Artifact #7

The Shoe Design Project was done by 5th and 6th grade gifted students during Spring, 2019. I wrote a blog post, found below, that describes the processes and tools they used.

This project asked students to develop their own learning goals and outcomes while working independently on their projects. Even though they were asked to complete certain tasks, they could work on them using their own time frame and tailoring them based on personal tastes in both processes and products. Decisions they were asked to make revolved around the following:

• Choice and characteristics of shoe - assisted through their own online research and described in a blog post.
• Sketches with a materials list also assisted through online research and examining online images.
• A Logo reflecting their shoe - some chose to sketch it; others used an online Logo creator.
• A 3D model of shoe - some chose to do it out of cardboard; others used 3D Sketch-Up.

Several parts of this project were suggested by and improved on by the learners. For example, a few of them were familiar with an online logo maker and suggested its use for their shoe design. I was excited to have them teach me about it, and I then encouraged other students to use it. Also I was not skilled with using Google Sketch-Up and worked with two of the 6th grade boys to figure out how the tools could be used to create 3D models of their shoe design.

This artifact supports the following ISTE Standards for Educators:

• 4b - Collaborate and co-learn with students to discover and use new digital resources and diagnose and troubleshoot technology issues.
• 6A - Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.

Writing a Description of Shoe Characteristics

Learners were asked to begin their design process by writing about each of the following:

• Age Group?
• Gender?
• Kind of Shoe (e.g., athletic, fashion)?
• Special Features?

What follows are some examples of their descriptions which they composed on their Kidblogs:

Creating a Shoe Design Sketch

Learners were asked to begin prototyping their shoe designs by sketching them.

• Front, Side, and Bottom Views in Color
• Special Features
• Materials Used (they were asked to do online research on the different types of materials that can be used for shoe construction.)

Creating a Logo

It was the learners’ idea to create a logo for their shoes. One of them knew about an online logo creator at https://www.freelogodesign.org/ which, with my encouragement after I learned about it through my student. they all used. Here is one of them that impressed me. He worked a long time fine tuning it.

Creating a 3D Model

Option 1 – A 3D Model Out of Cardstock

This part of the activity was taken from Summer Fun: How to Make a Paper Shoehttps://kidzeramag.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/summer-fun-how-to-make-a-paper-shoe/ – the template and instructional video follow:

shoe_template (copied onto cardstock)

Learners began creating their design with the cardboard template adapted the template to better match their sketches. We ran out of time to complete this part due to the school year ending.

Option 2 – 3D Model Using Google Sketchup

Some learners attempted to create their 3D designs using Google Sketchup – https://app.sketchup.com/app?hl=en. This is the free version so there was limited functions but the learners enjoyed experimenting with it. Since this was my first time using the program, the two 6th grade boys and I worked together in order to figure out how it worked.

Reflecting with the Creative Product Assessment Rubric

As part of their gifted program, learners complete quarterly assessments. For the final quarter, they use the Creative Product Assessment Rubric.