Not So Distant Future

In case you haven’t run across this challenge, dy/dan has posted a contest–the point being to try to sell yourself to a future college/employer/etc.  in 4 slides.  No special audio or transition effects allowed, by the way.   Just 4 slides.

Entries are due by this Friday(August 10).

What a brilliant challenge this would be to give our students–economy of scale.

So often when we make assignments, their focus becomes “how long does this have to be?”   Imagine the creative challenge when we teach them the value of brevity and clarity?

 What can we teach them with minimalism?  

Can we say things more simply?  Get to the point?  Think about design when we create a handout?   Eliminate clutter from our assignments?    Focus?   Create beauty out of simplicity?   

How can we open up space for reflection?     Can we show them the mental breathing room that austerity of thought and design can create?

Can we teach them that less is more?   Or are we all too nervous about the quiet spaces in between?

(I’m inspired both by dy/dan’s challenge and by a recent visit to the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas).

Image credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/99107397@N00/1028129659/

Update:  Here’s my submission for the contest, saved at Slideshare – sticking with my “minimalist” efforts!

http://www.slideshare.net/technolibrary/fourslides2ppt