It’s finally here!! IdeaPaint has arrived at the Learning Commons. While there is already some in the “Multi-purpose Room” at the university’s Information Infrastructure Initiative, it has now been installed in the Central Library’s Learning Commons as well!! With this, an entire wall has become a whiteboard. Students and other users can now use the entire surface of this wall to express their thoughts.

This is partly a result of my course from last year, “Learning Environment Design Project.” In my class, we work on restructuring the library into a “library as a place for learning.” I have not only faculty and staff, but also students think about what a “library as a place for learning” should be, without being bound by conventional views of learning. Students often think that learning is limited to what is related to their classes, but I start by telling them that this is not the case, and I introduce various learning theories, learning support systems, and case studies.

I have them develop design proposals and event models, and finally, they present them to the library staff. If they want to purchase items, they must explain the costs and expected benefits, including the rationale. Professor Shibata, the Library Director, joins us for the final presentation whenever his schedule allows and asks questions. We are very grateful for this. I have been teaching this course for about three years now, and the library has been very receptive to implementing good ideas.

The other wall has been fitted with connected whiteboards. The original plan was to use IdeaPaint, but the Learning Commons Operations Working Group suggested that “if a group wants to do something using poster presentations or large sheets of paper, they would likely want to use magnets, so it would be better to have whiteboards for that purpose as well.” That is certainly true. If used for seminars, it could be used for things like practicing poster presentations. I think it will also be convenient for hosting various events.

It is a pleasure to see the ideas of the students who worked hard in the “Learning Environment Design Project” reflected in this way. It is encouraging to know that there are quite a few students interested in these kinds of things. Last year, a student even joined our discussions midway through, saying, “I don’t need the credits, but I’m interested, so please let me participate.” I am waiting for students who want to develop good ideas and projects and bring them to life! (Since it is a course, please register for it if you can!)

IdeaPaint
http://www.ideapaint.jp/