Welcome
Posted by EPianka
Many people have asked me why I chose to keep the name Anything But Square Design for my educational website after I made the switch from graphic design to education. In the end, it is a simple concept. Educators are designers by nature. While many of us share the gift of knowledge and a love for sharing what we know with others, what we may sometimes forget is that teaching is an art form. A teacher cannot walk into the classroom every single day and start a lesson without planning. A lesson plan must be created, implemented, and revised in order to be successful. I have always believed that it takes creativity, innovation, and dedication to be a great designer and after teaching my first class, I learned that it takes creativity, innovation, and dedication to continue entering the classroom on a daily basis while maintaining the attention of adolescents in a single subject area for at least one-hundred and nintey days. In approaching a lesson plan, an educator must think outside the box, create a plan that is anything but square, in order to relate to our students while achieving the goals of the district. It is my intention to maintain this website in a way that it will help other educators remain creative in designing their own lesson plans.
Feel free to use the links on the right to find your own inspiration or to use the lesson plans provided on the site.
Academic Achievement Brochure Unveiled
Posted by EPianka
Beginning in November of 2010, a group of students in my English classes started working with the South Orange/ Maplewood Community Coalition on Race to create a brochure which would encourage students to strive towards Academic Success when they reach the high school.
It has been a pleasure working with the students and teaching them about everything from how to write for a brochure to designing for a target audience. The final product is exciting and vibrant, but nothing compares to watching my students show off their hard work. I'm sure you will agree, the brochure is eye catching and will definitely catch the attention of teenagers about to make the transition from middle to high school.
The article that features the students involved and images from the brochure's presentation can be accessed in its entirety by clicking here.
Student Work Published on Coalition Website
Posted by EPianka
When student work is published online, I can't help but start beaming like the proud teacher I am. I run around telling everyone! My students work hard daily to prove they are more than what their transcript says they are and because of that, they're going to go far in life.
Recently, we had the opportuinty to work with the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race. Students started the project by writing letters to younger siblings and cousins about succeeding in school. Some of these letters have now been published on the Coalition's website. We are continuing to work with the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race to produce a brochure for incoming Freshman.
The newsletter that features the student letters can be accessed in its entirety by clicking here.
TMD WebQuest Gains International Recognition
Posted by EPianka
The Motorcycle Diaries WebQuest, published here on anythingbutsquaredesign.com, gained International attention when it was positively reviewed in the May 2009 newsletter released by the Critical Literacy Special Interest Group. Read the review by Enrique Alejandro Basabe by clicking here.
The newsletter can be accessed in its entirety by clicking here.