Course Index & Activities

Secured pages:

• Teacher Understanding Creativity - 4 Levels

• Create reflective space

• Universal traveler activities - Post to D2L Website for discussion

Special Links:

• D2L Logon Instructions

• TED - Technology, Entertainment, Design - Started out as a conference in 1984 and brings together a phenomenal group of original thinkers from all over the world to share new ideas, concerns, as well as innovations. Site includes many wonderful speeches by attendees. Listen to TEDTalks. Explore TED's archives. Are there presentations or speeches that moved you or gave you new perspectives?

Webquests and activities

 

Webquest #1 - Looking at the hyperlinks below and reflecting on the sample tests that you took in class, see what you think about tests of creativity. What do you think they are they actually measuring -- personality attributes, experiences growing up, problem solving abilities, mental agility?

 

Find 3-5 more tests that are supposed to measure attributes of creativity and see if you agree that they might be worth using. Why? why not? What do they measure? Are there checklists of observable traits that might serve as reasonably good indicators of creative behaviors in children? What did you find? Share these with your peers in the D2L display space.

 

Sample test online:

• Creativity and Innovation - Take the test of creativity, and then do the reflective assessment and see where you fall.

• More tests - Here are some more tests hotlinked in my site, but don't feel restricted to just use these.

Webquest #2

Here are some samples of websites linked off my creativity links page (see the link to the upper left).  Look at the sites below and answer the questions posed. Then, look at the array of sites linked off my pages as there are lots of topics and links to explore. Indeed, as the Internet is like a rabbit warren you may end up on a site I have not listed.

 

Find 4 more sites or connected information pages or articles that speak to you, or that offer you useful or helpful information in understanding creativity or creative people, or that help you devise classroom activities or create learning environments that nurture creativity.  Place these in the section marked Webquest #2 in D2L for your peer to explore. Make sure to offer an annotation as to why you chose this website and how you are going to use this information.

• Quizballs - Can any of these be adapted to the classroom? If so how?

• 4H Building Partnerships - Can you think of ways to use these ideas in your community?

• 6 Myths of Creativity - Looking at the list of myths, are there some that you believed before you read this material?

• BellaOnline - Looking at this site, are there ideas that draw you in or that you think can use in your classes? 

Projects - Conceptualizing your project:

 

If you don't have a definitive idea as to what you want to do for your personal project, then you may wish to use some of the following ideas and then a bit of brainstorming or personalized brainstorming to narrow the focus.

 

If you are stuck, then try asking yourself these questions.

• Is there something that you used to enjoy doing and you have lost track of it? Might you want to rekindle this talent or interest?

• Is there something that you started but never finished?

• Is there a craft you always wanted to learn?

• Is there a talent that you have that you always wanted to explore or develop more?

• Is there an area that you want to know more about how it is done, techniques, tricks, honing skills -- writing fiction, poetry, painting or drawing, throwing pottery, making trash art, being a make-up artist, a weaver, a carpenter, a sculptor, a juggler, a clown.

As you progress through your project, remember to post what is happening on the website. Upload pictures if you like, but make sure you keep peers appraised of how it is going to include your triumphs and frustrations.