Creativity
Tools
Creativity Tools are “anything that allows a student to create or
produce something,” they help to inspire and empower students to
brainstorm, generate, and organize their ideas.
Creativity tools are much more than avenues by which information is
recalled by the student, they instead provide a framework by which individuals
begin to focus on higher level thinking skills.
The student moves up Bloom’s Taxonomy from simply memorizing information
to name, select, locate, and identify items (Remembering) to being able to
compare, differentiate, critique, assess, plan, and combine information in the production
of an original, unique product. This not only requires the student’s thorough
understanding of the subject matter but also taps into their originality and creativity
(Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating).
For my 3rd Tech
Play Assignment on creativity tools, I will be exploring several applications for Apple products since the district I'm currently employed with has spent millions of dollars developing mobile iPad labs for all of its middle and elementary schools as well as providing iPads for all high school students for their use throughout the school year. The applications I will be reviewing are iMovie, ComicBook!, and Science360; all are available through the Apple App Store for download.
iMovie: ($4.99, Rated for ages 4 and up)
*I’m
beginning with this particular because I’ve seen it used first hand in a 3rd
grade science class and the results were impressive.
This is an application from Apple
which allows teachers to create videos to introduce or support classroom
instruction and content delivery, videos which can then be accessed and
re-played by students whenever necessary to re-teach and review classroom
instructional material. Students can also produce their own videos, generate
their own stories, and show electronically their understanding of presented
materials and demonstrate their comprehension of concepts. Both the instructor and students can, through
this application, bring relevant topics from the out-side world into the
classroom by documenting and recording current events to then be shared with
the entire class or school if the material is deemed appropriate. These engaging, collaborative presentations
incorporate video, pictures, text, sounds, and music into a medium which can be
distributed through iCloud to all Apple devices or saved to a photo library,
iTunes, accessed through a classroom blog, shared directly on Facebook and
Vimeo, or even via YouTube using the Mac X YouTube application. This incredible application literally puts a
mobile movie studio into the hands on the student for pennies on the dollar,
excluding of course the initial cost of setting up a mobile lab. This technology incorporates cross-curricular
skills to construct video reports and classroom projects for their core
curriculum classes, book summaries or trailers for their reading class, as a
means, within a language arts class, to compare and contrast characters found
in classroom literature, as a tool to demonstrate the mathematical properties
of slope, surface area, volume, etc… as they apply to everyday items found
throughout the classroom/school, or even within a social studies class as a
means of discussing important/controversial historical issues and the student’s
views on their possible impact on today’s society (upper grade levels). The iMovies application provides a “digital age learning experience” which “facilitates and inspires students learning,
creativity, and innovation” in ways which regular classroom instruction
simply cannot (ISTE Standards, 2008). The
types of lessons made possible through this application would elevate classroom
instruction into the Advanced Tech, Level III found within the Texas STaR
Chart, specifically:
TL1. Teacher structures classroom
learning to student experiences based on inquiry and higher level thinking
processes using age appropriate graphics, animation, multimedia, and/or
video. Curriculum activities are
integrated with technology allowing all students to solve problems and make
decisions.
*I’ve
included the webpage below to an example of what a video made using the iMovie
application can look like.
This
particular video was produced by a 9 year old as an American History school
project on abolitionist…
I was blown
away, this is Truly Amazing!!!!!!
ComicBook!: ($2.99, Rated for ages 9 and up)
374 “stickers,” created
by artist Joanna Mulder, are also available for use within the pages of the
comic as well as eleven different caption tools to help capture the mood of the
piece.
*These are some examples of the “stickers”
available for use within the app.
The fonts are
adjustable according to theme, size, boldness, and color. 105 background layouts are provided to help
in the customization of the comic, some categories include: Vintage, Fun, and Classic photo portrait
layouts; and also, Classic, Modern, and Vintage style landscape layouts with
selectable aspect ratios of 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, and 16:9. Created works can be saved as a JPG or PDF
file and shared through a photo library, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or
even printed out for distribution. This
incredible application allows the student to produce their own high-quality
comics for pennies on the dollar, excluding of course the initial cost of
setting up a mobile lab. The ComicBook! application
takes advantage of the recent revival and interest in these tales of good
versus evil with characters many of us grew up with and a whole new generation
is learning to appreciate.
*Three of the top 10 highest grossing domestic
movies of all-time were based on comic book characters and many of the other
titles went on to be published in a comic format.
All Time North American Domestic Top 10 Movies
Note: These figures represent the total amount of money a movie has
taken domestically over the lifetime of the film since its' original release.
Rank
|
Year Released
|
Title
|
Domestic
Box Office |
International
Box Office |
Worldwide
Box Office |
1
|
2015
|
Star Wars Episode VII:
The Force Awakens
|
$936,662,225
|
$1,122,000,000
|
$2,058,662,225
|
2
|
2009
|
Avatar
|
$760,507,625
|
$2,023,411,357
|
$2,783,918,982
|
3
|
1997
|
Titanic
|
$658,672,302
|
$1,548,943,366
|
$2,207,615,668
|
4
|
2015
|
Jurassic World
|
$652,198,010
|
$1,018,130,015
|
$1,670,328,025
|
5
|
2012
|
The Avengers
|
$623,279,547
|
$896,200,000
|
$1,519,479,547
|
6
|
2008
|
The Dark Night
|
$533,345,358
|
$469,546,000
|
$1,002,891,358
|
7
|
2016
|
Finding Dory
|
$486,293,573
|
$536,436,170
|
$1,022,729,743
|
8
|
1999
|
Star Wars Episode I: The
Phantom Menace
|
$474,544,677
|
$552,500,000
|
$1,027,044,677
|
9
|
1977
|
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
|
$460,998,007
|
$325,600,000
|
$786,598,007
|
10
|
2015
|
Avengers: Age of Ultron
|
$459,005,868
|
$945,700,000
|
$1,404,705,868
|
*Information gathered from the website: The Numbers: Where Data and the Movie Business Meet. “Movie Box Office Records: All Time North American Domestic Top 10 Movies.”
Unfortunately,
many individuals maintain a less than favorable view of comics in general which
is truly unfortunate. Comics about
events in history can not only serve as the stimulus for engaged discussions in
a social studies class between the instructor and his or her students but also
within the student body itself. Cause
and effect relationships could be analyzed, across many core curriculum
classes, by delving into a comic book character’s origin story. Comics are a great way to inspire students to
plan, design, and write within a language arts class. Within a reading class, as a unit culminating
activity, students could be tasked with producing their own comic book story as
a follow-up to a book read and discussed in class. One such novel could be The Outsiders by S.E.
Hinton. Students could be given the
opportunity to work individually or collectively in small groups to first,
choose a surviving character from the book with whom they can relate to and
develop an original narrative taking place 10 years after the events of the
story. This would allow the students an
opportunity to write about what they wanted to write about and not what we as
educators think they should take away from the book. The use of the ComicBooks! application would empower
the students to take charge of their own learning from the literature, to gain
ownership by creating their own original artwork, making storyline decisions
based on their understanding of ideas and values presented within the book, and
providing supporting and vivid details within their original composition which
would never have see the written page given an average, run-of-the-mill, vanilla
writing assignment. These comics could then
be posted to the classroom website and shared with their classroom peers,
friends, and family. Students could even
be given the opportunity to critique each other’s work virtually, online.
I
really enjoyed learning about this app and reflecting on some of its possible
uses within the curriculum. Student engagement
is everything; excited learners take pride in what they are doing and I believe
the use of this technology could very well lead to great gains in student
planning and sequencing skills, their descriptive writing, use of punctuation, an
expanded vocabulary, and would very likely engage reluctant readers within the
class while allowing opportunities for the advanced pupil to extend these
activities to incorporate cross-curricular knowledge. The types of lessons made possible
through this application would elevate classroom instruction into the Advanced
Tech, Level III found within the Texas STaR Chart, specifically:
TL1. Teacher structures classroom
learning to student experiences based on inquiry and higher level thinking
processes using age appropriate graphics, animation, multimedia, and/or
video. Curriculum activities are
integrated with technology allowing all students to solve problems and make
decisions.
but also Target Tech,
Level IV of the Texas STaR Chart:
EP5. Teacher uses technology tools in
new ways where learning becomes more collaborative, interactive, and
customized. Teacher provides
opportunities for students to extend their learning with project-based, individualized
activities as the norm, resulting in increased student independence and
sophisticated products.
Science360: (Free, Rated for ages 4 and up)
This very well designed application developed by
the National Science Foundation for Apple which incorporates text, images, and
streaming videos covering an extensive range of news and information on current
topics in science, mathematics, and engineering. The high interest content will appeal to
science loving kids of all ages and is sharable through E-Mail, Facebook, and Twitter. Content is searchable through what the
developers call a “360 View” or key word search.
360
View Screenshot
Keyword Search Screenshot
Science360 allows users to bookmark favorite images, articles, and
videos so that they can be easily located at anytime. An in-app news feed option is also available for individuals wanting
to keep abreast of breaking reports on new scientific discoveries. The types of lessons made possible through this
application would elevate classroom instruction into the Developing Tech, Level
II found within the Texas STaR Chart, specifically:
EP5. Teacher
modifies instruction through the use of technology (e.g., Internet research to
locate contemporary sources, use of word processors for student writing and
editing, etc.)
*Although this is a very engaging, creative application
which I can see being an incredible addition to any classroom for teachers and
students alike, there is no avenue by which students can “create and/or
produce something” and it is for this reason that I do not think it should
be included in a discussion of creativity tools.
REFERENCES:
Standards, ISTE. (2008). ISTE Standards for Teachers & Students.
Retrieved December 3, 2016, from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards
Staff, Teach Thought. (2013,
April 7). 14 Bloom’s Taxonomy Posters for
Teachers. Retrieved December 3,
2016, from http://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/blooms-taxonomy/14-brilliant-blooms-taxonomy-posters-for-teachers/
Texas STaR Chart. (2006).
Retrieved December 3, 2016, from https://www.txstarchart.org/
The Numbers: Where Data and
the Movie Business Meet. “Movie Box
Office Records: All Time North American Domestic Top 10 Movies.” Retrieved
December 3, 2016, from http://the-numbers.com/movie/records/
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