Douglas G. McIntosh
Learning Environment Designer @ D&D Learning Spaces
Background
Doug is a K-12 teacher who in 2014 completed a successful thirty-five-year career in special and general education in San Diego Unified School District. Here’s a brief history.
Doug was a special education teacher for students with severe multiple disabilities. He created many electrical control devices for these student’s communication and leisure. He also created professional development for teachers and parents working and living with these students. In 1983, he started a non-profit business called, Designs for Success that fabricated individualized adaptations for students with disabilities. Doug was also the District’s first Assistive Technology Resource Teacher, which later grew into its own Assistive Technology Department under Special Education Services.
In general education, Doug taught Kindergarten for three years (the hardest job of his life), and later became a K-6 Computer Lab Teacher for several years.
He served many years as a central office K-12 Magnet Schools and Educational Technology Resource Teacher for the District. During these years, Doug worked with many talented colleagues and teamed to provide inquiry-based professional development that integrated technology in learning activities.
As a District Resource Teacher, Doug also evaluated and field tested many hardware products and furniture that became District standards in classrooms, libraries and labs, including: Macs, Windows and Linux laptop computers and cart systems, student standing desks, teacher wireless microphone/audio systems, video projectors, document cameras, interactive whiteboards and eliminating the traditional teacher desk for a multimedia presentation station. In Ed Tech, Doug created a website called the Product Price List with images and descriptions that was very popular for many years with District teachers and staff to view all the district technology and AV furniture standards.
As an Ed Tech Resource Teacher, Doug was tasked to work with the District's Facilities Planning staff to assist with new school construction with the technology integration of classroom audio systems, video presentation systems and laptop computers.
In 2009, Dan Wolfson (Educational Technology Program Manager) and Doug co-created the i21 Learning Initiative which over five years provided professional development for the District-wide deployment of interactive whiteboards, sound system, presentation station and 1:1 laptops for every classroom and teacher in the District. Dan and Doug wrote the first strategic planning drafts for the entire deployment.
Doug finished his teaching career at Mission Bay High School in San Diego as both their International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator and Technology Coordinator. Working with school staff and the community, Doug helped grow and promote the IB program to a level of sustainability as it continues to prosper today. He also created sit/stand options for students in classrooms and transformed the library into a learning commons.
- In 2014, Doug took his experience and passion for learning to start his own educational consulting business, Groupwerk®, Inc.
- As an educational consultant/designer, Doug advocates the 20th to 21st century transformation of a school's three most common learning spaces from- classrooms to learning studios, libraries to learning commons and, labs to makerspaces.
- Doug designed his business model as an educational consulting service having the opportunity to partner with schools and companies to craft unique learning spaces in many K-12 classrooms, libraries, and labs.
- In 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic, Doug ended Groupwerk and took a little break...
- Back in 2009, Doug created a personal website STARTED RIGHT HERE called Micro Learning Spaces and later, Collaborative Learning Spaces as a free informational service to educators, parents and students based on his work in K-12 learning environments.
- In 2014-2020, it morphed into Groupwerk, Inc. as Doug's consulting and design business with the domain www.groupwerk.net.
- In 2017, Doug began writing this free ebook, with the eventual title, Learning Environment Design (LED) as a 'bright light' metaphor for the work, located here.
- In 2018, Learning Environment Design (LED) got it's very own domain - www.k12led.com
- In March 2022, I started a new adventure working for D&D Integrated Solutions as their Learning Environment Designer (LED). I hit the ground running with projects in both Northern and Southern California.
- I'm very excited to design with the D&D team with their extensive partnerships with furniture and technology manufacturers working in a variety of learning space projects with K-12 schools.
- During 2022 and into 2023, I assisted in the design and scope of rebranding the company to D&D Learning Spaces. I designed D&D's new website responsible for creating content as well as being the featured writer for the D&D Learning Spaces Blog. Check out my posts!
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