Great Question Asked

Reflection:

This video raises a great question. How do children remain an artist once they grow up? How does this happen if children are being educated out of their creative capacities. There are environments that can enhance creativity while there are environments that can also weaken it as well. Being put in an environment to create art is a practice that will enhance creativity. It enhances creativity because it not only connects us to ideas and it also transforms hearts.

I believe art can connect us to other ideas. I can personally remember taking an art class. I was one who always felt that I could not draw at all. But after taking this particular art class, I realized that I can draw, I just need guidance and time and practice. My teacher taught me simple techniques that I can do to make a painting look vivid as opposed to plain and dull. After teaching these techniques, I was given a project to do a painting on my own! I have to admit, I was nervous. However, the painting came out so beautifully. I couldn’t believe my own self! Not only was this painting on my wall for years, it led to the connection of other great ideas!

Bibliography:  Raising Creativity (part 1/5): Rationale ." You Tube. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. <http://youtu.be/GxYUBM0efso>.

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See Difficulties as Opportunities

Reflection: 

A great professor by the name of Carol Yeager once asked, “do you see difficulties as a problem or as a challenge?” My answer is, I used to see difficulties as a problem but now I seem them as an opportunity. According to Roya R. Rad, who wrote an article entitled “10 Characteristics of Good Problem Solvers”, good problem solvers “go beyond their own conditioning”. My conditioning was to automatically see difficulties as a problem. I was prone to ask myself “why did this happen to me?” or say to myself, “this isn’t fair”. However, this way of thinking did not help me at all. It left in a place of being unproductive. More and more as life goes on I realized that difficulties occur all the time to everyone, not just me. I also realized that some people are better able to handle difficulties more than others. I thought to my self, “why is that?” Well, there is saying that says “if you ask, you shall receive”. I surely did receive the answer from listening to many great people, one of them being a motivational speaker by the name of  Jim Rohn. He once said “you cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you change yourself”. This statement opened me up to realizing that I can change how I react towards difficulties. I can look at them as opportunities to grow. Instead of saying “why me”?, I can say “what can I do about this?” Too many times difficulties stop great things from happening. For instance, difficulties can lead to a friendship to being sour, especially if viewing it as a problem, that you may not want to deal with.  However, if one looks at this difficulty as an opportunity, most likely they will think of the best approach to it. This can result in a friendship being stronger as opposed to it ending. 

Bibliography:

MA, PsyD, Roya. "10 Characteristics of Good Problem Solvers." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roya-r-rad-ma-psyd/problem-solving_b_4302935.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false>.

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Students and Creativity

There are many reasons why students are not as creative. And yet there are many actions that can be taken to help them to be.

Here are some reasons why students are not as creative as they used to be:
- The No Child Left Behind program prohibits students from being creative because it leads them to focus on test scores as a oppose to thinking outside the box and being creative. Focusing on getting a better test score doesn't necessarily mean you are creative, it just means you have been studying hard for a test.

- Students believe that they will be successful in school if they can only have similar answers to teachers. This doesn't help a student to create, because this concept doesn't expand their mind.


Here are something's that can be done to change this:

-Encouraging kids to "pretend" helps them to be more creative.

-If teachers anticipate unexpected answers from students, it will provoke students to be more creative.

To add to this article, there are many things that can help a students be more creative such as creating plays and role playing and  taking classes classes that are not offered in many schools such as money management, knitting, crafting, painting and etc.

Bibliography:

"Are Today's Youth Less Creative & Imaginative?." msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44121819/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/are-todays-youth-less-creative-imaginative/?fb_ref=.TlaScMsLuZ9.like&fb_source=home_


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Cognitive Biases

Cognitive biases have an affect within our creativity whether we know it or not. After viewing a list of different cognitive biases, I was able to pinpoint which ones I have experienced in the past. In this blog I would like to share my experience as well as what I can do to avoid experiencing these cognitive biases in the future. The five biases I have experienced are the hindsight bias, the information bias, the status quo bias, the verbatim effect, and the Zeigarnik effect.

The hindsight bias is when a person is predictable about present experiences. For instance, I work in an office setting. My co-worker starts hers shift at ( am but every morning I predict that she will be at work a little after 10am. I predict this because everyday for the past 4 months, she has come in at that time. I could avoid this cognitive bias by thinking she will come in a little after 10 am. I can decide to no longer have a prediction and to change my perspective.

The information bias is when a person becomes fond of getting information even though they may not be affected by it. Sometimes I find myself yearning to know more information even though it may not help me in what I need to do. For instance, I once found myself looking up information in regards to going to school for engineering. I don’t want to become an engineer, but was seeking to simple find the information on it. I can avoid this by not being so curious of information that won’t help me.

The status quo bias has to do with one wanting things to stay the same. I have experienced this many times. For instance, there is a Thai restaurant that I love to go to. However, every time I go, I order the same meal because I know that it will taste good every time. Instead of having things remain relatively the same, I can choose a different dish from the menu next time and hopefully it will taste just as good or even better.

The verbatim effect is when someone remembers the “gist of what another person said as opposed to what they exactly said. I have done this many times to people. Because I am a straightforward person, I like to get to the point in conversation. This has led me to listen for “the point” during conversations rather than listen to what is being said verbatim.  To change this, I can listen to people by hearing exactly what they are saying and not rush them mentally to get the “gist” of what is being said.

The Zeigarnik effect is when a person focuses more on uncompleted tasks, rather than the completed ones. I tend to do this often, especially when it comes to school work. I would constantly remember what needs to be done and give all my attention towards that. This can be frustrating and overwhelming at times. However, can I can do going forward, I can embrace and appreciate the work that I have done and then look at the next step of what need to be completed. 

What cognitive biases have you experienced?

Bibliography: List of cognitive biases. (2013, October 31). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

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Take the Risk

Reflection: After reading this article, two main things that stood out to me is to take risks and to have faith. Even though many other countries may be more advanced than the United States, what they lack is the ability to take risks. Steve Jobs was an incredible innovator because he was able to take risks and have faith. Jobs stated “sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith”. He was fired from Apple which was a hard hit. However, when he was rehired, he was able to accomplish a lot more. This article certainly has me thinking about what else can be created if we all take more risks and have more faith. I believe the traditional mindset of “playing it safe” has to be first erased to move into the direction of creating, innovating, and taking risks.

Bibliography: LOHR, STEVE. "Reaping the Rewards 0f Risk-Taking." N.p., Aug. 2011. Web.

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Three Kinds of Creativity (Week 7)

Blog #1

Reflection: Creativity is a subject that is constantly being developed. It amazes me that people were able to create more with less compared to the creativity progress now during the 21^st century. Today we have more information and materials available to us and yet there is “only a small incremental change over past practices, rather then large leaps”, as stated in the article. For example, having access to encyclopedia and than having access to the internet through the use of computers was a large leap. Today, the incremental changes consist of the shift from having a cord connected to a mouse of a computer to having a cordless mouse. Though there has been small changes made, it still does not take away from how important these changes have been.

On another note, this article taught me that there are three different kinds of creativity, which are technology, economic, and cultural and artistic creativity.

 I particularly am fond of cultural and artistic creativity the most. Cultural and artistic creativity is about coming up with a new way of thinking about anything including pictures, designs, and much more. To me this can also include quotes since they help you see life from a different perspective. For instance, the following quotes I took note of a while back made me think of things in a new way:

“The value you put on people is completely related to the value you see in your self.”

“Where there is uniqueness there is no competition.”

“If your presence doesn’t make an impact, your absence won’t make a difference.”

Bibliography: Creativity – the economy's key ingredient. (2013, October 25). artsHub Australia. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://www.artshub.com.au/news-article/opinions/arts/creativity-the-economys-key-ingredient-186030

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What Do Creative People Look Like? (Week 6)

When I read the title, “What Do Creative People Look Like?” , my thought was “yea, what do creative people look like?”  I saw several faces but the one that intrigued me the most was Alisa Weilerstein because, we is a women in her 20’s and she lives in New York.  The most creative thing from the video to me was the fact that her first cello was made out of a cereal box.  This shows me that imagination can bring you anywhere. This also shows me that creativity can definitely be taught. Though Alisa comes from a family that has a background of arts, she learned, studied and practiced how to play the cello for many years.

Bibliography:

"Alisa Weilerstein — MacArthur Foundation." MacArthur Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. http://www.macfound.org/fellows/21/.

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"Design Thinking" (Week 6)

The truth is we all have the ability to innovate, we just have to exercise that ability. The ability to innovate can be done through several techniques where students “define the problem themselves through research and direct observation”. What I personally love learning about this concept is that students are given room to fail. In a traditional school setting, students are not looked at in a well manner if they fail. In this case, failing and taking risks are promoted to entice students to administer “design thinking” as David Kelly would say.

To add to this article, this school can even reach out to other people who have great ideas but don’t necessarily know how to expand on those ideas. Once the class expands their idea, it can be made into a company that can potentially give back to the school to help more people.

Bibliography:

"Innovation 101: Stanford's d.school Teaches Students to Be Creative - WSJ.com." The Wall Street Journal - Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News & Video - Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970204831304576596703319827740

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Google Hangout Recap Blog (Week 6)

Although everyone was unable to attend the Google Hangout today, it went pretty well. Bonnie and I were the only two on. We discussed what the class experience was like for us so far. We talked about the blogs we created as well. What interested me the most was our discussion on how this class has led us to be more open-minded. For instance, before this class, I didn’t think forgiveness had anything to do with creativity, but it does. We are looking forward to know what other great things this class will lead us to.

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Can Forgiveness Affect Your Creativity?

Title: Can Forgiveness Affect Your Creativity?

Reflection on: A Brain on Forgiveness (Week 5)

This article has taught me several things. First off, I had no idea where in the brain  hard disappointments were stored. They are stored in the brain’s basal ganglia, which can cause you to be bitter, and even confine you from being well within similar experiences in the future. Since stress and disappointments are stored into your brain, you can replay them over and over in your mind, which does not do you any good. This is where forgiveness comes into play. Forgiveness allows your brain to be able to move forward so that you won’t be stuck on that particular situation. After reading this article I have learned that forgiveness is much bigger than making peace with the other person who has hurt you. It is about your own well being as well.

In addition to this article that I found to be quite interesting, I found a YouTube video that goes into a deeper realization of  what forgiveness really is. After watching this video, I truly believe not forgiving someone can stop you from being creative. Please share with me if you believe the same or if you think differently.

You Tube video: http://youtu.be/Rwcp_oEIwnU

Bibliography:

A Brain on Forgiveness – Brain Leaders and Learners. (n.d.). Brain Leaders and Learners. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from http://www.brainleadersandlearners.com/amygdala/a-brain-on-forgiveness/

Oprah's Forgiveness Aha! Moment - Oprah's Lifeclass - Oprah Winfrey Network - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from http://youtu.be/Rwcp_oEIwnU

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Transliteracy.... A Skill?

Reflection: There are some things in life that has to change, including being transliterate. Transliteracy is a term that even some libraries are unfamiliar with. Transliteracy is about combing text literacy, visual literacy and digital literacy to see their relations to one another and to see how they interact with one another. Transliteracy is about dissecting the relationship between technology and people. The article “Introducing Transliteracy”, written by Tom Ipri, raises a good question of whether transliteracy should be “set in stone” as a skill. In my opinion, it should be because soon people will not be able to function properly without it in society. Eventually, everyone will have to learn this “skill” in order to be productive. How much of this will be teachable, I believe all depends on the different levels of transliteracy there will be. Just as there are different grade levels of literacy, the basics is what should be taught, which is where the libraries would come into play. However, there won’t be a way to fully be aware of this, until, transliteracy becomes more developed.

Bibliography :  Ipri, T. (n.d.). Introducing transliteracy . College & Research Libraries News . Retrieved October 7, 2013, from http://crln.acrl.org/content/71/10/532.full

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The Best Timing is Now

Title:  The Best Timing is Now

Reflection On:  Libraries and Transliteracy

The video states that “soon people will need to be transliterate in order to be involved in and contribute to society”. I agree with this statement. Libraries should offer some sort of program or service that will help everyone to be equipped with not just being literate, but also transliterate. People need to be aware of how maneuver through different websites and how to pay a bill online because, later on we more than likely will not have any other choice. I truly believe that the best time of obtaining this knowledge is now since everything has not fully switched over as of yet.

Bibliography:

Libraries and Transliteracy - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved September 30, 2013, from http://youtu.be/sk4Cw8vrDuM

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How Can I....?

Title:  How Can I?

Reading Reflection On: The Real Value of Confusion

What I like about this article is that it allows you to look at confusion from a different perspective. Instead of looking at confusion in a negative manner, you can look at how confusion can be used to your advantage. Also, an important point the article points out is if other people have gone through confusion, pushed through it, and has had major successes in life, then why not you?

What intrigued me the most from the article were the seven steps shared in reference to going beyond the stage of confusion. Step number five states to “reframe your problem, starting with the words “how can I?” This is great question to ask yourself because it takes you out of your comfort zone and brings you to a place of possibilities. 

Bibliography: Ditkoff, M. (n.d.). The Heart of Innovation: The Real Value of Confusion. Creativity, Innovation, Team Building, Leadership, Brainstorming, Idea Champions. Retrieved September 27, 2013, from http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2013/09/the_value_of_co_1.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheHeartOfInnovati

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Come in with a Positive Mindset #CMC11

Week 3 – Title:  Come in with a Positive Mindset

Reading Reflection On: “How to Participate In An Open Online Course”

 

First off this article has been such a relief in terms of having a better understanding of how to go about this course. For those who feel they don’t quite know what to do or where to start, this article can certainly put them to ease. The steps mentioned of how to participate in MOOC are critical and helpful. Step number seven states to “fix what’s missing” and that is what sticks out to me the most. I am fond of this step because although MOOC is a great new way to learn, there is always room to improve. In the long run, fixing what’s missing will pave a better path for future students.

With that said, what I believe is missing is having the proper mindset from the very beginning of the course. In my opinion, it’s important to not only understand how different this course is from the average course one would take, but it’s also important to come into the course with a positive mindset. Because this course can feel frustrating and overwhelming in the beginning, one can easily think negative. However, I believe articles such as “How to Participate In An Open Online Course” and YouTube videos such as “What is a MOOC?” (http://youtu.be/eW3gMGqcZQc)  or  video on how to “Change Negative Feelings! [and] Build Positive Thoughts!” (http://youtu.be/hwFgy7nC1Mg) can help to ease any frustration and helps one to roll up their sleeves and work in confidence especially since this is not a traditional way of learning.

Bibliography:

Rather Random | How to participate in an open online course. (n.d.). Rather Random. Retrieved September 23, 2013, from http://gsiemens.tumblr.com/post/10153633521/how-to-participate-in-an-open-online-course

 

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Teachers Needed or Not Needed?

Week 2 – Title: Teachers Needed or Not Needed?

Reading Reflection On: Connectivism: Questioning the Role of the Teacher?

 

The article raises a good point in reference to the roles of a teacher. The question, " if technology is to point where students can access information at any time, then what facts, skills, or "big ideas", truly need to be taught under supervision of a teacher?", was asked in the article.
I believe no matter how much information students have access to through technology, the supervision of teachers is important. If there is no type of supervision, students can say that they have learned what they need to know and there would be no kind way to verify what they have learned.  For instance, during the time I was taking an independent study, I was asked to describe the meaning of a pacifist. I had mentioned that a pacifist is someone who seeks for peace within the society. The professor than asked me "if that is the case, how come some people who seek for peace are known such as Bayard Rustin, while others are not?" I was not sure of how to answer that question, even after seeking for the answer through the internet. Thankfully the professor was able to guide me to the correct answer. He was able to stretch my mind, he was able to challenge my responses, and he was also able to share information based on his  past experiences, all of which cannot not done in a guaranteed manner through technology.

 

Bibliography:

Connectivism: Questioning the role of the teacher in a connected world | mrbrenlea. (n.d.). mrbrenlea | A space for my COETAIL work.. Retrieved September 17, 2013, from http://mrbrenlea.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/connectivism

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Connected Whole

Week 2 – Title:  Connected Whole

Reading Reflection On: “Access Future” Steven Downes

 

Steven Downes’ booklet “Access Future” has really great information that can help anyone make better decisions in life. One of the things that I have learned from the booklet is to learn things not in isolation but to learn things to see how they relate to one another or to see what patterns are being formed from the things you are already familiar with. For example, when I first learned to cook, my main concern was how to do I remember what to do for each meal. I then realized that there was a pattern when it comes to cooking. For instance, when cooking any type of meat I go through the same three steps which are to clean the meat, season the meat, and then cook the meat. In other words I follow the same patterns when it comes to cooking beef, turkey, or chicken. Learning this helped me realize that with anything you want to accomplish in life, you have to go through several steps beforehand. If you want to exercise, you have to eat healthy and warm up. If you want to go out for dinner, you have to shower, and get dressed. If you want a college degree, you have to take courses and study. Anything you want to do in life has several steps for you follow before reaching the actual goal you have in mind.  This is one out of many patterns that exists in life. Overall, learning things as a “connected whole” rather than an “unconnected part” as Downes would say has been such an eye opener, especially since I have always  thought  the best thing to do in life is to learn as much “unconnected parts” as possible.

Bibliography:

Downes, S. (n.d.). Access:: Future Practical Advice on How to Learn and What to Learn. Access::Future. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from www.cdlprojects.com/cmc11blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/AccessFuture.pdf

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It’s All about the Connection!

Week 2 –Title:  It’s All about the Connection!

Reading Reflection On: Seven Habits of Highly Connected People by Steven Downes

I enjoyed reading “Seven Habits of Highly Connected People”, written by Steven Downes. I learned several things from that article. First off, I used to think posting anything online is about sharing my viewpoints. However, from my understanding, posting is about connecting. It’s about drawing a link between what you wrote and what the other person wrote. I have also learned that it’s about adding value and thinking about ways that you can give instead of constantly thinking about “what’s in it for me?”. In the article, Downes mentioned that if your software failed to download correctly, instead of just picking up the phone and calling customer service, you can take the extra step by going online to find out what other people have done as a result of the same error message you received. If you still need help, call customer service. To take it a step further, after you have spoken to customer service and the issue has been solved, my advice is you can even add additional information online, explaining what worked for you. You can also share the number you called along with the name of the person who helped you.

Another thing I learned from this article is that sharing “increases your marketability”. I have found this to be true, especially from a friend that I have on Facebook. He is a dating coach. He is coming out with a book on dating in the near future. Every day he makes a post on Facebook sharing helpful tips that can help your love relationship in a tremendous way. He gives just enough information that keeps you interested in knowing more and then at the end of each post, he states “more information will be in the book”. This is a prime example of how sharing will increase your marketability. This strategy can be used in anything, whether you are marketing yourself or a product.

 

Bibliography:

18, S. D., & 2008. (n.d.). Seven Habits of Highly Connected People ~ Stephen's Web. Stephen's Web ~ Stephen's Web. Retrieved September 17, 2013, from http://www.downes.ca/post/44261

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Linear vs. Non- Linear

Linear vs. Non- Linear

Reflection: 

      I absolutely loved reading the article "Can Creativity Be Taught?", written by August Turak. My boyfriend recently told me that  "you can not always follow what society tells you to do in a step by step format. Sometimes you have to step outside the box". After hearing this, I thought to myself, "well what is wrong with following a step by step formula". This article has made that answer quite evident.  From reading this article, I was able to distinguish the differences between being linear and non-linear.  Being  a linear person is about thinking in a narrow way and sticking to what is safe. For instance, the article mentioned that companies such as WordPefect  was linear becasue their focus was just on "producing the best stand-alone spreadsheet". On the other hand, non-linear is about thinking outside the box, which is what Microsoft did when they implemented not just the best spreadsheets, but also emails, word processing and much more.  

     In other words linear thinking does not bring you as far as non-linear thinking does. Non-linear thinking is what  attracts creativity. To conclude, I have learned from this article that I can be more "non-linear thinking" by going the extra mile. Because I have been taught to think in a linear way, I have to consciously become non-linear. I can do this by constantly asking myself "how can I go further?, or "what can I do to go the extra mile?" or "what can I do that would be considered living outside the box?"

Bibliography : 

Turak, A. T. (n.d.). Can Creativity Be Taught? - Forbes. Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/augustturak/2011/05/22/can-creativity-be-taught/#!

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Internet Usage

Reflection:

Because so many people have access to the internet, it has completely changed our society. The internet has it's advantages such as the ability for people to learn more or the opportunity to emphasis the viewpoints on democracy. It also has it's disadvantages such as people watching porn or using the internet to track down others just to protect their own leaders. After watching this video, I have come to the conclusion that everything has a positive effect and a negative effect. If the issue of porn or the issue of tracking down others were to stop, I believe another negative issue would arise, because I have learned that nothing could be 100% perfect.

Bibliography : 

RSA Animate - The Internet in Society: Empowering or Censoring Citizens? - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved September 11, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk8x3V-sUgU&NR=1&feature=fvwp

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Why is creativity important?

Reflection: 

After reading the article entitled, "Creativity, Innovation and Arts Learning", I understood how important creativity is. As a student in junior high school and high school, I thought of my art and music classes as an escape from reading, writing, math, and science. At the time, it was like a mental getaway to help regroup myself to learn more of the boring subjects like calculus and biology. However, now I have realized that it's more than just a mental getaway. It's more than just a introduction to students who may want to go further into the arts or music. It's actually the key to a successful global economy. Our economy  would not be as successful if students were not taught to develop themselves through creativity.

Without the continuation of creativity, I believe more people in society would be depressed. This is because most people love new things, such as new shoes, new hairstyle,new bag,new phone,new laptop,new apartment and etc. Without new creativity people would have the same shows for years, the same phone for years, and the same apartment for years. These things can be repaired, however it would only be a matter of time before needing a new one. Because of this, schools should be notified of such information before they think about cutting off art and music classes as a result of budget cuts.

Bibliography :

Ruppert, S. S. (2010, February 3). Creativity, Innovation and Arts Learning. Arts Education Partnership. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from www.cdlprojects.com/cmc11blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Creativity_Commentary_02-03-10.pdf


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