Seeds of Innovation: Timing, Chance, and Risk-Taking.

I've blogged before about the seeds of innovation.  I studied innovation in education actively for two years during my time with the Staff Development department in my district.  I saw some incredible and inspiring things, and then documented them on my site the Bright Ideas Gallery.  But I've been curious about the nature of innovation, not just in education, but all innovation.  I investigated innovation to apply these methods back to education to see if we can nurture and grow innovation, but I noticed odd and interesting patterns along the way. 

In a lot of cases, there was no real "discovery" with respect to innovative ideas or products.  Instead what happened was that the actual invention or concept was always there, but no one really had figured out how to use it in a viable way.  Xerox gave Steve Jobs the computer mouse because they thought it was useless.  Steve ran with the mouse to create the first really personal computer, the Macintosh.  This happens in education all the time.  A lot of ideas or methods have been around a long time, but someone figures out how to use an old technique in a new way or repackages it in a way that makes sense for modern users.

This brings up another pattern: timeliness. The Paul Masson winery used to say, "We will sell no wine before its time."  They were right because there has to be a match between the idea and the zeitgeist of what is currently happening.  People have to open to what you are developing.  Handhelds came way before the iPod, iPhone, or iPad, but they never really caught on with the masses.  Even Apple came out with a dismal "failure" (by Apple standards) of a PDA*, the Newton.  Apart from techies, no one wanted to carry around a deck of cards-sized computer in their pants, and now we would not dream of leaving our homes without our devices.  (We would sooner leave our homes without our pants).

Timing was everything.  With the iPhone there is a huge convergence of technologies that even by themselves are pretty amazing: cellular phones, digital cameras, microcomputers, compact storage, powerful and small rechargeable batteries, touchscreens, flat and small displays, digital music transfer, etc. All of this had to come together, and simultaneously, consumers had to see a need for this powerful little bundle.

My favourite aspect of developing innovation is the most elusive one: dumb luck. Sometimes there is a great random chance that occurs that forces the innovator to think of things in a different way.  What would have happened if Jobs hadn't toured Xerox that day?  Surely, it was a case of right place, right time.  And without even one of those technologies I listed above, would the iPhone have even gotten off the ground let alone be so popular as it is today?  If you've been reading this blog from the beginning you know that I was looking for a striking way to redesign my classroom, and it was just happenstance that I went to the Museum of Anthropology that gave me the idea for my beloved risers.  It was also not just dumb luck but my limited wood working skills that led me to create them in a rectangular, open and highly agile design (and not the closed, curved and somewhat limited design that original inspiration was).

The one aspect of innovation that I have not written about before is: risk taking.  This summer, I read Amanda Lang's The Power of Why.  She talks about how innovation can come from curiosity, and in her examples there is risk taking involved to get the innovation to that next step.  I get that.  Because innovators are doing something new, the ideas are not always well-received because they go against the grain of what has already happened or what is currently happening.  It takes a lot of courage to break from the inertia of history.  Electric light in homes was first seen as dangerous (compared to gas or lit candles?).  Flight was seen as heretical: "If man was meant to fly, he would be born with wings."  (Something to think about the next time your flight is delayed).  Elvis was seen as lewd on when he shook his hips on the Ed Sullivan Show.  (Luckily, Miley Cyrus came on after him).

Innovators are risk takers who push the envelope.  Even if they are not successful with their innovations, they help us re-examine the limits of what we thought was possible.  Also, there is something deliciously rebellious is pushing the limits.  My whole design journey started as a joke, a prank, (see Origin).  My co-conspirator, Craig, and I were giggling like little girls when we started dismantling the storage room so we could use it as our secret clubhouse, later dubbed The Space.  It was like a non-malicious version of that movie from the 90's Pacific Heights where freaky tenant Michael Keaton drastically alters the suite rented to him by on-site owners, Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffiths (before she got her lips renovated).   Craig and I took down the curtains from the windows, and then used them to cover up the ugly storage units.  We removed or hid anything that reminded us of school.  We brought in soft lighting, couches, an espresso machine, rolling bamboo blinds, a CD player that played non-school music, etc.  It was a great private joke and we didn't tell anyone at first (except the custodians who came in to get paper towels and toilet paper out of storage).  It was a wonderful inside laugh, that we slowly leaked to the staff.  It brought the staff closer together by giving them a "null" place devoid of the pressures and reminders of teaching, and it morphed into applying the same idea for personal classroom spaces.

Sometimes, it takes a lot of bravery to not do what is expected, and sometimes, it is just plain fun to do the unexpected.  The really great thing in terms of seeding innovation, is that risk-taking is something we teachers can foster in our classrooms.  We can model it.  We can allow mistakes to happen without scorn, and even encourage mistakes as part of a constructive process.  We can encourage questions and curiosity. We can debrief what happens when things go wrong or right, and develop next steps.  We can give examples like Jobs, Edison, and the Wright brothers as innovators who made many mistakes until they found something that worked.  We can document process, and use the documentation as a blueprint for next time. 

Unlike timing or dumb luck, risk taking is a seed of innovation that is doable.  (Sewable?) 





*Personal Digital Assistant, not Public Display of Affection

Boutique Learning

I finished the prototypes of my  lap desks (3.0).   When I showed them to my wife she got really excited.   "They're so cute," she gushed.  "They look like shopping bags!"

Hmmm.  Boutique learning?  Personal, customized, and you can take it with you.  I like it.

Notice the small storage area for a pencil and planner.  I made it with duct tape and an insert of hardboard.   No sewing!

The drawstring closes the top to form a nice easel, but also doubles as a handle. 

Lapdesk 3.0

As you may remember,  I've been looking for a suitable lapdesk.   Because I removed a lot of my student desks, the students still need a surface on which to write.  The risers work well, but if students are just going to sit and write in the same place every time, I might as well give the
them their desks back.  Also, in the spirit of "Take Your Learning Wherever You Go" I wanted my students to have a mobile workspace. 

 

Examples from the world.

Sure laptops and tablets are nice (and expensive), but I also wanted paper and pencil capabilities, so I started looking around.  I found these two examples and bought them for myself to try out.  There was some potential in these lapdesks: nice easy surface, comfortable.  But both of them worked best in a seated position which is not my only intent.

 

 

 

 

The first set of lapdesks

 

Remember my first go at lapdesks from Daiso?  They were actually transparent plastic document holders.

 

 

 

 

They were terrific for many reasons: light, portable, a suitable size for writing, a little bit of storage, they could stand up on their end when we put them away, easy to keep clean, and the students LOVED them.  Then why did I stop using them?  First, they were not really strong.  The clasps broke off making storage difficult.  Several doc holders smashed through the course of the year.  Second, they only really lasted a year.  Sure, at $2 this probably was no big deal, but if I had to buy a class set every year, do I really want to dish out 50 beans?  I could probably put them on the supply list, but chose not to.  Third, they were not really environmentally friendly. 25 large hunks of plastic each year adds up.  And weighs on my conscience. 

 

The second set of lapdesks

Taking what I learned from the first set, I started to think up my own design.  I was inspired by a wine box I'd seen.  Using my grade 8 woodworking skills (I got a C+ back in grade 8), I built these beautiful boxes.  They had storage with a sliding lid.  There was a flat writing surface. I put a clip on the top so papers could be attached.  When the boxes stood on their end, they could be used like a mini-easel.  I drilled two holes in the top so I could attach some twine as a handle so as to increase the portability.  And because the materials were 97% wood, there was no environmental cringe factor.  The cost was less than $2 per unit to make.

 

 

 

So if these second lapdesks were so great, you are probably wondering why I never continued using them.  The clip at the top was helpful for making sure papers did not slide around, but because I had to extend the lid so the clip would fit, the surface was too long for the short arms of my little kids. Theses lapdesks were also on the heavy and clunky side, so it reduced the portability. 

 

But I  think it all came down to my (lack of) skills.  I only made 4 prototypes and then let kids test them out in class.  They loved them. I saw some of the flaws in the design and made mental notes of how I would change them.  But I never did.  It was too much work for my limited skill set. It would take too long, and then I would want to keep changing and adjusting. Though I had all of the parts from my prototypes, it would probably still take me weeks to make more of these things, and I didn't have it in me.

 

For a year or so, I used clipboards and whiteboards as writing surfaces to tide us over.  They worked, but I could see I really needed a bit of storage, so pencils, erasers and planners were easier to manage.  Plus the clipboards are not terribly personal, so students took no pride in them and treated them accordingly, whereas in the cases of our lapdesks, the students took great care of them.   

 

Third time the charm?

The risers and alternative seating possibilities are starting to really take hold, and I can see that I need some kind of portable writing surface. I thought about buying the plastic doc holders to get us through the year, but was always looking for an alternative.  My sister and I were talking about some possibilities a year ago, and I took one of the ideas and started playing with it.  Here is my first prototype.

 

 

 



Last fall, I had cut some shower board to make some mini-whiteboards (they work great by the way).  I had some pieces left over and made this lapdesk.  I cobbled it together using a heavy twine, looseleaf rings, and a binder clip.  There are many great things about this design.  First, it has a clean surface that can be used for writing on paper and as a formative assessment whiteboard.  Second, the clip and the ability to stand makes it great as a mini-easel or small divider. 

 

 

The clip can be moved to the side and the whole surface can be turned for a wide surface.  It can accommodate a legal-sized piece of paper.  (I scribbled on the edge of the paper to increase the contrast between the paper and the white surface).



 

 



 Also, when used horizontally, the height of the surface is shorter to accommodate the little arms of my primary students.

 

 



Some people, including my wife, have asked me why I don't just use a clipboard?  There was the personalized aspect I mentioned before.  But these other designs offer some other important factors over clipboards: the ability to stand on the edge and storage.  Linda, our excellent Occupational Therapist, encourages me to find ways to have students write vertically to increase their muscle development.  The tenting also allows the easel format for writing, drawing, storage, and display. 

 

I'll probably use hardboard as one side and the whiteboard/shower board on the other. It will be more cost effective, plus if I put the rough surface of the hardboard on the outside, it will be non-skid and not slide off kids' laps. 

 

 

Speaking of cost?  Less than $1.50 per unit, less if I don't buy looseleaf rings and use binder clips from the school.  If I use twine in place of the rings, I also get this nice tote handle to increase portability.  (Hey, my hand looks incredibly muscular in this shot!  Must be the angle, as these lapdesks are very light).

 

 

 

Labour?  Cutting the surfaces and drilling holes is very easy.  On the wooden lapdesks (2.0), that was the easiest part too, considering the amount of parts, cutting numerous grooves, assembly, etc. 

I'm going to prototype a few of these, have some students use them, and then look for changes. 

 

I'll talk more about storage in another post.  I have a wacky idea that does not necessitate sewing which is the idea I worked at with my sister, (and my sewing skills are even worse than my woodworking skills).   If you have cheap, light storage ideas, please let me know while I go prototype.

Website: Spaces for Learning

How did I not see this before?

Http://spacesforlearning.blogspot.ca/

The risers make their appearance at my new school.

Over the winter break, I brought in the risers. 

I followed previous students' advice and introduced them very slowly.  (Actually,  the first time I introduced the risers, I did it slowly because it took me so long to build them! )  Now, I brought them in slowly because I wasn't sure how my wacky ideas would be received in my new school.

With my students this year,  I'd built up a lot about the use and expectations on the risers before bringing them in. 

The kids love them.  They get the idea of using them for self regulation,  moving on them when their bodies feel wiggly, standing by them when they need to stretch while working, and gathering on them like bleachers when we need to meet together as a group. 

The parents have been supportive too.  We had our student led conferences last week, and they were interested and curious. Some of them stretched out on the risers or kneeled beside them on the floor as they looked at their child's learning.  One dad was saying how he tells his coworkers about the different things we are trying, but his coworkers don't really believe or understand what he tells them.

My staff's reaction has been very varied.  My principal has been very supportive. He understands about trying things in different ways, and we've been attending a seminar series on self regulated learning.   The other teachers are interested ("Hey, what are those things?") or oblivious (because I've kept the arrival of the risers very quiet).

The custodial staff has been really terrific.  I tweak and rearrange everything every couple of weeks.  Desks are moved out and stored in the hallway as we transition onto the risers.  I have carpets for floor work and to hide extension cords which means sweeping and vacuuming can be a puzzle.  Not once have the custodians complained, and we communicate with each other to see what works for them and for students' learning.   In fact one replacement caretaker said the riser set up was the most innovative thing he'd seen in a classroom.  He totally understood the intent, and wished he'd had them when he was a squirmy young boy.