the Creative Sight

Ladies and gentlemen I'd like to talk to you about a very serious issue in our classrooms and offices today -- bullying, and how it affects brainstorming sessions. "You can't do this.", "That's terrible.", "That will never work.", "You're a failure.", "Just quit now.", "You'll never get this done.", "That's the dumbest idea ever!", "That's so stupid! ". Phrases like these are heard every day during ideation and brainstorming sessions. They're mean, hurtful things and are never productive toward accomplishing goals. They tear down confidence and crush any opportunity for true creativity. People become afraid to toss out ideas. Sometimes it gets so bad they shut down and become afraid to speak out at all. This is what happens when creative bullies are allowed into a brainstorming session. One easy solution would be just to "not invite the bully" to the session...

Educators, if you're looking for a quick, fun game for your class that also serves to help everyone see things differently, more creatively , then try this "FUNctionality" activity. This is a game I developed with the help of my students the latter part of the year. It's been through a few iterations already and I present it in its most recent, and balanced, version. Before we begin, let me ask you this, how could you use the object in the image shown below? For most people, a single purpose comes to mind and I'll go out on a limb and assume that I don't have to describe it. However, for students playing our game, this object spawned a wide range of uses that included, cleaning up spills, writing messages, drawing circles, dressing up as a mummy, measuring the length of something and stuffing a pillow or stuffed animal. The Setup This little game doesn't take much, just literally the things you have around your classroom, and a stopwatch (you can...

This is it, week 9 -- "Presentation Week" for Genius Hour! Students have spent the past 8 weeks learning and creating things they are passionate about. They've watched YouTube videos, followed countless tutorials and experimented on their own. They've witnessed amazing successes and spectacular failures, learning invaluable lessons from both. So, without further delay, let's get to the good stuff: the students. In the end, there were so many amazing presentations about such a diverse range of topics that there's no way I could cover them all. Instead, let's review some of the more unique projects, the surprises, and the "big wins". Three, Two, One...ACTION! To kick things off, I'll once again defer to the students and let them tell you about Genius Hour in their own words. Zack wanted to learn about cinematography so he decided to create a video about...well...Genius Hour. He learned how to operate his personal camera better when ...

For week 5, I wanted to give everyone a glimpse at the state of a few random projects. Who better to give an update on projects that have been created and run by students, than the students themselves. So, without further delay, take a look at the following videos and let the students tell you how things are going. In Their Own Words The Music Group Take a look at this first group of students, who are writing and recording their own original music. They're learning about Garage Band, rhythm, everything it takes to produce a music album, and even a little bit about each other.  A&A Design This dynamic duo of design students are creating an interior design company, complete with their own logo. I think the website and company identity they've created are better than a lot of "professional" companies I've seen. Cheese Keep and eye on this guy. I predict he'll be the chef of his own restaurant before he's 30. From his viewpoint, he st...

Day two of "Genius Hour" is in the books, and what a day it has been! I began class with the request that I wanted the students to "Show me something." I wanted to see a first iteration of what they were building, learning or creating. I clarified that it might be rough, it might be ugly, it might be simple but I wanted to see where they were by the end of the class. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect, and from the standpoint of a teacher, that can be extremely unnerving. I have around 150 students , tackling around 130 projects that they have created. They're managing the projects, setting the goals and running them all by themselves. The only deadline I provided was a presentation of what they had accomplished, which is currently seven weeks away. My goal for today was to check on their progress, provide minor course corrections, and most of all, provide encouragement and praise .  That last part was the most important; It was also the easiest...

If I asked you what part of your body do you see with? Most would answer with, "My eyes." (duh). What if I were to tell you that answer is only partially right.  What if I were to tell you that you could see better? No, I don't mean you can throw away your glasses. I mean you're capable of seeing in a different way (no glasses required). The Purpose of This Blog I created this blog because I believe "creativity" is a very misunderstood term. Usually, "creativity" is reserved as a label of those in the artistic world "who can draw, paint, or sculpt". People like Michelangelo, Van Gogh, or that kid in your high school art class (you know the one), that kid that could draw anything, and it always looked so incredible it made you sick. Some people might even broaden the scope a little larger and include individuals "who invent things". They may throw out names like Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, or my favorite, Angus MacGyve...