Innovation and critical thinking are part of the creativity process in the classroom. We know it’s necessary for students to experience creativity thinking in order to go deeper with their learning; but we also know there are many barriers to expressing and promoting creative thought in learning.
You don’t necessarily need the newest, shiniest gadget to engage kids. In this edWeb.net edTech Innovators webinar, librarian and tech guru, Todd Burleson, Resource Center Director at Hubbard Woods Elementary at Winnetka, IL, discussed how he used Peter Reynolds’ book, The Dot, to inspire creativity and teach his students in his K-4 school about Braille alphabets, Morse code, splatter painting by Jackson Pollock, and pointillism by Seurat and Lichtenstein.
Many students struggle when asked to define abstract values like commitment or courage. Artistic expression is as varied as the artistic talent of our students, so everyone can succeed at these projects.
Storytelling is an ancient tradition that has evolved over many centuries. With digital tools, teachers and students now have the means to create stories and non-fiction narratives that will last beyond the spoken or written word and be published and shared with worldwide audiences.
Creativity is highly valued in the global workforce, and educational policymakers around the world have embraced creativity as an important outcome in national curriculum documents. How are global educators fostering creativity both inside and outside schools?
Re-designed Learning efforts are underway in Southeastern Iowa to re-design the K-12 classroom into 21st Century Learning Spaces. The learning spaces are specifically designed to promote both collaborative and personalized learning though the use of technology.
All around the world, millions share the narratives of their lives in bite-sized language through SMS, status updates on Facebook, 140 character tweets, six second-videos, or memed images. These are our learning rituals in our digital society. Our students create, produce, direct, summarize, translate, and share stories outside of learning institutions daily.
Creativity and innovation are now seen as high priorities in virtually every human endeavor, spanning academic, business, and artistic domains. Some say we have left behind the “information age” and entered the “era of creativity,” in which our role as educators is to define and teach students how best to maximize their uniquely human creative potential.