Steampunk "Reading" List

We are creating a "Steampunk Reading List"...
Students, in keeping with the idea of connecting the dots,  comment to the blog below, and list as many Steampunk related books, stories, poems, movies, music videos etc. that you can think of.

I'll start the list...
movie - The City of Lost Children
book - Frankenstein (easy one)

How much stuff can you come up with?

In Computer Art were winding down and beginning the review and final stages.
Decided today, rather than do the cool down I had planned to show them the Innovations 101 site and let them sift through all the innovators interviewed themselves.

Modified one of the worksheets a bit, and now they are going to find an innovator who is both interesting (in what they are saying as well as how they are saying it) they identify with and make some comparisons - not between innovators, but between innovators and themselves.

Ill be curious to see what they make of these people and who they find interesting.

Started the Painting class this morning with a brief Powerpoint (using the iPod and iTunes as examples) to help clarify the difference between innovation and invention.  Its a subtle but important difference, and one the understandable get confused with.
Will be covering the Design Process again tomorrow - and how it can help kick start the creative process (with an emphasis on research).

Found a very cool book on Brain Pickings website that talks about the Design Process circa 1939 - will add this in to the mix tomorrow instead of using THF's PBS clip and see what sort of different response it gets.

A 5-Step Technique for Producing Ideas...

No movement in Painting class today - was conducting trainings in our elementary building.
Tomorrow we will review the Design Process and Kamen's definition of innovation (and compare with Mullins and Burtons).
This class has the same complaint - they like what Dean Kamen has to say, but his delivery is less than dynamic - of course they are comparing him to video footage of Steve Jobs and Aimee Mullins.
Both very dynamic speakers.
I actually like Kamen's low key and sometimes quietly intense delivery, but I can see how HS students may be looking for something more.

Evaluation...

Independent evaluators arrived today to interview students and get details about the Innovation 101 product from me.
Students were (for the most part) very articulate and open in their feedback, they had some excellent comments.
We also discussed the Design Process a bit more, they have walked away with an excellent grasp so far (which kind of amazes me - I was feeling like I didn't cover it as well as I should have) but they are enjoying the student led "flipped" aspect of the lessons (which kind of sucks since I like talking).
Looked at the clip from Men in Black and used that as a spring board to discuss critical thinking a bit more - and how its easy to loose sight of what the "real" problem is.

Assigned the Steve Wozniak clip (his thoughts on innovation).  Hopefully students will find him more entertaining to listen to and tomorrow we'll discuss and compare the different innovators attitudes and definitions of creativity (Kamen, Mullins, Wozniak).
They should rock that worksheet (another one I have modified a bit).

I do enjoy the writing aspects of the lessons - and they seem to as well.

Yesterday...

Yesterday the Painting class decided they needed more direction and guidance on exactly what they were supposed to do in terms of subject matter for the painting (Burton or Steampunk).
We looked at some visual reference, discussed options, specifics like size, media, application of 3D media and using the Design Process for inspiration and reference.

We will discuss this in greater detail (after they watch the video) on Friday - how does one really use the Design Process for research and inspiration?

General work day today in Computer Art and nothing in Painting as I was conducting iPad training.
Hate to lose a day at this point in the juncture, but life does go on in other areas.
Assigned Computer Art the video on the Design Process - watch and be ready to discuss tomorrow.
painting class will get the same assignment tomorrow for a discussion on Friday.
Conducting more iPad trainings tomorrow - so it will be a visit with the independent evaluator in the AM (Computer Art) and then off to the trainings, leaving the Painting class to watch the video, prep for discussion and work on their own.

Pretty good video about the Design Process though...

Period 1 Computer Art - back to Photoshop technique today.
Some basic illustrative techniques for working with images and beginning the Steampunk reading list.

Defining innovation...

Whipped up a quck primer on "what is innovation" to review and reinforce Kamens definition of innovation (which is the one I personally buy into and the one we have empahsised at Chenango Forks).
This will let me do a quick review of the Kamen video clip "Defininf Innovation" - in one class we went over it as a group, in the other I had them look at it as a self guided activity.
I placed in the Dean Kamen box of video shorts.

CF Innovations 101 web page


The second group seemed to have a great grasp of it (I just want to go over it myself for purely selfish reasons - I like teaching) although they did find Kamen a bit boring (in his delivery, not his content).

I used the iPod/iTunes to help draw the distinction between innovation and invention and to reinforce what an innovation really is - this also allows me to touch Edison again (if even in a peripheral way).

The Design Analog sheets were given to students to help them focus their thinking and begin their research.  Not all students need this jump start of course, but if they haven't been through the Design Process before (consciously or unconsciously) they can get "block" - not sure what to do or how to start.
This sheet is a trick that helps define the problem and lets them get a start in a direction.
It may not actually define the final visual - but its a start...

Design Analog worksheet - pages 1 and 2.

Follow up quiz to test retention at this point and prep for review...

The Design Process...

Today's begins a discussion of The Design Process (in depth) in the Painting class.
Looking to connect more dots.  How are ideas generated?
Ideas and innovation don't happen in a vacuum, they come from work and research.

Today...
How does Dean Kamen define innovation (and create a distinction between innovation and invention)?
How does this apply to Aimee Mullins (was she an innovator or not)?
How does this apply to Tim Burton (in what way is he an innovator)?
How are innovative solutions arrived at and how do they work in the real world(showing the carbon dioxide clip from Apollo 13)?

This leads to The Design Process...
What is it and how do artists and other "creatives" use it to help solve problems (or be innovative)?
Our emphasis will be on Dean Kamen's idea that innovation comes from work, trial and error, and the hints he gives on research and development.
How does step #2 - research play a role in being creative?
More importantly - how do you do it (and the design analog worksheet to help jump start the process)?

Breaking things up (and down)...

Computer Art class working today generating sketches and compiling research and reference materials.  I'll begin checking sketches for them tomorrow.
Painting class has decided they would like to work today - so we cut a deal - they come prepared for discussion tomorrow having watched the end of the Steampunk presentation (or Tim Burton's MoMA exhibition video's) AND the Science Fiction Science Fact presentation.
We will take a look at Dean Kamen's definition of innovation and start to discuss the Design Process.

Painting is going to have some options...
I am allowing them to move ahead with either the Steampunk concept as reference/inspiration OR use the Tim Burton as an innovator as their reference/inspiration.
The Design Process will be used to examine and define each/either style.