Curing the Queue: Part Two - Executing

Oh shoot! I didn't post this, did I? Busy, busy, busy...

Welp, here are the results:

Raf trying out the app.

Changed the app a bit since I forgot to bring the 2/4 one to school.
Ended up making one for 2/7. (Happy birthday to Charles Dickens and Monopoly!)

Melvin trying it out and... posing interestingly.

I ended up trying out my Fact app on three friends, two pictured above are Raf and Melvin, respectively (Melvin's a bit of a ham).

I didn't explain to them what the app was about and they found it pretty easy to navigate.

There was a few suggestions/questions brought up:

1.  Create a back button to see previous facts
2. Shortcut on fact screen to go to change to date, skipping the home screen altogether
3. Is there a limit on facts? 
4. How many facts are there?
5. Credit?
6. Label month and date on Change Date App
7. Add reddit and stumbleupon to share page

As a bonus, I showed Raf my Pizza app which he was generally interested in since he's an English major. I explained to him that I was thinking if this were to be developed as an app, how would it be possible to monitor what words can be accepted or not in the means of relating to the first word (first letter is easy by using if situations). After questioning that as well, he showed me a letter jumbling app that incorporated famous writers like Shakespeare, Homer, and Emily Dickens to be your "avatar" and fight other players or monsters. The bigger the word you develop, the stronger the attack. I thought that was a fun way to involve an interesting element to a simple word jumble game.

I also liked Allison's comments on the Part One blog about "with friends" which made me think of Words with friends. It could be played between two players, but that would mean waiting for the other person to respond like in Words with Friends or Draw Something. There could be an option to play the computer then to immediately pass the time.

Crazy Kindergartners and Pouty Preteens - Needfinding

O B S E R V I N G

JANELL: Teacher for the kindergarten Saturday Exploring Art Class at Honolulu Art Academy School at Linekona. The class was about clay and making castles or houses out of them.

Janell repairing a few of the houses
until their suitable for the kiln when
class was over since scoring wasn't
done properly to attach ornaments.

Successes:

• Did a drawing activity before using the clay so the kids can get an idea of what to create
• Was able to get all the students to actually make things with clay today (because apparently there are several kids that hadn't been doing work in the past two weeks)
• Majority of the kids got the idea that they would be making buildings out of clay
• Another assistant from another class got that what they were making out of clay were actually buildings (and not teacups or something because some of those things weren't very building-like)

Breakdowns:

• Class got out of hand several times
• The security guard visited twice
• Kids using clay tools inappropriately like trying to use skewers for swords instead of scoring the clay
• Several kids using different tactics to gain attention like kicking, stealing things, taking too much supplies, etc.
• Kids didn't listen to directions on how to score things so their objects would stay attached to each other

Opportunities:

• There were two assistants instead of one helping her today
• The director of the art school came in to see how the day was since she was already aware of the behavioral problems in this class

SKYE: My 11 year old sister. She was cleaning her room on Sunday. I asked if I could take a picture of her doing so, which she agreed to at first but then she took it back because she's a stubborn preteen and is most likely embarrassed by her room...

But here's an embarrassing picture I found of the
two of us from Chuck E. Cheese.
(Hopefully I can get a picture of her
cleaning since she isn't done yet)

Successes:

•  Found things she was missing
• She gave me back my computer chair (I was wondering where it went after I came back from my stay in Florida...)
• She sings to my music playing from my room to pass the time

Breakdowns:

• Extremely messy
• Kept getting distracted by her phone and laptop 
• Too many knickknacks filling the numerous bins/drawers she should be using to organize 
• Things in drawers aren't sorted
• Didn't finish cleaning today
• Too much laundry to fold
• Trundle bed making it possible to just pile things up on there instead of putting them away; giving an excuse that there's "nothing on the floor"

Opportunities:

• Made more room on her shelves for things
• Could take out the trash from her organizing bins and actually USE those bins to organize
• Some of those things belong to me and should be returned to me ):<

B R A I N S T O R M I N G   N E E D S / G O A L S

1. Janell could find an app solely based on art projects for kids that have little attention spans
2. Janell and the director could create an app that updates with summaries of what happens during class the parents can access
3. Could also use the app to send messages to specific parents about specific children
4. Could use the app to provide a tentative schedule of what will happen in class next week Saturday so the parents can prepare the children 
5. Using the same app, display the some of students work they did for the day that the parents can see (not all since they do eventually make it home and there's also a gallery show at the end of the semester for all the classes)
6. Find an app that has children's artwork to get inspiration of what kids can do at that age
7. Have an app giving tips about how to control a crazy classroom
8. Because the class was loud, the security guard came in, so how about an app that monitors the loudness of an environment that plays an alert or sound of some sort to acknowledge that the place is too loud
9. Create an app for my sister to create an inventory for her things?
10. More specifically inventory/sort some of her books
11. Go paperless and replace some of those books with eBooks in a reading app
12. Skye seems to like going on her phone and laptop a lot (even during homework time); maybe create an app with a timer giving her an hour to work and then ten minutes to "play" then it's back to work again until everything is done
13. Have an app to make a listing available to sell an unneeded item on an online auction/selling site
14. Have an app on her phone that silences any activity/nonproductivity-based apps and only have phone available
15. Have an app create a playlist based on the music she likes that she can play while she cleans so it's not just boring silence

F I N D I N G   I N S P I R A T I O N

1. Bulletin Boards: While at the Disney College Program, we weren't allowed to put things on our walls to decorate our apartments, but they did provide us with cork bulletin boards in each bedroom and in the dining room. Each of my suitemates and I had different ways of expressing ourselves and decorating. My roommate Arielle hung her jewelry on hers. I put my Disney trading pins and other merchandise I found during my stay. Natalie put up letters from friends and family from home, Nicole brought pictures from home to put up, and Dominique had her schedule for work and a calendar as well. It gives everyone a space to personalize and organize things without boundaries... except for the space it provides. I ended up getting one for my room when I got home.
2. Computer Drawing Tablets: Note, not like an iPad, but more of a Wacom used to draw or design on the computer. I've had my Wacom Graphire 3 since 8th grade, which is currently on its last legs since the wire's crimped, but I love it so much. It has a plastic case over the drawing area that is removable, letting me put things under it -- another customization thing. Then the actually function of the tablet allows a physical activity like using a pencil on paper be translated digitally and directly to the computer screen. I love how it's sensitive to the pressure of your hand on the pen so it can capture the flow and feeling of each line made.
3. Mini umbrellas: Not the ones for your drinks, but like the reallllly tiny ones, probably the length of your hand when folded up, that humans can actually use and Totes is really good at making. I like them a lot since they're small enough to fit into my smallest purse (which is, I want to say 6"x3"x5"?) and still have room for my wallet, keys, and phone. Then when it's open, it's big enough to shelter you from the rain. It's size makes it easily portable so you can practically leave it in your bag without sacrificing space for something else then have it ready just in case of a surprise downpour.
4. Sunsets: I prefer them over sunrises since you don't need to sacrifice sleep to see them (unless you're in a different part of the world where the sunset while you're sleeping or something). But the beauty of it is amazing. But it's a natural occurrence that people don't usually take the time to admire since they know it's supposed to look amazing and there will always be another one tomorrow. So, beauty that's supposed to be beautiful--and can go unrecognized until finding the time to actually look at it. I don't really know how to word it XD
5. Hand-made quilts: Comfy, cozy, and warm. Made by hand with the user in mind, aesthetic-wise. You're not going to make a Batman quilt for someone who like unicorns and rainbows, are you? Anyway, it can be used over and over, and not just for the bed. It can become the roof of a fort or a magic carpet to travel the world. It's familiar and welcoming no matter how many times you use it. But it's also something that can be passed down from generation to generation, creating tradition.

V I D E O  T I M E

 Almost 8 minutes of babbling. Here you go: