This week I presented at Cheltenham Elementary School’s Women in Science Fair as the first ever “computer” participant in the fair’s history. I decided to teach the children the basic design principles – C.R.A.P. – though I had to rearrange the letters – P.A.R.C – to take into consideration my K-5th grade audience. So we learned about Proximity, Alignment, Repetition and Contrast by assembling a poster about Toy City.
To prepare for the fair, I used stencils, spray paint and markers to create an interactive poster board. In the center, I put the pieces of information for the Toy City website on velcro so the children could move the information around and see the results spatially on the board.
The day began with the Kindergarteners who, we all agreed, were too young to grasp the “science” part of the fair. They did understand the mission given to them by their teachers: Get at least 6 sign-offs from the different tables indicating you visited. It probably wasn’t until the 3rd graders that the students really started to grasp the concepts of layout and design. I think this is a big take-away for anyone else out there keen on teaching design to younger children.
The typical conversation with each student went this way. After approaching, I would say:
Lindsay: Hi there, do you like to play with computers?
Student: YES!
Lindsay: What do you like to do on computers?
Student: Play gaa-a-ames!
Lindsay: Oh what kind of games?
Student: [INSERT SOME GAME I DON'T KNOW]
Lindsay: Well do you want to play a game today?
Student: Yes!
Lindsay: We’re going to design a website! Have you ever done that?
Student: <shakes head>
Lindsay: Well let’s design a website for ToyCity, the BEST Playground & Toy store in Philadelphia. Before we begin, lets organize the information into groups (prompt them to organize all the pieces on the table. pieces that were similar were also in the same color).
The groups of information were: Name of the Store, Taglines, Products & Availability. I walked them through each one, pointing out principles of alignment and repetition. I found Contrast was almost negligible in this exercise.
I think the highlight of the morning was the one 4th grader who, when asked what he likes to do most on the computer, answered enthusiastically, “Search facts on Wikipedia!” And when I asked him if he wanted to design a website, he cooed extra excitedly “I’ve always wanted to do that!” Unfortunately, his teacher chirped for all her students less than 20 seconds into the exercise.
I imagine that most of the people that come across my blog are more likely to be part of the San Francisco tech scene than they are part of the, well, non-tech scene. If you’re following the current debate over whether you should love San Francisco or leave San Francisco, than you may have come across Mat Honan’s blog post “Are You Going to San Francisco”. In his article, he makes a point to tell everyone to Make Real Friends:
“This only applies to people working in the Internet and technology sectors, but you may be amazed to discover that most people in the city work in fields that have nothing to do with the Internet. It’s fantastic to have friends in the industry. You’ll have shared interests and they’ll always get your meme-of-the-day jokes. But if most of your friends work in the same field you do, that’s a little boring, right? Try to branch out. This is a city of people from all over the world, doing all sorts of interesting things. Get to know them. ”
So here’s your chance: City of Dream’s 5th Annual – SF1900 – A Night at the Barbary Coast. I can expound the virtues of City of Dreams, but I have already done that previously. It’s a great organization, and I admire everyone of the members and friends I’ve met through my roommate and the organization. But for those of you not familiar with City of Dreams, this event is the best way to get an introduction! Not only can you fraternize with people outside of the (tech) industry, you’re going to find better male-to-female ratios than your average tech event (quit complaining!), and you can gamble the night away for a good cause. If you don’t believe me just yet, take a look at last year’s photo site. Now go buy your ticket!
My Roommate and I Looking Snappy
Details
WHEN: Thursday, November 12th, 2009 7pm – 12:30am.
WHERE: The Bently Reserve (The old Federal building, 301 Battery St.)
WHAT: Annual Fundraising Gala for City of Dreams
THEME: Think San Francisco’s Barbary Coast, circa 1900.
Preview the event’s AH-mazing silent auction here!
“Pillows are like good friends, you can never have too many”
-Sarah Van Dyke
Since I struggle with my ownvolunteer efforts, I wanted to get the word out about my friend Sarah’s quest to raise $2500 for the The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by selling pillows for $25/each. My roommate and I were able to snag 3 for our couch, and absolutely love the new addition to our apartment. The pillows are well made, and the fabric patterns are to die for. If you don’t want them for yourself, they make great presents and come with some awesome karma.
To purchase a pillow from Sarah, you just have to pick your pillow pattern, pay online, and then pick them up. She’s located in Russian Hill (San Francisco), but is willing to mail you the pillow if you would like.
You can also visit her Team in Training page to donate money without redeeming a pillow.
Come on now, go help a girl out, and in turn, help save many lives!
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