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Year: 2015
Drones being used to monitor WordCup
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Invention of Advance Technology
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My Reflection on #28daysofwriting
It was in about early January when I began to mull over the idea of getting back into a writing habit. I wanted to renew the discussion and connectedness I enjoyed through my blog and get myself writing regularly again. The #28daysofwriting idea sprang from that desire.
I have managed a post every day – in case you missed any, here are my 28 blog posts (using OneTab). Here is the link to the #28daysofwriting blog category.
It has been a fascinating experience to be sharing it with over 100 other writers, educators and bloggers from around the world. Some of those who signed up didn’t manage to stick at it and others didn’t post everyday. But it doesn’t matter. To begin with there was lots of “I am not sure if that is breaking the rules” type comments, which made me smile.
However you participated and I am grateful to everyone, whether writer, reader or commenter, who took part, I just hope the challenge has made you think about what professional or personal writing means to you and you have learned something along the way. Here are some of my reflections.
Writing as Thinking
For me I have learned that this is a vital part of the way I think and the way I work. The month has challenged me to write and publish more frequently, and the effort has only strengthened my belief that writing is core part of my life. It is vital to me and I have enjoyed every moment. It has helped me share ideas that were swimming around and has proved the cathartic process I knew it was.
Forming the Habit
This challenge was a very personal endeavour to write more frequently and regularly, to dispel the blog guilt and begin to form a habit of publishing. I still think time will tell. This spike in activity will not continue for me and I will fall into a more mellow rhythm of posting I suspect. I have learned that I can find the time to do it. One of the reasons for this is that I value it. I have been able to find the time because writing is important to me.
Reading and Commenting
In the future I am keen to turn my attention to reading and commenting (#28daysofcommenting is all set for March) as the natural parallel to maintaining a blog. This month has been about writing, but for our education communities to remain strong we need habits of reading, commenting and discussion. If you are looking back on a month of writing like me, perhaps you will consider a month of commenting and discussion.
I maintain that it is a fading part of our professional communities and the longer form discussion is being replaced by micro engagements that barely scratch the surface of what is possible. Let’s rally round and show our support for those brave enough to share by leaving an encouraging comment or challenging question. Let’s show the community we are not just lurking but there with them. Let’s increase the frequency, depth and quality of educational blog comments and discussions.
Being Accountable to My Network
I stated I was embarking on this challenge for February to tens of thousands of people. It is quite a clarifying experience being accountable to that. Scott Belsky refers to it in his book Making Ideas Happen. It has been even better to share the month long writing experience with so many others also having a go. As I have already said, I am so very grateful to everyone who accepted the challenge and followed my crazy idea.
A Wise Crowd
I have been able to learn so much from the sharing of others. Throughout the month I have been able to read blogs from connections I made years ago as well as teachers I have not had the chance to meet with yet. It has been so refreshing to see blogging and professional writing alive and well and to share in the wisdom within these special networks. I have always advocated for this particular type of professional sharing and I hope it inspires more people to start a blog and begin to share.
What is Different and Next Steps
From the experience this month I am more confident about the structure of my writing, I know how long I need for certain types of posts, I know when I write best and in what conditions. I have a better sense of the types of posts I want to write about and the core topics I will be exploring in the future. I spent a lot of time this month studying the way content is being published online nowadays and I have better understanding of the technical requirements of generating great writing.
#28daysofwriting continues. There are many who will be still writing and posting so keep tabs on the hashtag. Another round starts for some in March and although I am not blogging I will be maintaining the mailing list I set up for those who signed up. I will be sharing more tips and ideas on writing, and general curiosities about professional blogging.
#28daysofcommenting begins in March. Please consider joining this challenge to complement the success in February with your own writing. Just comment on other people’s blogs, you can do one a day or 28 minutes of commenting each day – whatever you like. Tweet and share your comments using the hashtag.
Thanks again for your support and whatever you do, keep writing.
What Makes People Creative?
When you start to explore the literature around the definition of creativity, or what it means to be creative, the lists and references go on and on. In this post I wanted to share a few key characteristics of what we might deam a creative approach or disposition. In my last post I shared the idea of developing a creative council in the classroom to learn about key role models and why they were/are so influential in their fields. With a better sense of the characteristics of creative people we can form better perspectives on our own work and speak more confidently about what makes up ‘being creative”.
What makes people creative?
- Tenacity – grit, determination, resilience, call it what you like but some people don’t allow bumps in the road get in the way of the journey.
- Courage – it is not just bumps in the road but sometimes the traffic is against you. Creative people are often risk takers and go against the common paradigm.
- Inventiveness – to be able to explore new connections and combinations, to continually push what is possible.
- Leadership – some people are moths others are flames.
- Impact – some individuals either through their established position or their authority have had greater impact in their fields than others.
- Vision – not just being able to project what is ahead in a field of study or development or art, but to bring that horizon closer much quicker than others.
- Passion – an unquenchable fuel.
I am not saying that this is an exhaustive list in fact I would welcome your additions and amendments. The complexity of defining these characteristics means that many individuals would display some of these dispositions more strongly than others. Some were natural leaders whereas others showed greater courage as they worked alone. We each show these tendencies in different measure, making up the unique definitions of creative people and what creativity is.
Thomas Edison’s Creative Approach
I really enjoyed this piece by Wouter Boon who outlines the characteristics of Thomas Edison that contributed to his creative success:
Persistence / Conviction / Associations / Productivity / Trial and Error / Combinations / Imagination / Relaxation / Diligence / Collaboration / Knowledge and Skill / Value / Luck / Entrepreneurship / Curiosity
And this from the Centre of Excellence in teaching in Learning at Iowa University expands on some of these ideas when they suggest the following characteristics that researchers look at when measuring creative aptitude:
- Fluency (number of ideas generated)
- Originality and imagination (unusual, unique, novel ideas)
- Elaboration (ability to explain ideas in detail)
- Flexibility, curiosity, resistance to closure (ability to generate multiple solutions)
- Complexity (detail and implications of ideas; recognition of patterns, similarities and differences)
- Risk taking (willingness to be wrong and to admit it)
Creative Flow
One of my favourite concepts in the study of creativity and the creative process is that of Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In Creativity – Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention he suggests the following characteristics of the creative personality:
- Creative individuals have a great deal of energy, but they are also often quiet and at rest.
- Creative individuals tend to be smart, yet also naive at the same time.
- Creative individuals have a combination of playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility.
- Creative individuals alternate between imagination and fantasy ant one end, and rooted sense of reality at the other.
- Creative people seem to harbor opposite tendencies on the continuum between extroversion and introversion.
- Creative individuals are also remarkable humble and proud at the same time.
- Creative individuals to a certain extent escape rigid gender role stereotyping and have a tendency toward androgyny.
- Generally, creative people are thought to be rebellious and independent.
- Most creative persons are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well.
- The openness and sensitivity of creative individuals often exposes them to suffering pain yet also a great deal of enjoyment.
Take your pick from all of those. One thing that you quickly realise is that even defining characteristic of creative people becomes divergent. However simply beginning conversations around the common themes or elements would be a great discussion with your colleagues or class. Take another look at my creative shortlist at the top and let me know what you think.