FTPOnline - Web Design World 2004 - Boston
Encouraging Creativity in Student Online Work
Brent Muirhead
When I read an article like this I'm always stuck by the fact the examples of creative thinking are always from business or science, but at the same time it a reminder that the 'creative industries' are not the only source of creative and not the only place where creative is important. This article is interesting and is nice summary of some of the issues around creative and teaching. What I growing to understand is a lot of what I call "studio based" learning has these types of approaches embed into the practice.
It seems odd to make linear notes about some but is here is a bit of try. (maybe I should mindmap it on my and then scan in the notes)
What is Creative ?
Harris (1998)
- An ability to invent or imagine something new
- An attitude to change, to play, to explore what is new, a flexible outlook
- A process, creative work hard to improve what they do, making small constant changes.
One major point the author makes is that hard work and creative often good together.
Teaching Philosophy and Strategies
Major point made is that creative is promoted by building reflective (and metacognition) skills into the course design. Which is an interesting point for me because one of the turning points in my PhD was when I started to think in a more reflective way instead of a more critical way. Later in the article there is a summary of highly level questioning skills that remind my of questioning during crit sessions.
These are six great myths about creative.
1. Creativity comes from creative types: Creativity depends upon a number of things; experience, including knowledge and technical skills; talent; an ability to think in ways; and the capacity to push through uncreative dry spells.
2. Money is a creativity motivator: People are most creative when they care about their work and they’re stretching their skills.
3. Time pressure fuels creativity: Time pressure stifles creativity because people can’t deeply engage with the problem.
4. Fear forces breakthroughs: We found that creativity is positively associated with joy and love and negatively with anger, fear, and anxiety.
5. Competition beats collaboration: In our surveys we found that creativity takes a hit when people in a group compete instead of collaborate.
6. A streamlined organization is a creative organization: Creativity suffers greatly during downsizing. Every single one of the stimulants to creativity in the work environment went down significantly.
I can really see how these translate into my own creative practice and how I've seen creative not work in large organisations.
Teaching critical and refective thinking should be part of the course design !!! Suggests part of this should be a modelling approach where teachers "communication a picture of a creative thinker"
The woolfolk reflective thinking chart has loaded. It could be good to follow up on this.
Instructional Design Models - really great set of links to instructional design models. Includes links to Cognitive Flexibility Theory which I need to follow up on sometime. I still think that in practice the best model is a combination of approaches.
TWGA - Computer Platforms: Do Creatives Do Windows?
Welcome to Lyra Research; The Premier Source for Imaging Industry Advice and Insight.
includes OZ m-learning forums.
elearnspace. Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age
From the article "Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity. How people work and function is altered when new tools are utilized. The field of education has been slow to recognize both the impact of new learning tools and the environmental changes in what it means to learn. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era."
I always find George Siemens interesting. I this article he puts forward the point that behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism where all pre-networked learning theories. The learning theory of our current age is Connectivism, sort of networked learning that reminds me in many ways of mindmaps. He summaries the principles of connectivism as:
- Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
- Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
- Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
- Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
- Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
- Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
- Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
- Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.
It's interesting because I can see many of informal learning experiences over the last few years fitting in with them principles.
Techlearning > > Facilitation: the Anti-Lecture > December 1, 2004
What at great summary of online Facilitation, as the year is coming to an end I'm think more and more about what I want to change next year and one of the major thinks is the I want to focus on the social aspects of the class groups more.
The major points the article makes are :
The facilitator is a leader
Facilitation: the Anti-Lecture eg assistance and guidance
The Facilitator is Neutral eg try and not take sides
The Facilitator Builds Trust
The Facilitator Facilitates Communication prompt feedback is important
The Facilitator Fosters Social Interaction eg use introductions
The Facilitator Asks Questions - use open questions
Web Factory Mac os X servers.
ICO Corporate Internet - ASP.Net Web Hosting Australia
Cheap Hosting Brisbane - Windows - $AU12.50pm
Institute for Distributed Creativity (iDC)
From the site "The IDC is an international network with a participatory and flexible institutional structure that combines advanced creative production, research, events, and documentation. While the IDC makes appropriate use of emerging low-cost and free social software (ie. peer-to-peer technologies, blogs and mailing lists) it balances these activities with regular face-to-face meetings."
One of the project about new media arts teaching. This could be interesting to try and follow.
The Russell Brown Show - tipcs and techniques are great. Focus is on Photoshop.
From the site "NextDesign Leadership Institute was created as an experiment in innovation acceleration. "
time, time time, the journal has interesting bits and pieces I would like to read including an article on teaching innovation.
Learning Lab Denmark - Design's New Frontier
This is a really nice summary of current movements in thinking about design and the move from design products to designing experiences. At the end it includes a nice summary of the "players" in a creative team.
"The Generator - is very interested in starting up the project, and is very good at spotting opportunities and generating new ideas, but is also prone to leave before the job is done.
The Conceptualiser - is focused on putting ideas together and in understanding and outlining the problem. This person will be reluctant to take action before the problem and main thrust of the solution has been clearly defined.
The Optimiser - is very keen on transforming abstract ideas into action and specific plans. This person is generally most comfortable with just one well-defined solution, and is rather unwelcoming of ambiguities and multiple options."
%u2013 %u2018The Implementor%u2019 is focused on getting the job done. This person is very good at testing solutions in action and at making sure that projects are properly finished.
Adobe digital video primers inlcudes video, sound DV HD and Streaming Media info. - these could be good places to start to build summary cheat sheets from.
This is a really great summary of what goes wrong and great stuff about design project management.
lost in space | Mobile Movies One of Lost in Spaces entries in "Top Creators' Movie"
Dreamweaver MX Templates :: Book Support Site
From the site "the reason we wrote this book specifically targeted to Dreamweaver MX Templates, to alleviate that dazed and confused look that one might get trying to read the help files" - includes some online tutorials
Adobe Education: 2005 Adobe Design Achievement Awards - could be a good thing to encourage students to do next year.
"will be accepted from March 14, 2005, to April 29, 2005"
E-learning and assessment Clint Smith's learning design project website.