence or a paragraph, following the storyline written by former participants. Keywords can not be used twice. 

In this project, it is interesting to notice how creative these people are. Different people have different storytelling styles and intentions for the storyline. Participants pretty much enjoyed the process and this kind of interaction with other people. It sparked their curiosity to find out who wrote which part of the story and how would it develop after his/ her part.  

Assignment 2/3: Stop Motion Animation

 

I made this stop-animation project with Qing Tian. I appreciate her artistic talent in our teamwork, making our project alive. I spent several hours in the studio preparing materials and shooting. We roughly take the following steps to complete it. 

1. Determine the theme

The theme of our project is the representation of the life cycle, from birth to death. One generation is followed by another generation.

2. Characters and scene

We decided to use chicken as the main character in our project and set up a scene with clouds, the sun, and the moon. The changing of the sun and the moon represent the change of time.

3. Prepare materials 

Qing drew all the materials using pen and colored paper and I cut them off the papers.

4. Shooting

Shooting is the most tricky part of the process. We need to be mindful of the environmental lights. Otherwise, the color of the background will keep changing. And, we have to pay attention to putting our hands out of the scene. Otherwise, the consistency of the animation may be destroyed. 

Takeaways from the reading 

"The maker movement may represent our best hope for reigniting progressive education. As you embark on a personal adventure to bring making, tinkering, and engineering into your classroom, know that you are not alone. You stand on the shoulders of giants and there is a rapidly growing community of makers available to help. "

Maker movement enjoys great popularity among educators in recent years, especially in the field of STEM education. It is aligned with the learning theory of constructivism, which proposes the construction of knowledge by interaction with the world. I prefer learning by doing over learning by lectures since learning by doing can help me connect theoretical knowledge with real-world practices. In this way, I can familiarize myself with the community and the culture of practices and practitioners. 

"Create something shareable" is a concept that I resonate with. I think, it concords with the nature of knowledge, which should not be confined to a limited amount of people. Sharable pieces can conducive to expanding the community and make more people access to it.