Imagine a room filled with brightly colored boxes stacked along the walls and surrounded by bundles of quiz cards, notebooks, stickers, post-its, binder clips, and sharpies. There’s a whiteboard in the corner displaying drawings for a new marketing graphic, and on the computer beside it, Adobe Illustrator is starting to load and Google Calendar is … Read More
Ei Community
State of the Union, 2016
Alright, so after googling State of the Union and watching a few past speeches it seemed like a good idea to write one for Experience Institute. Not because I think of myself as a president. It’s merely an interesting way to frame an honest look at our successes and failures in 2015 while sharing goals for 2016. … Read More
EXP3 uses story to reflect on their first term
They were all nervous. This was the first big critique of the year. Even though Ei doesn’t share many similarities with traditional education programs, we do assign something akin to homework; a documenting assignment that tasks students to synthesize their previous term’s experiences into a story to be shared with the greater Ei community. For many of … Read More
Kickstarter Campaign Reflections
Last week, the Ei community and I completed a month-long Kickstarter campaign for Leap Kit. The days leading up to the campaign and throughout the month of October were full of twists and turns. This post will be a space to capture and share the lessons learned from leading the kickstarter campaign. Hopefully, it can … Read More
Design Thinking – causing boys to design clothes for Barbie dolls (and other amazing outcomes)
Ei is more than a school for individuals who design their own education. We are also a design studio bringing experiential learning opportunities to K12 schools, higher ed, and businesses. One aspect of that work is our Design Thinking collaborations with K12 schools (demonstrated in the video below highlighting our work with the Beavercreek City School District … Read More
Where are they now? Third and final term.
Our students are already well into their third and final term. And in less than two months they’ll be back in Chicago to share and celebrate at EXPO. Time is flying. Before this term is all but passed, we’d like to share where the students have landed and what work and learnings they’re tackling.
Applications Now Open for Ei’s Fall 2015 Program
Join Ei’s Powerful 12-Month Program and Gain Real-World Experience Through Coaching, Apprenticeships and Travel. Education is powerful. It leads individuals into greater opportunities and shapes our society as a whole. It seems, however, that much of our education happens outside of the classroom; when we’re faced with challenges that no amount of studying could resolve. So … Read More
Girls Driving for a Difference
At Experience Institute, we’re used to having conversations with people who are learning to risk and risking to learn, who want to take their education into their own hands, and who are at the edge of taking a leap to create something great. Even in that context, the Girls Driving for a Difference team is … Read More
Last Month at Ei
We placed the signs in all of the right places. The lights were dimmed. The food was prepared. The cake was warm. The candles were lit. We even coordinated our outfits. Finally, one of our current Ei students, Chevy Williams, walked through the door and with a joyous “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” her surprise party commenced. That’s … Read More
Look back before looking ahead: Highlights from 2014.
A few days ago, one of my dear friends and I were catching up over coffee. She has known me since I was a nerdy high school student and has watched, at a distance, as I attempted Leap Year Project and sparked Experience Institute. So, it was no surprise when she asked me, “Are you still … Read More