Bruno Munari, is someone I only know on a surface level but I have used him as a reference throughout this project. I need to know more about him, but is it ok I know him on a surface level? He teaching about design and often through photographs, should we just get from the photographs a surface-level interpretation or should I be thinking deeper? I think the answer is deeper and I should look at them in more detail like the likes of feeling uncomfortable in a comfortable chair, is the chair even comfortable? It doesn’t look very comfortable, but I resonate with that feeling of uncomfortable …. And really that’s what made me use him as a reference so much, literally only because of the title of the photo essay, it wasn’t even really about the essay itself but just the title! How can a title be so powerful, perhaps he isn’t only a design critic or theorist or whatever he is, but maybe he is really very good with words also? Is he a surface thinker too and that’s why his ‘essays’ are so genius as it is scratch on the surface of his thoughts and we take from that what resonates with us at the time….is it good to always have such a structured plan, I am an over-thinker and plan things although, with this project, I had a plan at the beginning which I have meandered away from, and taken that more fine art approach following the yellow brick road to see where I ended up? I’m still not really anywhere, but I have more knowledge and a different way of thinking from how I did at the beginning of the project. Using references like Munari, Denning and Durham and Brown has help think more creatively in way but at the same time not….I don’t know how to explain I am still me but just less restricted in my own thoughts!? But in a good way. Certain things I have avoided like actually researching methodologies, but perhaps Munari is a methodology it’s just not written as one, and studying his approach further may reveal a methodology to his work which is so incredible.
Here is an edited version of some free writing I did at a Writing Retreat on 19.05.21:
Lockdown 2.0 has been another whirlwind.
We adopted VMWare Horizon which is a Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI), a platform which allows staff and students to log onto a website (desktop.arts.ac.uk) and remotely access a computer which is physically onsite (Curtain Road or Mare Street in our case). We were happy that we would be able to teach with the software, this time round. However, this came with so many other problems we could never have predicted.
First of all it was great the student could access the software through VDI, but this also added another layer of complexity to our delivery. The difficulties began when the students first entered the online room, as many of them were not mentally prepared to be back on the software and completing the tasks alongside the delivery. They were all working on different devices windows, mac, ipad etc. some had a mouse, some didn’t have mouse, it was so varied, and became quite problematic in certain instances.
Although we tested VDI prior to the roll out, testing amongst the CAD/CAM team and then tested with a class volume of staff to ensure the was fit for purpose and the students (staff) could follow some basic steps. Which we evaluated and ironed out any issues which arose. Nevertheless, we still came across many issues during delivery. Students log into BBcollab and then log into VMware horizon (VDI) and it was the smallest of things that just tripped us up:
Sharing the link in the chat to access VDI (desktop.arts.ac.uk) – on a mac they would often need to add https:// at the beginning of the url (even though it was pasted into the chat in this way) or else the page would not load, so already this was off putting to the students, as they then thought we were sharing a broken link with them.
Most students had never been on site (in the CAD/CAM rooms) so cannot comprehend that they are logging into a physical machine in Curtain Road or Mare Street (Lemov, 2020).
So, they find it very difficult to differentiate if you need to download a file from moodle, they needed to do this via the VDI screen/webpage not through their own laptop internet browser otherwise they could not access the file on VDI as it is on their own physical laptop, and not the desktop they are accessing on site remotely.
Other complexities were the student having to work with a split screen so they could see my screen and their own screen (VDI) to then complete the tasks. For many of them I think it was truly overwhelming for their working memories (Lemov, 2020) and some really struggled a lot.
We teach windows-based software’s and most students seem to have a mac, they DON’T HAVE THE SAME KEYS! So, this was another learning curve, to be able to give alternative keys/instruction to the students to be able to use the software (Lectra Modaris) on their own device – see table below.
Lectra
Windows
MAC
Fit all pieces to screen
8
8
Zoom in to selected sheet
Home*
Fn + ← (Left Arrow)
Move back a sheet
Page Up*
Fn + ↑ (Up Arrow)
Move to the next sheet
Page Down*
Fn + ↓ (Down Arrow)
Arrange sheets
End*
Fn + → (Right Arrow)
Undo
Ctrl + Z
Control + Z
Redo
Ctrl + W**
Control + W**
Magnifying glass
Enter
Return
Selection tool
s (lowercase)
s (lowercase)
Shrink sheet
a (lowercase)
a (lowercase)
Delete an object
Delete
Fn + backspace
Activate value box
↓ (Down Arrow)
↓ (Down Arrow)
Switch on Grading
F9 / F6 > Nest
Fn + Fast forward
Switch off Grading
F10 / Display > Sizes
Fn + no sound
Smallest / Biggest Sizes
F11 / Selection > Break Sizes
Fn + increase sound
All sizes
F12 / Selection > All sizes
Fn + max sound
Exit F1 > Digit
ff (Keyboard) > right click on screen
ff (Keyboard) > right click on screen
Touchpad
Left Click
1 Finger Tap
1 Finger Tap
Right Click
2 Finger Tap
2 Finger Tap
Both Left + Right Click
Can’t be done
Can’t be done
Table 1 : Different commands to use the digital pattern cutting software Lectra Modaris on Windows or Apple based devices. *Depending on where these buttons are located on the desktop the “Fn” key may need to be switched on or held down to access these functions if they are a secondary function to another button. ** Do not use while using VDI as this will close the VDI page.
I think the few points listed above evidence the complexities of delivering online in this way. Also, many students don’t seem to know basic computer terminology, such as what a right click is. I think the new generation has been brought up with laptops so although they probably do the action without thinking about it, they are unaware of the terminology so this calls for further explanation to cover all the bases, and in some instances, we need to left and right click at the same time on the software, which is an action which cannot be replicated on a touchpad. So, you can see how overwhelming this can be for a student and for the teaching team having to remember each alternative when none of us have a mac.
Overall, the teaching on VDI has went well from a teaching perspective, although I am not convinced how well the students have got on, as I think the way we teach is quite different from their other lessons they have been attending. But on a plus side, the lesson plans have developed well over the year and I think we are covering more complex tasks to advance their understanding of the software. Having the recordings of each lesson I think is also very beneficial to the students, as they can refer back to the lessons if need be. But the flip side of this is there is now so much content stored on Moodle I think I the students don’t know how or where to locate it again.
Generally, the engagement has been pretty low, the first few lessons the attendance was there but then they drop off quite quickly, and in some cases, I have had no one shows up to the lesson. This is really disheartening when I have put so much time and effort into prepping for the lesson and no one shows up or only a handful of students come. Finding that engagement is also tricky as if you don’t engage students in participation within the first 3 minutes it is detrimental to the rest of the lesson which I can definitely relate to (Lemov, 2020). Logging into VDI does not help, as in some cases if it is a new group this can take up to 45 minutes, which obviously is a substantial about of time. It really is a balancing act to figure out what pace to go, as some students are quick and then others struggle a lot, I’m conscious I don’t want to leave the struggling student behind, because if they can’t even get started then they will just dis-engage completely. It’s all a balancing act.
Lemov, D. (2020) Teaching in the Online Classroom – Surviving and Thriving in the New Normal. 1st edition. Hoboken: Jossey-Bass.
Here is an edited version of some free writing I did at a Writing Retreat on 19.05.21:
So I think my first major meltdown was when I got given a new laptop which was a Surface Laptop 3, it came and it was super nice in a rose gold colour, so I was over the moon. We had to set it all up by ourselves and install all the software so you can imagine how time-consuming this was, anyway spent a couple of days getting it all set up and the wifi connection wasn’t working. It wouldn’t hold a stable connection with the Wifi and was basically unworkable. I spent hours/days with IT to try and resolve this while also trying to improve my Wifi in my flat at the same time but we still couldn’t get the new laptop to connect correctly so they sent me another laptop this time a black one and I really wanted to try and get the gold one working… I know it sounds materialistic but it was so pretty!!! But anyway repeated the steps on the black laptop the get that up and running, and it seemed to have the same issue, so I was comparing and contrasting the 2 new laptops to which one was working better, they wanted me to send one of them back and I had the black one all boxed up, ready to go because as I said I really wanted to keep the gold one. Anyway, the Addison Lee guy came to pick it up, and literally while he was at the door I made the brash decision to send back the gold one, so quickly packed it up, while it was still warm, then opened the black one, to realise it had the exact same issues because it was my Wifi that was the problem!!! *exploding head emoji*
I was so stressed over such a menial decision, that I basically had a meltdown and had to go for a walk, it was only 3pm, but I just was not in a good state to work, and felt so emotionally drained from the stress and the decision being on my shoulder to decide and determine what was going wrong with the laptops and decipher if it was my Wifi or an issue with the device itself. So that was my first melt down.
Sound so ridiculous now but lockdown just makes you do crazy things.
Here is an edited version of some free writing (Approx 10 mins) I did at a Writing Retreat on 19.05.21:
Ok so here we go, I am going to talk about teaching online, and do a little reflection of how it has gone. It has been emotionally draining since March last year (2020) and so many hurdles have come my way, being new to teaching it seems I have now had more teaching practice online, than I have face to face. As a planner I always like to be prepared and give my lessons the best possible chance. In face to face lessons things would go wrong, like the projector not working or maybe the licence of the software isn’t connected, which would stress me out, but the pandemic has enabled me to become a slightly more calmer person, maybe that sounds weird because I am still me, but now I take it more within my stride, as online teaching throws different curveballs everyday. It may be my internet is not working, students don’t show up to my lessons, they are having difficulty connecting.
At the beginning of the pandemic the students had no access to the software and I thought “OMG am I going to lose my job?” how will we do this!!! But somehow, we got through it with a mixture of presentations and demos, coming up with little exercises for the students to participate in whether that was drawing on the white board, experimenting with padlet or breakout rooms – which was a nightmare and feel like we needed additional support to facilitate the breakout rooms, but the CAD/CAM group have been there for each other.
WFH has been stressful, when sharing my screen not being able to see the chat box, also having to rely on technicians to let me know if there was any questions, as I was only working from 1 screen at this point. I got a second screen in the summer, but no one really encouraged to get one, and never having worked this way before, I didn’t think it would be that useful, but it has been such a gamechanger. I also had no access to a printer, and had to find new ways of working “online” – I transferred all my work to the OneDrive, so my lesson notes I keep in OneNote and it is amazing, everything is so organised and in one place. I can display my lesson notes, see the collaborate window and share my screen with the students across the 2 screens.
On another note, I have had so many internet issues over this past 14 months, I might as well put PlusNet on speed dial. I have had to abort lessons because my internet connection is so bad, stop sharing my screen and reshare, I have been thrown out of the room numerous times, etc. Alongside I have had to make IT decisions at home from my own initiative, which I found super stressful and I’m not going to lie I have had my fair share of meltdowns, but my saving grace has BEEN GOING FOR A WALK. But we managed to get through lockdown 1.0 pretty much unscathed, the students ended up producing pretty good work, and in hindsight, we must have taught them something considering they had no access to the software for a whole term, as this year some of them have created some really nice work on the software, so that is a bonus.
Ornamental Canal
Hermitage Riverside Memorial Gardens
Tobacco Dock
Lovely Walks which I discovered During Lockdown – East London.
