Part 1- Evolution Summary: Together, we met via Google Hangouts for about 2 hours. We reviewed the feedback from the Google Form surveys and through Blackboard. Then we highlighted the questions or comments that we felt needed to be addressed and/or could be useful in the evolutionary phase. For this portion, David and Monica made comments on the DT Document itself in the margins while I highlighted portions on the document and asked questions orally. Then, we each were given revision assignments, which David would combine into one unified piece. We also took the feedback given by our instructor, and other audience members such as colleagues and even spouses. My individual contribution was in helping to organize all of our ideas into one finished product. While we wanted our final prototype to be a culmination of all of our ideas and work, the medium that we chose to present in, Powtoons, did not allow for synchronous collaboration. Therefore, we decided to brainstorm our ideas onto a Google Slide presentation in which we divvied up different research topics. These slides would help us to divide the workflow which would eventually be transferred into a Powtoon. In addition to being assigned research-based slides, it was also my task to compile this research into our group Powtoon. Additionally, we also divvied up how and with whom to share our second iteration to get feedback for the final. Reflection on feedback received is key to improving a prototype. It’s a common lament when teachers complain that we spend much time providing feedback to students when all they care about is the final grade. Final grades alone do little to lead a student towards an improved end product. In our case, although we felt good with our first iteration of our prototype, it was necessary to listen carefully to the feedback that our audience members were giving us and to be sure that this was thoughtfully integrated into 2nd and 3rd iterations. Although we put lots of effort into our iteration one, it was necessary to see this as a rough draft until we had the opportunity to reflect on the feedback that we received. This is a process that should be shared with students and staff alike. No product is complete or whole without taking into consideration the feedback from others. Any end product is immensely improved when it goes through this process. Effective communication, whether asynchronous or synchronous, is clear. It is a give and take. A challenge with email (asynchronous) is that sometimes you “hear” something that is not there or read something between the lines, which wasn’t intended. While the convenience of text and email communication is valuable, it is not always the best when dealing with dense topics. I have found Google Hangouts to be an excellent tool for virtual collaboration/communication. However, in our group, we have used a mixture of methods (email, text, phone) because sometimes you need to be expedient and sometimes you need uninterrupted, more focused communication. Although I feel as if I was already at the intermediate level in my understanding of the Design Thinking Process, I do feel that my engagement with this project has definitely deepened my understanding. Prior to this class, all of my experience with Design Thinking consisted of projects that were either short in duration or scope. I have definitely been able to see how a prolonged process can result in substantial intellectual rigor, collaboration, and meaningful end products. All of this experience has put a tangible form to what Tony Wagner explains as a moment in history where “The skills of work, learning, and citizenship have converged probably for the first time in history” (Reinventing Education, 2013). This experience definitely converged skills necessary in these three domains. It required me to be informed, articulate, and diplomatic. Additionally, this experience required me to carefully listen to the perspectives of many different stakeholders and to integrate these experiences and points of view into a final product that was made not only for a group of people but in collaboration with them. This upends typical leadership models which traditionally created from the top down and subjected individuals to solutions rather than create them together. It is, as articulated by the students in the video “If Students Designed Their Own Schools” - “It’s crazy that in a system that is meant to teach and help the youth, there’s no voice from the youth” (“If Students, 2016). Clearly, one should no longer attempt to create solutions without taking the perspectives of multiple stakeholders into consideration. It is necessary to empower and democratize in order to create the solutions that we need. Resources: If students designed their own schools... (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2016, from https://youtu.be/RElUmGI5gLc Reinventing Education for the 21st Century : Tony Wagner at (co)lab summit 2013. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2016, from https://youtu.be/54gzmxlPbsA