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Many experts say that creativity is not necessarily something you have or don't have, but that can be nurtured and developed. If you are searching for ways to feed your creativity, then take a look at these online tools. From tools that help you organize, plan, and brainstorm to tools that inspire through writing prompts and creative photos to tools that work to develop the creative mind, you will find plenty of inspiration in this list.

"Learn more about this film and download the free companion poster here: http://fablevisionlearning.com/blog/2... Peter H. Reynolds, creativity advocate and best-selling author and illustrator, and co-founder of FableVision Learning, has created a new animated short called The Testing Camera - a whimsical poke at high-stakes, standardized testing and a reminder that real assessment is as easy, and - at the same time - as challenging as getting to really know the gifts and talents of every child. "We've gone through a very test-centric decade which, in my opinion, has consumed a lot of time, energy, and resources," Reynolds shares. "Many teachers have had to adhere to new mandates and measures that require a 'teach to the test' approach. Public schools redirected funding for art, music, theater, libraries, field trips, and more. It's a discouraging picture for those trying to reach all children in creative, engaging ways." Reynolds, who is known for his books encouraging creativity, The Dot, Ish, Sky Color and The North Star among many others, penned this whimsical and poignant story about a young girl named Daisy who, dismayed at her art class being canceled, nervously faces her turn with the "Testing Camera." This huge apparatus snaps at her with a few blinding flashes of light. Weeks later, her father's reaction to the test results surprises Daisy in a most wonderful way. "This is my gift to educators to remind them to follow their instincts and remember why they got into teaching in the first place: to see the potential in every child, to nurture those emerging gifts and talents, and to change lives," Reynolds shared. The film was produced by FableVision, the transmedia studio in Boston founded by Peter and his twin brother, Paul Reynolds, author of Going Places and the Sydney & Simon series. The Testing Camera was directed by John Lechner with music by Tony Lechner, and animated by a team of young animators interning at Fable

"Pays tribute to the people around the world using CC licenses to build a better, more vibrant creative culture. " Explains what Creative Commons is and the benefits of use for you and for the whole world.

This slideshow provides the framework for a discussion about how educators can model 'creative integrity' and how they can assist students in leverage the Creative Commons as content creators

This slideshow provides the framework for a discussion about how educators can model 'creative integrity' and how they can assist students in leverage the Creative Commons as content creators

"Students interact with music, movies, software, and other digital content every day. Do they understand the rules that dictate the ethical use of these digital files, and do they understand why these issues are relevant? The Digital Citizenship and Creative Content program is a free, turnkey instructional program. The goal is to create an awareness of the rights connected with creative content. Because only through education can students gain an understanding of the relevance of and a personal respect for creative rights and grow to become good digital citizens."

The web hosts a wide variety of content generators that can be used to creatively update blog posts; to teach information literacy; and to just plain have fun.

"The Songwriting Tools wiki is an idea base for songwriters, teachers, and creative musicians. This little piece of the web is being developed because many music students have an interest in writing songs, but the time demands on music instructors in schools are simply overwhelming! Novice songwriters will find help here, and overburdened teachers will now have a resource for their creative students!"

A roundup of online video hosting services and related tools that support publishing under Creative Commons. These are services for sharing documentaries, movies and short video clips that can be legally downloaded and freely distributed under the terms of license.

Smilebox® makes it easy to connect with friends and family in a more creative and compelling way. Unlike other solutions that focus on organizing, editing, and sharing photos or sending pre-packaged ecards, the Smilebox service enables users to create something truly powerful by: 1. Choosing from hundreds of unique multimedia designs 2. Easily personalizing them with photos, video, music, words, and style 3. Sharing them via email, blog, or print Smilebox creates a new category of service called "creative messaging," which draws elements from photo services, scrapbooking, and ecards to deliver a new medium for communication unparalleled in its ability to convey mood, thought, and emotion.

A straightforward explanation of Creative Commons in easy to read cartoon format.

The Horizon Report series is the most visible outcome of the New Media Consortium's Horizon Project, an ongoing research effort established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, research, or creative expression within education around the globe. This volume, the 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition, examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning, and creative expression within the environment of pre-college education.

"I was browsing through YouTube last evening, searching for videos to show my students about new and emerging technology. I was quickly side- tracked by looking to see if there were any good videos made by teachers about how they use technology in their special education classroom. I was quite surprised to see the number of results , in-depth explanations, about variety of assistive technologies being used, and how many teachers are going to YouTube to share their creative teaching strategies. Below is a synopsis of links to great videos with great ideas!"

More and more websites are coming online to give students the ability to unleash their creativity in new and innovative ways. From abstract art to pointillism, students now can click and draw their way into original works of art, and today's freebie gives you a great list of places to begin. The sites are labeled by grade level to help guide you to those that best suit your students. In addition, I've added ratings to give teachers and students an idea of how much interactivity is available at each site. Some allow students to create from beginning to end, while others simply generate the final product with minimal effort. What you will not find here are basic virtual coloring sheets. I tried to find sites that would give students a chance to generate their own original works of art. What could be better?

Enhance curriculum, increase student achievement, and learn creative new ways to develop innovative lessons with the use of the iPod. The purpose of this presentation is to provide educators with exciting new skills to enable them to utilize iPods as tools for classroom instruction. Participants will learn how easily the iPod can be integrated into all content curriculum areas to engage students, increase achievement, and foster creative learning.

Creaza offers you an integrated, web-based toolbox for creative work, both at school and in your free time.  You use the toolbox along with various fully developed thematic universes:  historical periods, fairy-tales, fantasy worlds, and current challenges, such as climate/environment. Creaza integrates professional and user-generated content, creative tools and a social network in a new and innovative way. Users on Creaza have the opportunity to share their work with other Internet users and can give each other comments and suggestions on the products they choose to share. To use this service, all you need is Internet access, a web browser, and the Flash plug-in.  Creaza is available for PC, MAC, and Linux users alike.  Creaza is fully integrated with Fronter, who provides a platform for learning and collaboration. Fronter offers Creaza as a PlusPack integrated in their platform.

We've come up with an exciting challenge- The 'Creative Awards' - a recognition for creative artists, people who love travel, fashion, photography, writing & more. We are inviting you to participate and celebrate with us. There are several categories mentioned which you can explore. This participation would also help you get International recognition within our community of 4 million+ global audience.

"Creative Commons' CTO, Nathan Yergler, explains how to use ccSearch with Firefox."

Custom search for creative commons image searches.

Creative Web Tools For and By Kids is a project designed for students, ages 8 to 12, to use emerging technologies for engaging, thinking, learning, collaborating, creating, and innovating. The focus is on the use of free, open-source, or minimal cost tools, so the project can be replicated. An underlying goal is to demonstrate how advanced technological applications for enhancing learning can be implemented with only a computer and Internet access