Group items tagged

""The reality is that to survive in a fast-changing world you need to be creative," says Gerard J. Puccio, chairman of the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College, which has the nation's oldest creative studies program, having offered courses in it since 1967. "That is why you are seeing more attention to creativity at universities," he says. "The marketplace is demanding it." Critical thinking has long been regarded as the essential skill for success, but it's not enough, says Dr. Puccio. Creativity moves beyond mere synthesis and evaluation and is, he says, "the higher order skill." This has not been a sudden development. Nearly 20 years ago "creating" replaced "evaluation" at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy of learning objectives. In 2010 "creativity" was the factor most crucial for success found in an I.B.M. survey of 1,500 chief executives in 33 industries."

IQ was a popular measurement but it did not capture the type of thinking that generated novel solutions to urgent predicaments. First, creativity is not equivalent to intelligence. Second, divergent thinking is central to the concept of creativity. Third, we can develop tests to measure divergent thinking skills. What is the relationship between creativity and intelligence? How do we measure creativity? And what, exactly, is creativity? undergrads were better at solving insight-based problems when they tested during their least optimal time participants who played a difficult working memory game known as the n-BACK task scored higher on tests of a fundamental cognitive ability known as fluid intelligence: the capacity to solve new problems, to make insights and see connections independent of previous knowledge. Cognitive flexibility, the ability to switch between thinking about two concepts or consider multiple perspectives simultaneously

I dislike the pyramid because it creates the impression that there is a scarcity of creativity - only those who can traverse the bottom levels and reach the summit can be creative. And while this may be how it plays out in many schools, it's not due to any shortage of creative potential on the part of our students. I think the narrowing pyramid also posits that our students need a lot more focus on factual knowledge than creativity, or analyzing, or evaluating and applying what they've learned. And in a Google-world, it's just not true. Here's what I propose. In the 21st century, we flip Bloom's taxonomy. Rather than starting with knowledge, we start with creating, and eventually discern the knowledge that we need from it. Shelley Wright

"Poet, playwright, and cultural critic T. S. Eliot was born 124 years ago today. In this passage from The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism (public library), cited in the 1942 gem Anatomy of Inspiration, Eliot adds to previously explored theories of how creativity works by taking a curious look at how physical illness brings a near-mystical quality of poetry, driven by two key elements of creativity: the presence of an incubation period when unconscious processing of existing ideas takes place, and the removal of habitual inhibitions, or something John Keats has termed "negative capability"."

"All I Really Need to Know (About Creative Thinking) I Learned (By Studying How Children Learn) in Kindergarten * Mitchel Resnick MIT Media Lab Cambridge, MA 02139 USA +1 617 253 9783 mres@media.mit.edu ABSTRACT This paper argues that the "kindergarten approach to learning" - characterized by a spiraling cycle of Imagine, Create, Play, Share, Reflect, and back to Imagine - is ideally suited to the needs of the 21 st century, helping learners develop the creative-thinking skills that are critical to success and satisfaction in today's society. The paper discusses strategies for designing new technologies that encourage and support kindergarten-style learning, building on the success of traditional kindergarten materials and activities, but extending to learners of all ages, helping them continue to develop as creative thinkers. "

"A brief overview of how to use the iPad for visual recording/notetaking. Includes things to consider when doing this; how this is different from traditional (paper-based) visual recording; and comparisons of four tools (Ideas, AirSketch, Brushes, and SketchbookPro). For details about how I made this video, please see this blog post: http://ninmah.be/2010/08/02/ipad-visual-movie/ For my TEDx talk, "Drawing in Class," about personal visual note-taking on the iPad, please see this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tJPeumHNLY All media used in this video are licensed under Creative Commons and are used in accordance with their respective licenses. This video is licensed under a Creative Commons (by-nc-sa) 3.0 license. "

"Does anyone have any suggestions for apps, uses, or creative ideas for iPad use in the Spanish classroom? I teach 7th grade Spanish and would love to begin implementing iPads into my classroom"

"By engaging teachers and the technology integrationist in conversations about the curriculum, specific class dynamics and capabilities of the technology, we are now able to talk about what we would like to do, the tools best suited for that purpose, ways to tweak units or lessons, and what is not working. This collaborative, co-teaching model has allowed for us to find connections across content areas, classes and our district. We all recognize how much is gained when we are allowed to really talk about our curriculum and our students, and this model allows for that creative, collaborative time to work through complex and interesting questions and ideas about integrating technology effectively. "

Get tools to educate yourself and your students from Common Sense Media for Educators. In addition to their K-12 curriculum on Digital Literacy and Citizenship, they offer an online tutorial designed to help you implement the curriculum in your classroom. Units are: Safety, Security, Digital Life, Privacy and Digital Footprints, Connected Culture, Respecting Creative Work, Searching, Research and Evaluation, Self-Expression and Identity. Common Sense Media has partnered with Edmodo. Together they have created the Digital Citizenship Starter Kit. Join the Digital Citizenship Community to obtain the resources!

"I am updating my workshop on how technology can be used to promote Voluntary Free Reading - the only undebatably fool-proof means of both improving reading proficiency and developing a life-long love of reading in every student. "

I gave a final exam designed to do just that - provide the opportunity for students to see, touch, and feel that information is cheap and freely available and therefore, there is little inherent value in finding it and especially in spitting it back!. Either my mission was flawed (no surprise), or the deck is seriously stacked against the effort. The result: MUST FIND ANSWERS! Wow, look at me, I have the answers....Couldn't apply it if my life depended on it, but man, just look at my answers! I was preaching the Problem Solver, PBL mantra in a recent conversation and was told bluntly, providing that opportunity in the real isolation of 1 45 minute period out of 7 is a complete waste of time. Man, that stung and I continue to resist it, but there is a very large kernel of CAP T Truth present there.

By Thom Markham As Common Core State Standards are incorporated from school to school across the country, educators are discussing their value. It may seem that educators are arguing over whether the CCSS will roll out as a substitute No Child Left Behind curriculum or as an innovative guide to encourage inquiry rather than rote learning.

Daniel Pink asks what drives us. Sir Ken Robinson asks us to inspire creativity in our students. The latest in education is asking us to teach our students to create their own questions, do their own research, and form their own conclusions with their learning. Why?

"The iPad is not a PC. As obvious as that sounds, if the only computer you've ever used was mainly a box on a desk, or ran a desktop operating system with a physical keyboard attached, its only natural that the ways you attempt to use a new device will be dictated by the old paradigm. Instead of just sticking with such an approach, this book looks at the different ways that the PC and iPad have been designed to work, and then detail new ways that the iPad can be used for workflows not work. "

Reading it now...it is one of my most significant failures...the "proper" or effective use of the iPad as a creative workflow device in my practice. I have to admit that I have, and perhaps to a large extent still do, view it as a cooler PC. Only just recently have I been able to envision the possibilities via app smashing. A few dollars spent to provide some smashing possibilities, but not the vehicle or the time allocated to let students experience it for themselves. Onward, we endeavor to persevere!