How it all started. . .

The D3 concept originated out of a need to design programs that allowed ...

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D3 Lab programs lead to transformative learning experiences, and relevant and more ...

The D3 Lab Space

Designed and constructed as a collaboration between social designers from COMMONstudio and ...

Inner-City Hues

Students at C:/dags have been using the D3 process to help them generate content for a new community-based project in collaboration with Inner City Arts.  The goal of the project will be to transform an abandoned and dilapidated local church into a canvas for teen-created murals.  Students from C:/dags will be in charge of transforming […]

D3@PSP: Digging Deeper through MPLS architecture!

This week in D3, although we had a lull in numbers (4-6 teens per session), we had opposite outcomes in progress! Building off of last week’s session at JOYCE where the teens learned how to define ‘design’ within a 2D perspective, we wanted to understand a 3D perspective to apply to our cart design! With […]

D3@PSP: A new beginning!

This week starts the beginning of our new project: branding the D3 cart! Because D3 doesn’t have a designated room at PSP, we rely on a basic utility cart for a lot of different uses; mobile storage, sign-in/out desk, desktop workspace, and our snack/beverage station just to name a few. We want to D3-ify the […]

C:/dags projects making progress

This week at C:/dags was marked by an eclectic mix of projects and events.  D3 facilitators met with teachers individually to provide feedback on projects ranging from re-thinking campus systems for sustainability (Mr. Gomez, Geography), to designing musical instruments (Mrs. Sujo, Physics).  We also were part of an interesting discussion about new forms of assessment […]

PSPieces takes flight!

We’ve made it to the end… it’s been a long 9 weeks, but we did it! This week was spent installing, thanking and celebrating. Beau and Emily carved out time during the day to meet with a member of the activities staff and two members of the maintenance staff to install the 180 cranes. It […]

Students Complete Music Video to Motivate Their Peers for CST Testing

This video was designed by Mrs. Jones’ 3rd period choir class to inspire the Nightingale student body to rock the CST’s!  After seeing some CST videos created by other schools on the web, Mrs. Jones’ class wanted to make a Nightingale version.  They quickly began brainstorming ideas for fun scenes and motivating music and messages. […]

PSP’s Operation Crane Construction: Complete!

Last week was the final mile in the marathon that was our crane construction. We sprinted to the finish line with our final 30 cranes on Tuesday, totaling over 180 cranes all together! On Wednesday, we pierced and strung all 180 cranes so they were ready for installation next week. The teens were happy to […]

D3@PSP: Nearing the finish line

In light of the tragic events in Boston on Monday, our teens spent a fair amount of time reflecting on injustices this week. This conversation flourished into personal stories that seemed to fit right into the session’s therapeutic atmosphere. As we folded cranes and played our games, teens shared stories about their families, injustices in […]

D3 Supports Mock Trials at C/:dags

  This week at we helped C/:dags English teacher Mr. Miller plan a small design project to be completed in preparation for mock trials happening in his class next week.  Students will use the D3 process to design and make wearable accessories that help identify their role during the mock trial.  The prosecution, the defense, […]

Design and Decay

This week at C:/dags, D3 facilitators helped Mr. Gomez with a new project he’s starting in his Geography class. Students will reference topics addressed in the book The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman  to predict how nature would re-capture their campus in the sudden absence of human existence.  Some groups will also propose how […]

D3@PSP Makes Friends!

We are in our second full week of making our 200+ origami cranes and we are finding more ways to spice up these long and tedious sessions. We are continuing to rotate teens into the DJ position throughout the session and have seen a lot of progress with this new system. Teens are willing to […]

D3@PSP: DJ’ing our sessions

We are just stepping into the Do It phase and we’re realizing that with the tedious folding of the cranes, there’s a lot of quiet air to fill without our usual discussions, games and activities. With an outstanding attendance of 7-8 teens both days, we knew keeping the whole group focused on our goal for the entire session would be […]

PSP’s ‘Define’ Intervention

After a successful and supportive meeting with the head of the PSP’s maintenance staff, we got both our designs and installation space approved! Our sessions and project going forward hung in the balance of their feedback, so this was a huge weight lifted. We spent this week truly defining all aspects of our design: how […]

D3@PSP narrows down

  After a huge turnover this last month, D3 has yet again bounced back with new faces and solid attendance! With an average of 4 teens per session this week, we continued to work on what we want our installation to look like.We started off the sessions with simple games of Pictionary to get the […]

Brain’s Cooking at Nightingale!

What do you make using straws, aluminum foil, PVC pipes, string, and duct tape?  This was the Braincooker challenge faced by students in Mrs. Golakova’s seventh and eighth grade classes this month at Nightingale.  Each class split into groups and competed to invent the best model of a given object, such as a fashion accessory […]

C:/dags: Back From Break

Freshly back from spring break, this week at C:/dags saw students and teachers diving back into the thick of things.  D3 facilitators stopped in to check out the Gaming and Design class as they began a new ARIS based project and continued working to transform their space with simple paint swatch partition walls. We then […]

Designing Design Cirriculum at C:/dags

This week was marked by our first D3 open planning workshop with teachers at C:/dags.  The focus of these sessions is to provide a creative and collaborative context in which teachers can align their content goals and identify opportunities to incorporate design methodology into their practice.  Many new projects were born including a math and […]

PSP’s first (Brain)storm!

Minneapolis got a foot of snow this week and with the storm came new faces! We had a handful of new teens move in and had solid numbers of 4-5 kids each session. We also had a recurring teen who walked through the D3 process for the new kids and explained each step, impressive! With […]

Navigating Week 2 @ PSP

This week, D3 provided us with lots of successes but not without a few things to work on. It felt great to get another week of D3 under our belt, especially our first week on our own (sans Kim and Danny!). But we also faced the all-too-real effects of the extremely mobile teen population here […]

D3 lands in Minneapolis!

  To quickly introduce, we are Emily and Beau, the new design interns for D3 at People Serving People! We’re so excited to be a part of the larger D3 family and facilitators for D3 at PSP, an organization we already feel really connected to. Emily (blonde) has a degree in graphic design, background in […]

Harlem Shake Comes to Nightingale Middle School To Bring Students Together to Share School Pride

As the Harlem Shake has been shaking offices and classes around the nation, a group of students wanted to bring some of that fun to lunchtime at Nightingale.  They teamed up with local student director and producer Danielle from Highland Park High School and brainstormed how to make it happen.  After setting a date, these […]

Quick & Cheap Spatial Transformations at C:/dags

  Transforming the Gaming & Design Room at C:/dags is an ongoing challenge.  So far, students have worked together using the D3 methodology to analyze the space and talk about their ideas for how it should be used by students. This week a group of students created some quick prototypes for how the space could […]

C:/dags Project of the Month: Avatar

This week, D3 facilitators led teachers through a PD workshop that was focused on developing the gaming culture of C:/dags.  The challenge was to create personalized “Avatars” as a means of developing identity and self directed learning opportunities. Teachers will bring this project to their advisory classrooms and walk their students through a similar D3 […]

Young Advice Crew Creates First Hallway Hieroglyph at Nightingale

This week at Nightingale, the Young Advice Crew shared their completed hallway hieroglyph with the school community. Their challenge was to create a hieroglyph to represent their peer mediation group and what it has to offer to NMS students.  They began by brainstorming concepts that represent the group and then turned these into images.  After […]

Bridges and Bananas

This week is spirit week at C:/dags and is marked by an outpouring of energy, color, and life. Many on campus went the extra mile to show school spirit, including Ms. Se and Ms. Owens, who dressed as twin bananas. On a more serious note, we had an opportunity to stop in on an after-school […]

TRASHformers Begin to Build!

Back in December, when Nightingale TRASHformers began talking with others in the school community, they found that the majority of people they spoke with would like a Nighthawk on campus.  Many versions were then considered and revisions made before a final draft was voted on by the team.  Next, Ruckus Roots collaborator Robin Banks, along […]

Mapping C:\DAGS

This week D3 facilitators met for a planning session with Mark Gomez, the Geography teacher at C:/dags, who has an idea for a new and exciting way to engage his students.  Using smart phones, students will scan QR codes strategically placed throughout the C:/dags campus that will provide focused challenges based on Geography content. Students […]

CST Video in Production at Nightingale Middle School

A team of dedicated Nighthawks is currently producing a music video to motivate the Nightingale community for the upcoming California State Tests!  In October, students in Mrs. Jones’ seventh grade choir were given the challenge of creating a CST video for the school.  Seventh graders Victoria, Yami,and Nicole stepped up as directors to lead the project. […]

Master Designer Challenge

  This week at C:/dags we experimented with a new design based, brain-teasing, puzzle game called “Master Designer”.  It’s a great way to flex your visual and communication skills! Interested in playing it?  See more info HERE.  D3 facilitators have also begun to strategize with Vanya, a Health teacher who will be launching a new […]

Let The Games Begin!

This week at C:/dags was marked by the launch of our inter-disciplinary “Discovery Mission” in collaboration with Chemistry, Algebra II, and Game Design classes.  This project will span the entire semester and will utilize the D3 design methodology to guide students through the creative process from concept to completion.  The final project will be a […]

Back to C:\DAGS

This week marked our first week back at C:/dags after the winter break.  We are excited to start the new semester and will be working closely with teachers to implement a school-wide focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and linked learning.  Progress is already being made to bridge math and science curriculum through game design and we […]

Visualizing Impact at C:\DAGS

This was our last week at C:/dags before the winter break.  D3 facilitators took this as an opportunity to survey the teachers about how they feel about our presence and the impact it’s had on the culture and teaching practices at the school.  This yielded some useful insights about the teachers overall comfort level about […]

Nightingale Students Team Up With Community Activists to Create Sustainable Art

This fall at Nightingale, a group of environmentally conscious Nighthawks teamed up with local eco-activism group Ruckus Roots to find a way to make use of waste on campus.  The project began when several Nighthawks expressed concern over waste in their homes, school, and communities, and its impact on the environment.  Ruckus Roots members were […]

Design a Defense

Today at C:/dags, D3 facilitators met with teachers to plan for the development of two distinct and exciting projects for the new year.  First, Mr. Garcia and Mrs. Se are teaming up to develop a “Discovery Mission” that will integrate Algebra and Chemistry content. Students will design digital games that will replace final tests for […]

D3 Project of the Month: Braincooker!

One of the most challenging aspects of the design process is the Brainstorming phase, in which we generate multiple ideas or solutions to the problem in front of us. This often requires cognitive agility, snap decision making, and the ability to make connections between seemingly unrelated pieces of information.  D3’s new “Project of the Month” […]

Bean Bags and Boundary Lines

This week is a busy one at C:/dags.  Students from the Gaming & Design class are facing the challenge of transforming a classroom into a flexible creative and social space for the school.  Following initial class discussions about the experiential goals for the space, today the class split off into teams to think about the […]

Hawk’s Nest Community Garden Flourishing This Season at Nightingale!

Gardeners from last spring were delighted to see an abundance of cherry tomatoes awaiting them in the Hawk’s Nest when they returned to school in August!  They picked these for about one month, eating them alone and bringing them home to cook with. During that month, student groups led by Ms. Mukadisi, the D3 Lab, […]

Building Creative Pathways at C:\DAGS

This week marked the start of the C:/dags creative pathways reference library.  This space is intended to be used as a resource for students and teachers interested in learning more about creative educational and professional opportunities.  We hope this resource will grow to include materials from all major local and national design/digital media schools such […]

Eighth Grade Conflict Resolution Team Hosts Anti-bullying Event

Since the start of the school year, a group of eighth graders has been working in the D3 Lab as part of a daily Conflict Resolution Leadership elective.  The group was given the task of identifying sources of conflict on campus and finding ways to help students work through these. After their initial review of […]

Decoding C:\DAGS

This was another exciting week at C:/dags.  The hallways are continuing to fill up with hieroglyphs (the D3 project of the month), and accompanying QR codes support the imagery with descriptive text generated by the students.  Mr. Miller slightly modified the content of the project to apply it to his debate class, representing a “pro/con […]

New Projects Take Root at C:/dags

This week marked the beginning of two new projects at C:/Dags.  D3 facilitators first met with Mrs. Se and Mr. Velazquez to begin planning a series of “Discovery Missions” that will integrate Science and Math curriculum with games designed by students.  This project will be developed into 2013, and began with an initial discussion of […]