Chapter 8

This chapter introduced me to a whole side of designing that I had never heard of or never thought could be incorporated into an elementary classroom. Designing with technology is a very complex task, but with proper training, design can be used to motivate students to explore and learn the big ideas of all subjects. This chapter describes four different areas where meaningful learning can be enhanced with the use of design activities.

The first context that the book mentions is drawing design ideas with computer-aided design software. This program is used to allow designers to create a sketch of what they want to make before actually doing it. This is a great tool to use with students because they can visualize what works and what doesn’t. They can then improve the design so that when it is made for real less errors are likely to occur. The book mentions a program called Pro/DESKTOP. This program is available to students at no cost and allows them to develop their ideas as virtual objects. I really liked this program and feel that I could incorporate it into my classroom. I thought it was so interesting that it provides clear feedback to students to guide them when creating 3-D shapes. Another program that was introduced was SketchUp. This program is really interesting because students can walk through their creating, making it very realistic. I think this would be a great program for students because they can get really involved in their designs.

Testing designs and building mental models with simulation software is the next context introduced. This program seems to best for science related topics. They help students build mental models of how the world works. The program introduced in the chapter is Trebuchet Simulator. This program is really neat because it allows students to create a simulation before they actually create it. Students can test experiments through this program. I feel like this program would be good to use in my classroom because it allows students to feel more confident and get less frustrated when building and refining their projects.

The third section is developing programming skills while designing in the media arts. This kind of design involves using a Logo programming language. This program allows students to have complete control over what occurs in the program. I enjoyed this section because it introduced Scratch, which after being in this class, was a familiar program. This program helps students design graphics, games, and much more. It also expands their computer literacy skills. This program will definitely be used in my classroom. One way that I would incorporate it into my class would be to allow students to take a written story and create an animation using scratch that represents the story. The book introduced iStopMotion software. This is a really cool program that allows young students to create their own movies and time-lapse recordings. After looking at this program, I would definitely use it with my students.

The final section of this chapter is designing music with composition software. This was such an interesting section. I had never really heard of anything like it until last week in class when we were working with GarageBand. This is a great way to incorporate music and emphasize its importance in any class. Students are able to explore different instruments and learn about the sounds that they produce. I really like how students are able to create their own arrangements. I will be using this kind of design in my classroom by incorporating it to core subjects. For example, students can create a song to help them memorize a science topic. This will allow students to be interactive with each other, with technology, and with music, while learning. “Musical Sketch Pad” is an example of an inline music composition environment that is introduced in this chapter. I looked it up and thought it was really fun! It is directed for students in primary grades, which is perfect for me as a future elementary teacher. I really liked this program, but felt that students might have a hard time creating musical patterns because there is a lot that goes into it. But with proper instruction, students can really benefit from this website.

Overall, I felt that this chapter was interesting and useful for educators to read. I had never really been exposed to designing with technology. But I have learned so many programs that students can students can benefit from by taking their ideas and making them a possible reality through technology. It is extremely important for teachers to help students with design programs because they can sometimes be quite complex. As a future teacher, which design programs do you think you would incorporate in your classroom and why?