Tuesday, November 23, 2010


Funky balloon creature--35 feet long!

Wild and Wacky Stuff

Ok. I just saw a demo of a man using his finger to copy a file (on a touch screen) and transfer it to another device simply by touching its touchscreen. So it's easier than Bluetooth. I touch a video on my iPhone, it copies the video to a "cloud", then when I touch your iPhone, it copies the video to your device. Wild.

Hmmmm

A question was asked in a panel discussion about whether we are more or less creative than our ancestors. Made me wonder, how do you measure creativity?

For some reason, I couldn't post from my iPhone during the conference, so I am pulling my comments from Facebook.

First one:

Statement I heard this morning: "Math needs to be more creative because it is difficult.". Interesting.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Creative education partnerships: anewdirection.org.uk
www.americansforthearts.org/go/artsindex
Personal creation is up: choirs, music lessons, art classes.
Attendance at performing arts, popular music concerts and arts museums all dropping (26 to 31 percent).
1,041 arts-related biz employ 6,434 in OKC. National Creativity Index available for Congressional Districts at Americans for the Arts web site.
National Arts Index: 1999 highest (105.4): 2009 lowest (97.5). Mirrors the business cycle. New non-profits orgs be created every 3 hours; one-third struggling.
What's treasured is measured. Metrics: WSJ measured red table wine sales, number of HS grads, NPR stations.
Global index: China No. 29 on competitiveness, No. 36 on Creativity. China exporting educated people who want a better place to live and work.
Global Creativity Index: Richard Florida. Measure cultural tolerance.
Creativity equals innovation equals competitiveness Global Competitiveness Index by World Econoic Forum has 12 measures. Doesn't measure culture/quality of life
Esec focus on problem identification. School supers focus on problem solving.
IBM: job interviews are focused on if a candidate can envision and anricipate problems.
National Creativity Index.Randy Cohen: tracking creativity effectiveness. SUNY Buffalo: intl Center for Studies in Creativity.

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting...

The Hartel Dance Group did a great performance to "Kung Fu Fighting" on the dance floor near the NSU booth. Very entertaining!
Microwind, solar panels, etc., can be metered separately in homes. In full deployment @ OGE. 165k out there; 1k each day. What will you do?
Lang: it isn't only corporations that will be innovative. Consumers are in control, too.
Killer apps over time: light bulb, wall socket. Newest: Smart grid standard for electricity. 5 million homes on line. Potential is $1.2 trillion savings.
So many different people from around the world have gathered here to learn about creativity. It is amazing!
Smart grid: wind power is important component. Creativity comes from customer participation. Abandoned top-down dictating. Education, price transparency works.
Smart grid: can't build a major nuclear or other power plant without having to import all parts from overseas.
Delaney: world's going electric with technology. TVs, devos consumption greater than fridges in US. 30 percent usage increase expected.
Delaney: electric supply demand growing while lowering emissions. World growth in demand is 60 percent by 2030. China building production in decade equal to US.
Silver Spring: Silicon Valley. Energy internat. Smartgrid provides carbon reduction that can equal 22 million cars. You can control energy use via laptop.
Peter Delaney, OGE; Scott Lang, Siver Spring Networks. Energy efficiency actions are international model.
What is creativity? To me, creativity is anything and everything you can think of. I think that having no limits to your ideas, no matter how big or small those ideas are.

Colorful Balloon Sculptures by Jason Hackenwerth









Balloon Sculptures were provided to the Creativity World Forum 2010 in Oklahoma City by artist Jason Hackenwerth out of New York City. Jason's work has been shown across the US in places like, The New Children's Museum in San Diego, Oklahoma City Arts Center, Harper College in Illinois, and Firehouse Gallery in Vermont, to name a few.

For more information on Jason Hackenwerth check out his site.

Impromptu Violin Performance



Kyle Dillingham is giving a great impromptu performance in the main lobby, outside of the Volunteer Registration area.

Check out his site here.

Panel

Poanel members discussing learning styles research. They are discussing how children learn in different ways. I wonder if they know that we have the learning styles institute at NSU and may be hosting the international learning styles organization at NSU?

Their conversation does reflect current thought but overall this is not new information. My dissertation in 1990 was on learning styles and preference for certain instructional approaches preferred by normal achieving and under achieving students.

The issue seems to be that we know what works but we haven't been able to implement what we know. At least not widely. Its in isolated pockets.

Which brings me back to yesterday's question about what policies, processes, and practices hinder us at NSU? Or anywhere for that matter?

Learning theory

Watching the pop up school presentation. Students from London. They demonstrated a mix of learning styles and multiple intelligence theories blended together to provide students a varied learning experience. Not new but now blended with technology so that schools can partner globally and share and learn from each other.
Pop up school engages all in teaching and learning switching roles throughout the interaction. Living a culture of learning,

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Creative Classroom Design

Here is a little video we captured today during one of the many sessions we participated with the attendees. The idea was for them to create the classroom/learning/creative thinking space they always wanted. This was a fairly simple one but we have had many more complex spaces. Many people chose outdoor spaces in the mountains, outside of a café or even in a cozy room with a fireplace and bookcases surrounding them where they could think deep thoughts…and maybe sip hot coco.


Hello NSU from the World Creativity Forum.

Photo Gallery

Just posted pictures in the Photo Gallery of NSU at WCF 2010.

policy forum

Session choices in the afternoon are all full. Standing room only. Policy development breakout right now. Discussion on schools and children and how they are affected by policy.

Mosaic Images Built on Photos Taken at CWF 2010




Stop by the Northeastern State University booth to see if you recognize anyone in the mosaic. You could be in it.
Devon oil president: creative shale fracturing reversed downward slope in US gas production. Were running out of ideas, not gas. Need innovative ideas.
T. Boone Pickens: sometimes creativity is shoved down your throat. Be creative or you won't be around.

Very inspiring talk by TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie


Blake is changing the world by giving one pair of shoes to children in need for each pair of his TOMS Shoes purchased.

Check out TOMS Shoes on the Web.

Toms shoes

Who is our next creator of such a movement?
I'm buying TOMS shoes. What a fabulous story of giving to others.

Past to present

Listening to speakers this morning takes me back to the work of progressive educators from early U.S. educational history to contemporary times. Removing barriers to creative thought and freeing up people to work with others to build our future is what we should be about at NSU.

Its past time to raise our expectations, remove structures and practices that restrict us, and focus on truly putting the needs of our students at our core.

Progressive education is alive

From Parker to Dewey to contemporary leaders advocating for the freeing of the mind and the removal of oppressive practices that limit human potential...progressive educators have never lost hope in transforming factory model schools into sites of creativity where we are free to explore, create, and achieve.

I am convinced that the realization of those ambitions is based upon our expectations. If we expect the best it happens. If we expect engagement it happens. If we expect NSU to be the center of democratic practice it will happen.

As we think so we become.

creativity forum thoughts

Great kick off event followed by progressive talks. Views on freeing up creativity by proactively building time into the work is right on target.

ᎦᏙ ᏧᏙᎢᏓ? What's in a name?

ᏦᎢ ᎢᏳᏟᎶᏓ ᏣᎳᎩ ᏗᎾᏕᏠᏆᏍᎩ ᏓᏃᏪᎵᏍᎬᎢ ᎤᏗᏍᏈᏍᏗ ᏧᏓᎴᏅᏓ ᏧᎾᏙᎢᏓ ᏣᏔᎩ ᎬᏗ. ᎣᏍᏓ ᎾᎾᏛᏁᎭ. ᏭᎵᏍᏈᏗᏴ ᏧᎾᏙᎢᏓ (ᎾᏂᏪᏍᎬ) - "Delisia" ᎠᎴ "Sollen." Three hours in and the Cherokee Program students have been writing a lot of different names in Cherokee. They're doing a great job. The most interesting names so far (as indicated by the students)- "Delisia" and "Sollen."
Listening to the Convergence Session I: Creativity Fueling the 21st Century Global Economy with Daniel Pink, Sir Ken Robinson, and David Pogue. They are sharing their insights on the importance of creativity and innovation in driving both our individual and societal growth.
The NSU booth rocks. Hard work of 24 persons. Really nice work, everyone.

Thriller start to the morning.



In flash mob style a dance group kicks off the morning before festivities begin at the World Creativity Forum here in OKC.

When you hear Thriller you know someone's going to be dancing.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Booth Looking Good

We have the booth looking good and the SmartBoard and software work great. Should be creating a lot of fun creative learning spaces.
Are a thousand photos worth a single picture? See the Seqouyah collage at the NSU booth.
Learn how students master the Cherokee language by observing a lesson module at the NSU booth.
Think you know your DNA? Or how to study for a test? Visit Dr. DeBanzie to learn how he uses podcasts and other technology to aid student learning.
Math, Music and pre-schoolers learning algebra. Try a lesson module at our NSU booth.
Take home a souvenir of having your name written in Cherokee by our NSU students. Three to a visitor so have your kids' name translated, too.
Bring your creativity and design the ideal learning space on our whiteboard. Classroom? Your personal space? Amenities? Draw and share on our blogspot.
NSU booth looks great. Stop by to see us on Tuesday and Wednesday for Cherokee calligraphy, Math and Music Connection, podcasts, whiteboard and freebies.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Just one week to the Creativity World Forum. NSU will be in Booth 201. Stop by to see how creative and innovative we are in the Cherokee Language, Biology Podcasts, Creative Learning Spaces, and Math & Music 3D education for pre-schoolers.