CONTENT CREATION

and

CREATIVITY in the CLASSROOM

Coming back from Easter Break with only one day to really talk to students, I had a hard time with this assignment.  I did, however, have two in-service days during which I talked with several teachers in my wing of the building about how they incorporate creativity into the classroom.

Out of fifteen co-workers that I talked with, only two used digital media for more than a testing base (Study Island) or the occasional movie (Discovery Ed).

The remaining teachers try to incorporate creativity in the forms of posters, small skits, presentations and the occasional Power Point.  Only three teachers had ever even heard of "Wordle", and eight actually felt that students spent too much time with electronics as it was.

Depressing.

When I talked with students about being creative in the classroom, most felt that many of the teachers at our school would not know how to make an assignment (or lecture) creative if it bit them... and those that do know how to be creative are the favorites of almost everyone...

When we discussed how to make both the standard classroom, as well as the day-to-day assignments and major projects more interesting, most agreed that some form of computer-based assignment would not only be more enjoyable, but would also make them put more effort into the project with less threats (grades) and wheedling from the teacher to get the job done.

When prompted to give examples of projects that would meet these criteria, creating blogs, Wordle posters, and mini-films were among the more enthusiastic responses. Most of the time the idea of making a Power Point was met with a groan, as this format has been "made as boring as a textbook" by many of the instructors who use it... 

• In this aspect, I asked the classes how many had ever made a blog, and got a response of about one in six.  Most of these also commented that while they had made blogs before, they no longer do so because facebook is a "much easier" media format to communicate on.  Once explained to everyone however (for those who were not familiar with blogs), nine out of ten students agreed that they would rather write a blog / do an online discussion about a topic than read and write a report.

• I also asked how many students had used Wordle.  Only about one per class (fourteen to eighteen students) even knew what a Wordle was...  guess what I am going to do for an upcoming project?

The biggest thing that students wish they could change in regards to media use in the classroom is the availability of media.  Currently, the school district blocks students from blogging to image searches (even though there are those who can circumvent the blocks put in by the district).  Many students commented that making Power Points (which were listed as boring earlier) would be more enjoyable if they had access to some alternate contents or even video clips.

Even students who are familiar with many methods of creative content do not bother with it at the school because they are blocked from it.  While often times the teachers are not blocked, I could guess that they opt not to use these forms of media due to the fact that the students can not access it as well.

First step to enrich the creative content of the classroom:  allow access to images, videos, and creative content learning platforms.

Second step: educate the educators. 

Instead of discussing student's grades for four hours, do demonstrations on using some of the content platforms, and require projects.  The more that you use something, the easier it becomes.  If you never use it, it will always be an enigma.

Third step: student participation.

Allow and encourage students to use this media for not only viewing, but for creating their own reports and presentations.