On April 25, 2013, an article was posted on NPR Network Member, MindShift KQED’s website blog: “A Design Challenge to Students: Solve a Real-World Problem!” MindShift’s focus is on exploring the future of learning in all its dimensions – covering cultural and technology trends, groundbreaking research and innovations in education.

Last week the IDSA K12 Design Education Initiative hit the big lights in Fort Worth, TX, at the 2013 NAEA National Convention—the world's largest art education event of its kind!

A record breaking number of participants have signed up across North America for the IDSA Design Learning Challenge 2013.

Now is the time for you to become involved!

With the generous support of our partners, sponsors and supporters IDSA was able to put on the first IDSA K12 Design Education Symposium. This event, which took place November 9-10 in Dearborn, Michigan, was a huge success. K-12 teachers, college educators and practitioners from across the US and Canada gathered to discuss creativity, problem solving and innovation within the K-12 classrooms today.

It has been said – if your cup is half full, you are thought of as an optimist, but if your cup is half empty, you are looked upon as a pessimist. If you happen to be an engineer, perhaps you’d view the cup as twice as large as it should have been in the first place. As clearly articulated this past weekend, if you are a designer – your cup presents huge opportunities to solve a meaningful problem, one that requires identifying and sorting through endless possibilities as a path to one innovative and sustainable solution!

In partnership with the National Art Education Association (NAEA), a highly interactive IDSA K12 Design Education Initiative workshop took place at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel during IDSA’s 2012 International Conference.

Creative Thinkers, Innovative Outcomes

This highly interactive IDSA K-12 Design Education Initiative workshop will take place at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel simultaneously with the IDSA 2012 International Conference.

Thursday, August 16
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel
Otis Room, Lobby Level

The following blog entries represent a telling story as written by a K-12 educator who participated in the IDSA Design Learning Challenge 2012. Garreth Heidt, a middle school humanities teacher at Perkiomen Valley Middle School East, shares rare and honest insights into real-time experiences throughout the entire challenge.

The spring 2012 Creative Expressions humanities class at Perkiomen Valley Middle School East (teachers Garreth Heidt, Kathy Todd, Shannon Mullowney, and Briana Pittari) introduced seventh graders to design thinking, the design process and how to work like designers—people who apply creative and critical thinking with technical know-how to the discovery and solution of all types of problems. As an added bonus, this year’s class was visited by Knoll, one of the world’s premier designers and producers of office furniture.

It seems that the National Art Education Association's professional development event, SummerVision DC, is filling up fast. The event was divided into two sessions, and one is already sold out. The remaining session runs July 10-13. So if you are interested in not only visiting but going behind the scenes at National Gallery of Art • Freer Gallery and Arthur M.