I am the TEACHER.

If I was hired to teach the first four weeks of a new class called Design Like You Give A Damn, I wouldn't structure the class that different than it was. I would have put more emphasis on the actual project on the first 2 or so classes so people knew what they were allowed to do and not to do. I also would have done the brainstorming with the design team right away because that really helped me. But thats all I would really change, I really like how the class is open with each other and how you don't have to raise your hand to talk. I like how every class is different and I am not always sure what we are going to do, it isn't boring like most classes.

After Action Review

I think overall my first project went well. I think I put my signs in really smart places on campus, the high traffic parts in the garages. I think using gold and black was a good idea too because I think it drew more attention to my signs. I probably should have left them up longer but since one was taken down I don't know if any of them would have made it. I should have made it clear that I wasn't with the Towson Admin because then people might have left me more comments and felt more open. Putting the signs up at night when no one was watching was also a smart idea because I didn't draw attention to myself. My project would have been more successful if I had recieved more comments from people because then I could have gone to the admin and told them how many people HATE parking at school but with the 60 or so I got it isn't enough to make Towson even look in my direction.

Project 1

For the first project my topic was parking at Towson. My friends helped me put up three signs that i made in each of the parking garages at school. The signs were about how people felt about the parking at Towson. I had a comment box on each one.

Timeline

I was just looking at a few people's blogs and I realized that I didn't put my timeline up yet, so I will do that now. Its Sunday and the project is due on Tuesday so I don't really have much time left. I decided last week that making lifesized cars was too much for me to do in the time we had left so I was wondering about changing my topic but there really wasn't time for that either. So I am sticking with my parking topic and instead of the cars I am just making posters. I have one done and I am currently workinh on another. I don't know how many I am going to make. I am using gold (yellow) and black paint because I think it will grab the attention of the students better. I am also going to attach a comment box on each poster I make. I am still not 100 percent sure that I will be allowed to post the posters but I am going to put them up anyway, I am going to put them up Monday late at night so when everyone gets there on Tuesday the posters will be waiting for them. Thats where I am with the project so far and what I still have left to do.

#2 on my bug list

I work at Dicks Sporting Goods in Whitemarsh b/c my friend worked there over the summer. I work in the apparel area so I pretty much unpack boxes of clothes, put out and and process clothes, fold and refold clothes, and clean up the pads where clothes are deal with returns and the fitting rooms for hours on end. On Saturday I was unpacking boxes of $10 shorts and each pair was in its own plastic and I just thought what a waste of plastic. The shorts are cheap and they do not need special packaging to keep them safe. The packaging for the shorts as well as many other products Dicks gets in is not designed well because they are wasting plastic and that is why this is my #2 on my bug list.

Notes on our reading

So I have been reading Cradle to Cradle for class and a lot of facts and information have really stood out to me but one thing really made me think.

On page 36, they give you what they call an "interesting fact." The fact is that the 91 Exxon Valdez oil spill actually increased Alaska's GDP or gross domestic product. This happened because so many people came to Alaska for the clean up so the restaurants, hotels, shops, gas stations, and stores had a leap in sales.

Its hard to think that something so awful for the wildlife in Alaska could benefit the area so much economically.

The outcome of the oil spill still effect Alaska today. The wildlife today have problems such as tumors and genetic damages. State parks, habitat ares, and state game sanctuaries were lost. And the ability for fishermen to make an income went way down.

Just because you clean up a problem doesn't mean it is gone.

My first post.

So here it goes, my first posting for this class. I promise that my blogs will not be about all of my personal problems. First of all I don't have that many of those and I don't want to waste everyone's time with the ones I do have, I am just going to write about and sometimes rant about items that relate to our class.

So I want to do the first project on the parking situation at Towson. I paid $230 for a parking permit this year so to me thats means that when I come to Towson no matter the time it should be easy for me to find a spot, I don't mind driving around for ten minutes or so, but that isn't true. Today I got to school at 11 for my 12:30 class. I have so much to do that getting to school when I paid a lot of money to be able to park just doesn't make sense to me.

I don't really know what I want to do for the project though. I know that most people at Towson hate the parking so I know that people will be on my side. I was thinking of posting some kind of signs in the parking garages but I don't know what I would put on them. I could also write a letter to the ediotor of the Towerlight and see if it makes it into the paper. I really need to think about what I want to do.

The parking situation at Towson will also be my #1 on my buglist. The parking garages are not designed well, they don't have enough spots for students. They are also very tight so my car gets hit a lot.