Week 2 #create5

#create5 Week Two

This week we are exploring our own creativity in more depth... to explore, experiment, play... and be confident in our own creativity.

Remix Challenge

We were asked to take a favorite poem or song and create a literary cut-up. This reminds me of the fridge magnets with random words that we rearrange into sayings or poetry.  I chose Feist's My Moon My Man, and came up with the following...

I kept hearing the song in my head as I was pulling lines out of the bag.  I was afraid I was too influenced by the original to come up with something that was my own creation.  I created an image in Photoshop instead of taping the printed lines, and then I still kept moving the lines around.  I'm not sure how close I am to the original song.  I'm not exactly sure what this says about me except that I wanted to "leave on a high note".  :)  Again it made me feel like it's difficult to come up with something original when I'm so heavily influenced by what I already know.  I couldn't help but think of my graduate research.  In a sense it seems like bringing in support from other researchers to support our own research is a remix.  We are taking existing articles conscientiously rearranging that information to support our arguments.  I could be way off on this, but that's just one thing that came to mind.

Create or Consume?

This was sort of a mashup challenge... we were supposed to take an idea or a passion and curate our findings with a tool like Pinterest.  Although I'm familiar with Pinterest, I've never actually used it, so that was the tool I picked.  I am finishing the restoration of a class motorcycle and decided to curate inspiration for more of a custom build.  Here's a link to the Pinterest board I came up with. Hopefully I did the link right.

I would give my own life to these images and videos by merely using them for inspiration.  Some may be for color, others for their exhuast, seat, or tank.  Some I would love to build as they are!  :)  But I think it shows curiosity to be creative on my own.  As I've worked on my DT restoration, my brother informed me that I have no vision because I kept the bike as close to stock as possible.  With my next bike, I'd like to pull various elements together to make something that is truly my own... stay curious right?

Copy, Combine & Transform

For this task, I used 90 seconds to come up with some words to describe the theme from my Pinterest board.  Then I created a six word phrase to explain the story.  The six words were  "Create an original motorcycle reflecting me."  Using Prezi, I created an illustration of this story.  You can view the Prezi here.  I'm not sure I've quite got the hang of this task, but I feel like by using the work of others I can create something new and original... whether it's a motorbike or an instructional module.  I may play a bit more with this idea to see if I can apply it to instructional design. :)  I also saw some cool projects done on the Google+ discussions and think I'll need to look into ThingLink and some of the other PowerPoint alternatives.

Remixing is Social Creativity

Remixing is about collaboration.  Engaging with others to build on ideas.
Unfortunately, I've not had time to finish out this module, and it doesn't look like I'll be able to finish the MOOC. :( Other obligations have gotten the best of me this summer.  That being said, I will take away from this experience the need to foster creativity.

New MOOC - Week One

5 Habits of Highly Creative Teachers

Who Stole Curiosity?

Although I have yet to step into a classroom as a teacher, as a designer of instruction, I think it's important for me to be aware of effective teaching methods.  As such I've enrolled in my second MOOC.  Unfortunately I've started behind already due to a hectic work and school schedule, but I'm still excited about the content and learning from my classmates.

We were asked to think about barriers and motivators of curiosity.  I think complacence and compliance get in the way of curiosity.  As children, I don’t necessarily think we need to be encouraged to be curious because everything is new and exciting and we're motivated to seek out as much information as we can and experience all that we can.  But as we grow, we’re required to comply and think of “correct” answers... we’re no longer encouraged to explore and discover or think outside the box.  Over time I think we forget how to look at things from a fresh perspective because we're consumed by having the right answers and afraid to look stupid when we don't.

I think to turn these barriers into motivators, we need to recognize that not all questions can be answered the same way.  Instead of requiring students to learn verbatim information for later regurgitation, we need to approach the content differently and provide opportunities for exploration and discovery.  I feel that intrinsic motivation is so much more important than extrinsic motivation.  According to a quote in Wiley's The Instructional Use of Learning Objects (2002), "If a student does not want to learn, she will not; Regardless of the quality of the instruction offered her. If a student wants to learn, she will find a way; Regardless of the quality of the instruction offered her" (p. 151).  I think this is because of curiosity and motivation.  Because we're curious, we'll seek out information for our own internal reward.  This is priceless for learning as students and as educators.  If we remain open to our own curiosity, we are lifelong learners and will be sensitive to fostering creativity in our students.  By doing so, we can get them to question material rather than passively accepting everything.  I think of Boyan Slat's asking why can't we clean up the mess of plastic in the ocean and tackling the issue from a different (and fresh) angle, which led to a viable solution.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ... Who am I really?

As a formal learner, I think I stopped asking questions and became a passive learner, just accepting information as is without much question.  I wanted to do well in school and in my professional life and it was my belief that conformity and compliance would get me there.  I think this became so ingrained in me that I stopped asking questions.  Because of this I think I tend to be more of a (.) passive learner; however, when I entered graduate school, I was encouraged to think critically so I've become more of a (?) curious learner since then.  In my personal hobbies I believe I'm a (?) curious learner, and I think that goes back to intrinsic motivation.  If I'm curious about something, I seek out that information and ask questions.

Five-by-Five

This week we were also tasked with creating a matrix for boosting our own curiosity as well as fostering it for others.  After brainstorming a bit, I came up with a few key words to remind me to boost my own creativity and try to provide opportunities for others to do the same.  I need to remember to allow myself time to explore, discover, experience, and play... to collaborate with others and take time to ask questions.  By creating a safe and trusting environment for students, hopefully they'll feel like they can explore without fear of being wrong.

Week One Wrap Up

From this week, I think I've learned to recognize that my own curiosity has been stifled, and I need to rekindle it.  By doing so, hopefully I can also recognize opportunities to incorporate curiosity and creativity into the instructional materials I create.