From InfiniD's perch, high on the second floor of Telos U in beautiful Vineyard, Utah, emerges the missions and tech that make an InfiniD lab magical. It is literally the network's Mission Control. The Troubadour was invited into InfiniD's inner sanctum on Friday to see how the science, art, and magic of an InfiniD lab mission is imagineered.
Let me introduce you to the four geniuses behind SimpleScene Tactical System's animations. These are the guys who make the tactical screens which accompany every mission.
Dallin is on the left - the one whose trousers have an identity problem; are they pants or are they shorts. Perhaps exposed knees are the style of the day. If so, I remain clueless to fashion, as anyone who knows me can attest!
Dallin goes to BYU and is the newest member of the team. If the knees are the result of too many bills and not enough income, the job at InfiniD came just at the right time.
Kendrick comes next. Kendrick has been with Discovery for a long time. Kendrick wears two hats. He is an animator at InfiniD and a flight director at Lakeview Academy's Lion's Gate (space center).
Connor is third from the left. He also attends BYU. I got to see some of his work while visiting. Very impressive.
Austin is the last of the grand quartet. Austin wears many hats in addition to the one on his head. He animates for InfiniD and flight directs at Telos Discovery Space Center. I'm also aware of his role as the dutiful son, sibling, student, and all around good guy.
Mr. Williamson
Friday at InfiniD
The InfiniD staff meets most Friday afternoons to delegate responsibilities, conference, review new animations and missions and cover all those other things staff meetings usually cover. I was invited to sit in on Friday's meeting to hear a summary of Skyler and Casey's presentation at a recent charter school conference.
I won't bore you with details except to say that the charter school conference presentation went well. The survey's ranked the InfiniD presentation as a conference favorite - all 10's peppered with a few 9's from the audience.
If the opening slide titled, "What we've learned from blowing up half a million kids in space" didn't get the conference goer's attention, then nothing would.
The company is staff by people who passionately believe in the power of simulations in education. Sitting there listening to their testimonials reinforced what I already knew about them; the people of InfiniD talk the talk and walk the walk. Their company has one simple overarching goal, change the way students are taught. Their challenge to educators is Apple's motto reimagined: "Think Different". Casey powered the point home by speaking on the subject of student ENGAGEMENT. A student won't learn If he isn't engaged in the lesson. And how to you keep a student engaged? Teach using simulations. InfiniD gets it. The CMSEC gets it. Telos Discovery Space Center gets it. Farpoint gets it. Lion's Gate gets it. Dream Flight Adventures gets it.
Mr. W.
The Imaginarium
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