Custom Has No Limits
““Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it’s black.””
When Henry Ford introduced the Model T to the world, he went on the record as saying “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it’s black.” Ford’s focus on efficiently offering an affordable, quickly-manufacturable roadway solution for the masses met the needs of the time. It worked. In contrast, think about vehicles today…customization is key! Not only does Ford offer an expanding palette of colors and car styles to choose from, but you can even choose to 3D print certain parts for vehicles like their Ford Maverick, opening an ever-widening door to prove that “custom” truly has no limits.
What would Henry think of that?!
CUSTOM HAS NO LIMITS
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CUSTOM HAS NO LIMITS ---->
When it comes to classroom design, we all probably have in our minds a concept of static rows and columns of desks with chairs aimed toward a lecturer’s spot at the front of the room. The design at the time met the need: The “expert” in the room would disseminate information to the learners who would voraciously consume the content in assembly-line fashion. Efficient, right?
Fortunately, classrooms have received a much-needed shift that pushes instruction forward; a customization that better meets the needs of all learners. Flexible seating, movable wall spaces, and writable surfaces are just a few of the ways that classrooms have begun to transform in order to provide a more student-centric approach to learning. As education and the diverse learning needs of students continue to change, students must have a learning environment that is just as flexible.
The pictures above are from a recent trip to the DIRTT environmental systems facility in Texas. DIRTT stands for “Doing it right this time.” Their company creates environmentally sustainable wall solutions tailored to fit educational needs for any school. Beautiful walls collapse easily (using LEAF technology) to partition areas or create larger learning spaces instantly. Entire walls can be disconnected and moved easily to transform a space to fit the learning activity at the moment. Magnetic panels can be removed to reveal the technology hidden underneath or simply provide a child with a writable tablet to be used during collaboration with peers and then replaced back on the wall, displaying his or her findings to the class. CSA-Xenia will exclusively utilize DIRTT wall systems to provide limitless flexible learning environments for its students.
Vyral Teq, building PC computers (and so much more) out of Kettering, Ohio, is a company who believes in the motto “Custom has no limits” - it’s actually where the title of this post came from, their decal posted loud and clear in their business for all to see. They believe that every option, configuration, style, and mode ought to reside in the hands of the user/designer. They intend to stand behind this mindset as their partnership begins with the Community STEAM Academy in Xenia this fall. Students there will have opportunities unparalleled to their high school peers at other schools as they learn to build, competitively game, and produce content with their own PC creations.
Dr. Jeremy Ervin explains how Community STEAM Academy-Xenia reflects a limitless customized education.
