Welcome to TECH 120. This is a 3 credit hour course and meets for 2 hours and 50 minutes weekly. The syllabus describes the course:

Students in this course will engage in critical analysis of real-world problems and global challenges. They will demonstrate the ability to recognize opportunity and to take initiative in developing solutions applying the principles of human-centered design. Students will be able to communicate effectively and to work well on teams. Problems and solutions will be examined from societal, cultural, and ethical perspectives.

View the entire syllabus at: http://bit.ly/design-thinking-syllabus

View the course schedule at: http://bit.ly/design-thinking-course-schedule

In-class systems thinking exercise (Spring 2020 Course will not complete this exercise but students are required to read the article and take the quiz as homework)

During class:

1. The instructor will create student groups.
2. Each group will be assigned two of the six fundamental concepts of system thinking found in the article below.
3. Each group will design a creative one-minute introduction to each concept that includes a specific example.
4. The group will include at least one visual that is unique and not found in the article.
5. The instructor will assign time for each group to present their two concepts (in the order found in the article).
6. We will process the experience after the presentations (affective domain: how did that exercise make you feel?).

Cue the 181.fm music jazz music.

About Kickstarter

We discuss Kickstarter, it's use, and impact on the entrepreneurial community.

What is a Kickstarter project?

In-class Kickstarter review

Complete the following:

• Open a new page in your notebook
• Search (start with a hobby) Kickstarter for a product the speaks to you (what does it mean to "speak to you?")
• At the top half of the page, create a 2-D sketch of the project
• Below the sketch, write the questions and then below that question; answer it (all text will be ALL CAPS)
  • What is the title of the project?
  • How is the project unique from other products?
  • What global and social issues are addressed by this project?
  • If you were to back the project, which level would you choose and why?
  • What would you change to project?
• Once completed, each student will each share the project and the sketch with the class in a round table format

Arduino Elegoo Starter Kits

During class we will break out our kits and review the contents. While a CD is included with the kits, you can download the original Elegoo files by clicking here. Make sure you download the files for your kit.

I've also created a custom download folder for these files that removes all other languages, adds additional resources, decompresses the libraries, and better organizes the content. You can view this Google Drive folder by clicking here. A button at the top right-hand corner will allow you to download this version of the tutorial files. If you have a Google Drive account, you can add this folder to your own storage space and when updates are made, they will automatically sync.

Arduino Brainstorming

You are required to purchase an Arduino kit for this course. What types of systems can you create with theses kits? Let's see what you think:

• Break into two groups
• Each group will take one half of the white board
• Use your 3" x 5" sticky notes and brainstorm individual reasons (one item per post it) and place those notes on the whiteboard (10 mins)
• After teams brainstorm, remove duplicates and refine ideas into an agreed upon "top 10" list of the most interesting ideas.

Take a picture of each group's work, have one team member email this picture to the instructor, and then discuss.

Project 1 Continued Ideation

During the last class session, students were paired off and chose to create a new <INSTRUCTOR DEFINED>. For the remainder of the class, refine your ideas with your partner. Review the criteria in the course management system for W2: Design project #1 refinement sketches W2: Design project #1 refinement sketches. Each student will produce three ideation sketches (one per page in their notebooks), scan, and submit. The ideation sketches will enhance the current design and will reveal new ideas and enhancements.

Homework

See Course Schedule at: http://bit.ly/design-thinking-course-schedule

Review instructor's blog post in preparation for next week's assignment. The blog post also includes the video below. You may want to begin work on this project. It is not one you want to save for the last minute and "hope" you get it working.