Chapter 2 | Question 2 | Googlenomics: Cracking the Code on Internet Profits

[Alghamdi Osamah]

1. The atmosphere of Google's working environment may be in some ways similar to the atmosphere at Pixar as depicted in the Finding Nemo video. Does this atmosphere / culture aids in the success of the employees and the end products? Should schools try to replicate this type of atmosphere for their faculty and students? If not, what type of atmosphere is likely to create the greatest success in schools?

[Alauna Thornton]

On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 6:41:10 PM UTC-6, Alghamdi Osamah wrote:

1. The atmosphere of Google's working environment may be in some ways similar to the atmosphere at Pixar as depicted in the Finding Nemo video. Does this atmosphere / culture aids in the success of the employees and the end products? Should schools try to replicate this type of atmosphere for their faculty and students? If not, what type of atmosphere is likely to create the greatest success in schools?

Yes the atmosphere and culture can aid or hurt the success the employees, students, and clients as well as the end product.  Yes schools should try to find methods and implement ways that empower the staff and students to flourish.  Schools that are considered successful today have students that are graduating with skills that enable them to be innovative and creative problem solvers for society.  Students need opportunities to solve real world problems and apply authentic learning where students feel safe. Research by Lezotte’s provides the following characteristics of effective schools:

Students are given high expectations and they feel that they can relate to the leaders, administrators, teachers and coaches of the school.  Students know that they’re progress matters and it is being monitored.  Students feel they can learn with the opportunities that exist within the school.  Successful schools find ways to build relationships between home and school. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_What_Makes_School/?page=3

[Beverly Pell]

I think it would be best to find a balance between what Google and Pixar have designed and what has worked well in traditional classrooms. 

As much as I would like to see radical changes in education, traditional classroom instruction has worked fairly well for over a century; so it cannot be completely unworthy. Many students love order, familiarity, structure, and absolute leadership by a teacher. 

That said, my life would be different today if I attended a public school designed, and operated, like a Google environment. I did not thrive in the traditional classroom setting. With my dad's support, I escaped the fate of grade retention (held back) twice! I was so sick of reading "she works below her potential" on my report cards. :-( 

I wonder how much it would cost to design a student-friendly school, employing teachers who fit the program, with an environment which addresses the needs of all learners?

On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 6:41:10 PM UTC-6, Alghamdi Osamah wrote:

[sandra vega carrero]

I think this question is really interesting, because it made me think on the people that are already working in those companies and the most probable school environments they had while they were in elementary high school and high school. Probably, they didn't develop their creative skills in a school with a Google or Pixar environment. 

Many of the engineers and designers probably studied in a traditional environmental school. But what I think we should consider is in including in our curriculum more creativity development, and collaborative work. 

It is demonstrated that the biggest products are not made by a single person, instead a group of different type of masters are required to have successful results. Schools should work a little bit more on these and include collaborative projects, so we have more diverse learners, and therefore when they go to the real life they know how is like to be in a multidisciplinary team.

On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 6:41:10 PM UTC-6, Alghamdi Osamah wrote:

[Christopher Simpson]

I have seen that schools that are getting much better with this, especially at the high school level, Many of the schools in the area are offering alternatives to the traditional method of only preparing students for college because they recognize that not all students want to go to college. Other technical skills programs that I have seen in schools, such as a CAD, art or law preparation prepare students for technical careers. And since each of those programs are developed by people who have worked in the specific field they are teaching, each one develops its own atmosphere and culture. Students could then figure out which one they like the most on the high school visit days.

 
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 6:41:10 PM UTC-6, Alghamdi Osamah wrote: