Electronic Arts & Digital Storytelling

Nueva Stories

Dice and Randomness

Every now and then we post interesting stories about Nueva and its alums, stories that show some essential quality of Nueva students and education. If you have one, please email it to Matt.

Prior to a freshman World Religions oral exam with twelve potential questions, the teacher informed the class that the students would only need to answer five of the twelve questions, and that he, the teacher, would select the five questions randomly on the day of the test using a pair of dice.

Most of the students, simmering in a late spring stupor, were prepared to blithely follow these instructions. But one Nueva graduate's hand popped up.

"Excuse me Mr. Brown, this method will not result in random questions. We won't need to study question 1 at all, because it will not occur in a pair of dice, and we would concentrate our studies on question 7, as its probability of occurring is the highest.

"I have a 12-sided die at home and can bring it in if that would be of help to you."

Always thinking, speaking up and engaging in class, thinking mathematically, more interested in learning than in finding the easy way, and, of course, using those SEL skills to be helpful rather than confrontational -- several of the hallmarks of Nueva students.

Nueva Stories

Electronic Arts & Digital Storytelling

Written by Kim Saxe

Integrated Subject: Tech Art

Artist Daniela Steinsapir offered Electives in both Electronic Arts and Digital Storytelling this fall.

"I want them to go beyond the ideas that they already have," said Daniela when she first approached me about her Electronic Arts and Digital Storytelling Electives. "The 7th and 8th grade students often come already tied to one of their ideas, and I want them to broaden and learn how to generate even more possibilities."

Daniela brought in a large quantity of different materials from circuit boards to metal shapes as possible inspiration for the students' creative work.

Students generated ideas by rapidly sketching possibilities. We encouraged them to go into a non-judging space and capture each idea in less than one minute. The quick speed prevents individuals from over-thinking their initial concepts, reduces perfectionism, and often results in new ideas.

"I was really excited by the new projects that my students invented using the brainstorming techniques and mindset," said Daniela. "Most of the students either came up with a new idea or came up a with a way to enhance their original plan."

The students in the Electronic Arts class then returned to the Art Room to realize their concept, using sensors, controllers, and LED's.

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Nueva School is a nationally recognized independent school serving gifted students and emphasizing integrated studies, creative arts, and social-emotional learning. For more than 40 years, Nueva has remained committed to its original vision: to inspire a passion for lifelong learning, foster social and emotional acuity, and develop a child's imaginative mind. Nueva creates a dynamic educational model to enable gifted children to learn how to make choices that will benefit the world.