The San Franista » For Good

Lovely with a Giving Streak

Emily Goligoski — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:09:49 +0000

At the Styling Change show at the Mission portrait gallery Photobooth this weekend, the new company Cuyana stood out with its fetching Peruvian Alpaca wares and emphasis on generosity. Based in the Bay, Ecuadorian designer Karla Gallardo’s eco brand sells oversized vests and hats whose sale includes a 10% donation to charity:water. The “e-bazaar that gives back” will be traveling to Jaipur, India, next for inspiration and artisan partnerships (the result of which will no doubt be beautiful).

SparkLab Coming to a School Near You (With Your Help)

Emily Goligoski — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:09:34 +0000

What do laser cutters, confidence, and trucks have in common? Besides being things we’d secretly like to have more access to, they’re part of an innovative project out of Design Garage at Stanford that looks to get young students making (in spite of the budget cuts that have recently plagued local districts).

The SparkLab team of product designers has started a Kickstarter campaign to raise $25K to outfit a truck with tools and take it from school to school and stimulate students along the way. Take a peak at their fun story to see how the project intends to get local kids learning in highly hands-on ways.

Education on the Edge: Discussing the Rise of the New School

Emily Goligoski — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:51:12 +0000

When entrepreneur Thor Muller suggested getting educators, parents, and child advocates together to talk about the future of experimental learning, my only question was when. (The answer: March 1.) We’ll be getting together at the Code for America offices in SF that evening for an Edgeucation Salon that will explore learning–anytime, anywhere–and how new forms of project-based learning are being evaluated. Speakers will tentatively include TED fellow Gever Tulley (SF Brightworks, the Tinkering School), Gigi Carunungan (Synapse School), Daniela Digiacomo (Flex Academy), Ellen Hathaway (San Francisco Rock Project), Rebecca Dakes (SF Schoolhouse), Marina Gorbis (Institute for the Future), and Wayee Chu (NewSchools Venture Fund). I hope you’ll join us for an evening of discovery and conversation about what’s happening at the edge of K-12 education design in San Francisco, on the Web and beyond.

HACK.d Projects Posted to Expand the Reach of Design Thinking

Emily Goligoski — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:24:31 +0000

I was happy to get to take part in the Stanford d.school’s first hackathon this weekend, and not just because of the high energy of the 150 designers, developers, and other creators who participated. Their ideas are great. And that’s no easy feat when the challenge brief calls for creating large-scale ways to bring design thinking to the world. Take a peak at the Lean Design Experience, d.radio and other well-considered solutions that were created in 48 fast hours.

A Party to Fix the World

Emily Goligoski — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:44:53 +0000

…is no small hosting effort, but leave it to the good folks at social accelerator COMMON to make it fun to find innovative solutions to global problems. After a stop in NYC the large-scale pitch party for entrepreneurs will head to Cape Town to work with Design Indaba and renowned designer judges in awarding $25K+ (200K Rand) to people creating positive social change in Africa. I’m eagerly awaiting the applicant videos and, even more, seeing the local ideas in action.

Cycle for Security SF Launch Party

Emily Goligoski — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:44:07 +0000

Bay Area-ites have the chance tonight to engage in a fun project to protect international development, the Cycle for Security Cross-Country Bike Tour. Laguitas will be providing free brews at Rally Pad starting at 6:30 as friend Janessa Goldbeck (@jgoldbeck, formerly with the Genocide Intervention Network) prepares to take off on a 4,200 mile cross-country bike trip. It’s not just for the exercise but to talk with Americans about the importance of foreign aid programs that provide millions of people around the world with nutrition, education, and health care.

Given that funding for these programs is in jeopardy in Congress, the effort is important for raising awareness about how vital they are to saving lives abroad and keeping Americans safe. Go learn about it.

TeachAIDS Talks Knowledge, Expands to Botswana

Emily Goligoski — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:57:27 +0000

This week was a big one for TeachAIDS, the Palo Alto-based non-profit that creates HIV prevention software that’s being used in more than 50 countries. On World AIDS Day it launched educational animations with characters and content specific to Botswana as founder Piya Sorcar (pictured left, with Lisa Ling) talked at TEDxWomen about the differences between awareness (knowing that the disease exists and kills) and knowledge (understanding ways to keep yourself from becoming infected). The organization has succeeded–and been culturally sensitive while doing so–where many large-scale campaigns haven’t: helping people get smart about their own health. Sorcar’s recent talk is well worth a look, and you’ll see why the work has received San Francisco AIDS Foundation kudos.

V-Day’s Viva Vevolution

Emily Goligoski — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:42:54 +0000

“When City of Joy officially opened Friday, hundreds of women, most of them rape victims, thumped on drums and sang at the top of their lungs…Some even danced with the shovels and cement-encrusted trowels that they used to build the City of Joy. It was an upbeat moment in a country that has had few.” - Jeffrey Gettleman in The New York Times in February

V-Day, the international non-profit that works to end violence against women and girls, released its annual interactive program update today, and the news is nothing if not inspiring. Between projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and work with community activists ranging from teen girls to adult men, you can’t leave the experience and not feel activated about the contributions (and your own).

Mindfulness + Education

Emily Goligoski — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:03:56 +0000

“Mindfulness in education.” Say it three times (slow).

This weekend The Association for Mindfulness in Education will host a workshop about mindfulness, teaching and education that sounds contemplative and fantastic. Starting with Mirabai Bush, co-creator of Google’s Search Inside Yourself course, and continuing onto the topics of classroom confidence, music, and the practice of being present, it would be a shame to miss. “A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything” author Deborah Schoeberlein will start the Saturday session, which continues with a discussion of working with at-risk teen girls led by the Art of Yoga Project (an organization I work with and couldn’t be a bigger fan of).

Think the topics are of interest? You might also consider the Calming Technology Design Symposium that Stanford will host in early December (details to come and pre-registration here).

Businesses Learning from Education Innovations >> Fast Co.

Emily Goligoski — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:22:07 +0000

Culture of Future founder Jody Turner asked me to guest post for Fast Company recently. With pleasure!

At the recent NewSchools Venture Fund Summit in the northern part of Silicon Valley, innovators and educators met to re-imagine what future learning technologies might be capable of. The gathering of 600 policy makers, instructors, entrepreneurs, and creators included now-notable philanthropist and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, who recently donated $100 million to Newark schools. (When asked why Zuckerberg did so, he said he’s thankful for the education he received and wants to help others have quality school experiences.) …While the Summit (#NSVSFSummit) continued with its goal of exploring the power of entrepreneurs to transform public education for underserved children, ideas for supercharging education also seemed to have benefits beyond the classroom. Any organization looking to grow sustainably in terms of financials and employee productivity could also benefit from the major ideas shared:

1. Know What You Stand For

The importance of having clarity around what you do can’t be overstated. John Deasy, the new superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, demonstrated this with a few mock introductions of people and their mission statements: “Bonny and Clyde–we rob banks. Cleopatra–queen of the world,” he said. “At LAUSD, we improve instruction.”

Richard Barth, CEO of the KIPP Foundation, explained that getting the heads of his organization to understand and communicate its goals isn’t enough. It isn’t until all students and teachers are in step regarding that mission–getting kids to succeed in college and life–that it’s actually meaningful and actionable.

2. Perfect The Art of Hiring

It is a transparent time in which much-needed contribution and leadership are coming from all places and all categories. It is more important to bring on people you’d want to work with if the roles were reversed. Or, as Zuckerberg said, “I wouldn’t hire someone I wouldn’t work for myself.”

As design consultancy IDEO shared its ideas for making good hires, a key theme was the importance of hiring people who won’t just do well but who will inspire a team during tough projects and long nights. How does one find these positive beings? By interviewing unexpectedly. Sandy Speicher, who leads IDEO’s Design for Learning efforts, suggested helping people understand more about a candidate through questions of the imaginative variety. “If you were a lollipop, what kind of lollipop would you be?” may generate raised eyebrows, but it should help in understanding how a candidate reacts to uncertainty.

3. Create Inspirational Spaces for Team, Project, and Purpose

Rich Crandall, an instructor at Stanford’s Design School, or “d.school,” spoke to the impact that surroundings have on people. Being thoughtful in developing workspaces that people don’t want to leave can pay dividends in productivity and creativity–and getting away from them can also help goose the creative process.

Crandall shared the example of an MRI machine designer who had never seen his device in action away from the GE factory floor. When he saw a child crying because she was asked to get into the cold-looking capsule, he realized his design work hadn’t done right by her. A series of interviews with children, students, and designers helped him develop a more empathetic design–the machine itself didn’t change, but the room that housed it did. A “cozy camp” was developed with decals added to the machine to make it look like a rocket ship. The resulting bright space included a story about the importance of superheroes remaining still during their space mission (the MRI). Not only did patient reticence decease dramatically, one child asked to go back the following day.

4. Provide Content That Captures People

Sal Khan, the creator of Khan Academy, a collection of more than 2,000 educational videos, has drawn more than 50 million users (for a site that doesn’t sell sex, that’s a notable feat). Khan didn’t get hundreds of thousands of students and their parents hooked on the interactive lessons by telling them what they should know. There are standardized tests for that. What did he do instead?

Khan created a platform for practicing skills and knowledge-building, giving learners the confidence that they can master exercises.
He recognized that not all students/users learn at the same rate nor operate in the same time frames.
He thought broadly about the quantity and breadth of content being developed.

5. Communicate Progress Broadly

The importance of keeping participants and employees updated on overall performance can’t be overstated. Greg Gunn, co-founder of education software company Wireless Generation, said that while the organization’s product launch was good, the real benefit came months later when he was able to dig into user data to convey a strong story of use, value, and impact. Employees benefited, not just from the feeling that they were privy to information otherwise reserved for board members, but because they were able to hear how much they are valued. Each day that every one of them came to work, another child was able to learn to read. That transparency was a repeated sentiment throughout NewSchool’s summer gathering.