Author Archives: Jacqueline Ashby

Exploring the intersection between person and place.

Living a Creative Life

“We are all born with the muscles for creativity — muscles that grow with the exercise of self-determination. This is what we call the power to create.” ~ Matthew Taylor. For the extended version of Taylor’s talk on creativity, visit The Power to Create and if you still want more check out Unleashing the Power to Create.

Creating Places & Partnerships for Learning

What is the role of informal learning environments in knowledge transfer? How do we design effective learning settings that encourage socialization and innovation? These questions and more are addressed in the University of Melbourne’s 2012 panel session on Knowledge Precincts: Creating New Places and Partnerships for Learning. Enjoy!

P.S. As mentioned in the presentation, check out TechShop. It’s a studio/hackerspace offering a multitude of resources and tools allowing patrons to design and build their ideas. Very cool!

A Resource for Chemistry Teachers & Students

Chemistry was just a brutal subject for me. It decimated my GPA in college as did my addiction to attending Oakland A’s baseball games but that’s a whole other story. For those teaching high school or college chemistry, you might enjoy this recent collaboration between Periodic Videos and TED-Ed. TED-Ed Periodic Videos is a lesson on every single element on the periodic table. How cool is that! If only Californium featured some legendary surfer like Tom Curren breakin’ it down. That would be icing on the cake…

Design Thinking Squiggle

DesignSquiggle_DamianNewman copyI’m taking on the Delft Design Approach and the instructors have asked us to illustrate our design thinking process. Love this doodle by Newman but would argue that the design phase is not as smooth and linear as it appears to be. It sort of reminds me of an EKG flatline and that conjures up images of EMT responders smacking on a defibrillator to the chests of each design team member to revive the group. Maybe the flatline is reflective of a death in the creative and chaotic process because now you are committed to one concept and one manifestation of that idea in the physical form. And maybe I’m reading too much into it?! My depiction would at least indicate one hiccup registered along the way and possibly a loop or two back to research and concept. Something more along these lines (no pun intended ;o):

designsquiggle copyHow would you best illustrate your thought process when it comes to design?