Chapter 8 Artifact

This chapter was intense. There were many, many, new technology tools discussed. Some of the tools discussed I had heard of before, but I really knew very little about them. My Dad used auto CAD, which I never knew what that was, but it made me a little more familiar with this chapter on CAD programs since I had heard some of those terms before. He actually designed roads most of the time, but once he was asked to design an ashtray for a corvette. That was always his favorite story; how he designed the ashtray in whatever year it was corvette. If my Dad were still here today, he would have shown me how to use the program and this artifact could have really been fun, but unfortunately he is no longer with us.
This chapter was very good, and it made me think alot-maybe the most so far. I definitely feel that learning by design is essential ( and it goes with the whole inquiry type learning style/approach which I really love). However, some of the technology tools mentioned made me question whether they would cover all five meaningful learning characteristics. Specifically the trebuchet simulator. The thing i like most about inquiry learning and learning through design is that it specifically relates to students and they have an intentional purpose to learn. With CAD programs, students see the purpose and have the desire to create things ( such as the Ipod case or wheel rim covers). They, and we as teachers, can see how they can learn with technology and how that technology makes the learning process better. And the same goes for the music programs, and animation programs, which I will get to here shortly. With the trebuchet though, it is difficult for me to see a real purpose for the activity. The realm seems more limited, and the students would be more motivated by the intense grading rather than how that technology could help them later or even continuously. I like the CAD part of it, but I just like all the other CAD programs so much better.
Next, and back on CAD for one more minute. CAD programs have been around a long time, like I said even my Dad had used them and he passed away almost seven years ago. But my point is that even this technology improves and just keeps advancing and becoming more user friendly and effective. My husband was a truss designer for a year and a half and he used a CAD program too. He actually did show me how to use it (somewhat), and when I read the chapter I knew a lot of what they meant about these types of software. I also knew a lot about how Scratch works, obviously, and about garageband and Impromptu-both of which I will be becoming even more familiar with very soon. istopmotion, I think it was called, is what I believe we are working with now in class where we are producing the animations.
Lastly, I loved this chapter! I just really enjoyed reading about how many types of CAD programs there are and how many ways you canuse them educationally. I never really thought about how many there were that I even knew about, or knew how many others there were that I did not know about. It was fascinating.