I have enjoyed taking some time away from social media and connecting with family and friends. The more I get involved in the “online world”, the more I appreciate my time away from it. That being said, this graphic from Royan Lee says it all to me.
1. 7 Deadly Sins of Creativity – Innovation and creativity are two words that seem to go hand-in-hand to me, so when I came across this blog post, I thought that it had some fantastic ideas. I loved this quote that was shared:
Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. – Franklin D. Roosevelt
In this post, the authors go over the things that stifle creativity, while also discussing how you can conquer these ideas. Here is an example:
Lack of passion and enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm is the lifeblood of creativity. Creativity blossoms when you are passionate and enthusiastic about what you are doing. It’s extremely difficult topioneer creative solutions for things you have absolutely no interest in. When your mind is stimulated by curiosity and a fundamental interest in the subject matter, your creativity and motivation will automatically accelerate.
2. Questions about curriculum… – Edna Sackson has long been one of my favourite bloggers and this post definitely helps to guide questions in not only how you build a classroom, but also a school. These types of questions are imperative to growth of ourselves as educators and our schools as a whole. Here are some of the questions that Edna asks:
What are your beliefs about learning? Do they coincide with ours?
Did you know that a curriculum should not be static, but constantly revisited and updated to be current, relevant and promote authentic learning?
Do you think a curriculum has to be a set of books with prescriptive instructions for teachers?
Are you aware that workbooks do not usually foster meaningful learning?
Read the entire post to really get the entire idea of some of the powerful questions Edna asks of educators.
3. Zeitgest: 2011 Year in Review – As the year closes, I loved this video as it would be a great opportunity to discuss world events and how they effect our own communities. What are some of the questions that this type of video can spark? I love the easy access we have to these types of videos and events in our world; it really shows me how important it is that we bring this learning into our classroom every single day.
4. Although the below video is not necessarily focused on education or pedagogy, it is something that I loved and watched about 100 times last week. When I see amazing dance videos like this, I think of this amazing Chris Andersen Ted Talk where he talks about the power of video to drive innovation in our world. Would you see dance like this 10 or even 5 years ago? How many have learned this dance since the video has been released?
I hope all of you are having an amazing holiday season and I wish you all of the best going into the new year!
