Moving it Around....

On my timetable this year, I have my Level 1 group for a double period on Friday mornings. This week we have been using the apple suite in the Tech block to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator, but we can't do that on a Friday morning as it is being used by our lovely intermediate visitors for their Technology rotation.
This morning we were going to start looking at thumbnail sketching, how to do them and why you would use them. It is an extremely hot day today so we grabbed the bean bags and went over to the new covered outside area by the Marae. The Level 2 ladies were able to work on their netbooks to continue with their Art Deco work and the Level 1 group started producing their thumbnail sketch practice drawings.

Here we are working outside in the lovely cool shade.....
Link to the whole album here

They had to look at what was around them where they were sitting. Close up / mid range / far away.

The thumbnail boxes were not to be too big and the sketches had to be quick and loose, not too much detail.

Check out their sketches here. I have scanned them in and emailed them to myself and uploaded the files to a Google Plus album. I used Flickr in previous years to put the students work photographs on but I am having issues with the embedded album showing on the class Google site. We are using Google plus for communities this year, so going here for their photos too will be fine.

Next week they have to grab their own work out of this album and put it onto their own DVC Google site.

Here is mine to show them what to do as we did it today....

What do the students think about the room changes?

My classroom has been changed around for a couple of weeks now and I have been chatting to my students about what they think about it.

The back tall table...

The boys gave me comments like :-

"love it"

"it's easier to work at"

"it is more comfortable to draw at"

"I feel like the man sitting up here"... ( please feel free to ignore that one !! )

This table has been a popular option for the boys when they are coming into the room, to the point of having a few "words" with each other as to who sits there.

The comfortable sitting area at the front ...

The students have said :-

"We like that we can work on our netbooks in comfort"

"We feel like we are in prison at the normal tables"

"it's kick back" ... ( but I hasten to add that they work in this area and I have only had one "kick back" example to deal with in two weeks ).

I have not told the students where to sit when they come in. They have moved to the normal tables naturally if they have drawings to finish and have gravitated over to the the couch area when they have netbook work. It has been interesting to watch them decide for themselves without being nagged.

All Change......

I was inspired this week by a visit to the room of a fellow teacher. She had turned half of her room into an easy seating, couch area, where students can sit comfortably to use their netbooks in a different atmosphere and environment.
So today, I had a re-arrangement of my own furniture. I already had a couple of items of furniture that I could use from when TCTV did interviews for assembly.
My room was laid out in groups of tables with 6 computers around the sides of the room.

Here is how I have changed it....

A couch and easy chair in a set up with a small table. This is near power sockets for their netbooks and next to the bookshelf. I plan to get a couple of bean bags for this area too, as there is still plenty of space. Here, students can sit comfortably to either work on their netbooks or access the design books on the shelf. They can sit on the floor on the rug, using the low table, or use the bean bags.

I have added a high table at the back of the room, with a couple of stools. This table can be worked on stood up too.

I still have groups of tables, as the students need to be able to sit and do their design work on paper. The desktop computers are all down one wall now.

I thought that this would make my room feel cramped, but there is still plenty of room to move around, which is important as my students need to be able to move around the room to get things that they need.

Here is how it was used when my senior students came in this afternoon.

Working at the tall table...

I am not convinced I like seeing their backs ( being suspicious!! ) I may pull out this table from the wall so the stools can go on the other side.

On the couch with a netbook...

On the easy chair by the book shelf...

A more unusual use of a low chair with the high table. Chin level with his netbook!

He says he was comfortable!!...hhmmm...

I didn't get to see the changes used a lot today, as a lot of my senior classes were out on work experience and most of them are in the middle of design drawings, where they need the tables.

The reaction of the students who came in and saw it was interesting, as they were interested in the changes and what I was trying to do.

I look foreword to seeing how it changes how they use the space in the room and how this affects their work.