Manuel Herrera is an educator, an international speaker and doodler. He currently serves as the Innovation Coordinator for the Affton School District, a suburban St. Louis school district. He is an adjunct professor for Webster University teaching Digital Video for Educators and Designing Ed Tech Facilities. In addition to these roles, Manuel is the Communications and Design Lead for Connected Learning, an educational non-profit located in St. Louis. Manuel has keynoted, presented and lead workshops at educational conferences like SXSWEdu, ISTE, TCEA, MassCUE, FETC & .EDU. He specializes in Sketchnoting, Visual Thinking, Design Thinking and 3D printing and design. In 2018 Manuel became a Google Innovator at LAX18 and in 2016 he was named the Midwest Education Technology Conference Spotlight Educator.
It turns out that being a Level 100 Doodler is a self imposed title, but it is a fun catalyst for conversation, regardless. It’s great to add original taglines to your Twitter account, and Manuel added this fun aspect in a creative way, which says a lot.. Even without knowing the scale, Manuel’s 2 sons think anything amazing is a level 100, so he took that idea into a key descriptor of himself. “I’ve drawn my entire life. As a kid, I was constantly getting in trouble for it.” Today, doodling has become an essential part of visual thinking through sketchnoting and the ideation stage of design thinking.
Manuel sees many connections between visual thinking and design thinking. He told a story of a process that he worked through with a group of high schools students who they trying to communicate their ideas. Manuels captured the oral communication visually and, suddenly, beyond communicating with the group and showing his understanding of what the student was sharing, another student was then able to add an idea and line of thinking visually. Using drawing to communicate becomes visual thinking, so that we can all “be on the same page”. Manuel then started ensuring a visual element when going through the design thinking process. “The iterative process now becomes a drawing more than it becomes an object first. We tended to built first and iterate from that, but I feel that we make more progress and have better ideas when we can draw them, give them to some body for feedback, or the intended user, before we could fabricate anything.” Manuel’s enthusiasm for utilizing this strategy with learners was palpable. He added that, “It’s amazing to watch kids’ ideas come to life with simple drawings…”
When preparing for his guest appearance on The Personal Playlist Podcast, Manuel got out his phone and began scanning through different albums, trying to go with his first instincts. He played songs and explored their meanings and contexts throughout his life. “It was fun to go back...and listen to songs that I hadn’t listened to in some time.” He tried to let his boys weigh in, but they didn't have the long view of Manuel’s life, so he didn't always take their suggestions. In the end, progressing through the themes, Manuel listened to a few other episodes of the P3 to hear about other guest’s processes in preparing for the show.
Manuel’s nostalgic song was tough to choose because it was between two bands. They both were featured at different points of his life, so Manuel asked himself which song really impacted him and how. Being a huge hip hop fan, the particular song that he landed on was a departure for him. He was dating a girl who was into “alternative music”. She put on this song and Manuel was transfixed by the music. Manuel felt, “Nothing sounds like this…,” so his girlfriend made him a tape of the songs from this 90’s rock band that was often referred to as part of the Seattle sound called grunge. When he discovered the liner notes on the band’s album, Manuel was amazed by the handwritten lyrics on the backside by the lead singer, Eddie Vedder. “It was the way he wrote lyrics, it was kind of... sketch-noty.” He changed direction in his musical tastes, and this song was the gateway. This was also one of the first songs Manuel learned to play on guitar. Here is Black by Pearl Jam:
Manuel’s identity song came from the other most influential band from his life. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a radio DJ, and this was music that he always dreamed to play. This song is, “Kinda chill, kind of relaxed but also it’s also funky, too.” Manuel said those descriptors feel like him, especially now that he is a bit older. It’s from an album that Rolling Stone referred to as one of the "Essential Recordings of the 90's". Manuel told the story of seeing this group in concert right after college. After their first set, the 3 singers took a break. Then, the stage spun and the band came out playing this song. They were all playing their own instruments, which was unique for rappers, but this group actually began as a punk band. “They’re in these powder blue tuxedos...it’s this groove that it sooooo good, and there’s no lyrics.” This may even become Manuel’s “walk out song” the next time he makes a presentation. Here is Sabrosa by The Beastie Boys:
Manuel’s final song was one he referred to as a pump up/energizer song. Manuel runs a lot, and his running playlist is one that helps him on his way. “This song is long, and it’s super slow at the beginning...so it’s real mellow for the first few minutes. I like to listen to this as my last mile and a half song.” It helps him feel calm and paced and then it picks up. Manuel runs as hard as he can with the last part of the song when it really picks up, “I kick one more time with everything I have left.” Here is LCD Soundsystem with Dance Yrself Clean:
If you want to reach out to Manuel, you can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @manuelherrera33. You can also learn more about his work through his website: www.manueldraws.com. Manuel is the keynote speaker at the upcoming Innovation Institute in Arkansas in June and he will also be at ISTE2019 later that month presenting workshops and leading breakout sessions. Manuel will also be a Featured Speaker for ISTE Creative Constructor Lab in the fall. I am grateful to my friend, Janelle McLaughlin, for introducing me to Manual and the opportunity to have him on the show. Hopefully, he’ll be up this way someday to visit our other mutual friends, Jen Giffen and Jay Dubois, though they may all see each other at ISTE2019.
