(u05a1) Blog on Content Creation

For this week's assignment, I was to:

Have a discussion with one or more of your students about the role of creativity in the classroom. What do they really value currently and/or what would they change about their learning environment when it comes to digital media and technology supporting creativity?  Post a blog entry that presents the findings from your discussion.

I am currently not teaching, so for this blog entry, I interviewed my kids.  My daughter is in grade eight and my son is in grade four.  I asked them the following questions.

What does the word “creative” mean to you?


You express yourself in a way that makes you feel good.  It means to be passionate

Can you give an example of when you are allowed to be creative in school?  Describe it?


I am allowed to be creative in art (sometimes – it depends on the teacher)
We aren’t allowed to be creative.  The teachers tell us what to do, how to do it, and say "do not mess it up."  Science is one area where we are going to make “edible” cells. 

Was digital media and technology involved?


Powerpoint is the first word that they both identified involving digital media/technology.

What would you change in your learning environment that would help you be creative?  When asked about changing their learning environment involving digital media, I prompted them with the idea of making movies as a way to be creative.


The teachers have to be creative too, not just the students.  Everyone has to participate equally to be a success.  School needs to be more creative.
School needs to be less boring.  They could give you more choices

In the two schools that my kids attend, I have seen an increase in the use of digital media and technology.  I think how they answer is dependent on whether or not they have had the ground breaking teachers who feel comfortable with using technology.  It is definitely not in the “mainstream” of all teachers practice and pedagogy.  As I reflect on their answers, I think they have not had enough exposure to digital media and technology in the classroom that would allow them to understand and see the possibilities of being creative using digital media.  I showed my daughter an example of a "glog."  She thought it was a cool idea and thought it would be better than just using powerpoint and google docs as a way to present information.  I think that teachers need to engage students in "creative" projects whether they use digital media or not.  Web 2.0 tools such as glogster provide an easy platform for students to be creative, if the technology is available.