Unit 4 - Create

In this unit, you'll explore how technology tools can support creativity in classrooms and in your own work. So far this semester, you've had time to explore how technology tools can facilitate learning - with specific emphasis on opportunities for students to communicate and collaborate. You've done a good bit of reading about ways that technology can make learning meaningful, how to design learning activities to meet the needs of all types of learners, and the value of an emphasis on the 4 Cs: critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation. You'll apply what you've learned so far as you complete this unit.

** Each task for this unit also requires a different amount of workload. I highly recommend you skim through each task requirement first, and then schedule out the timeline wisely.

This week, you'll create a mindmap or sketchnote of your two readings: You'll need paper, pencils, and markers or one of the tools listed in the Mind Mapping section of your textbook (starting on p. 148).

1. Skim through the “Creativity and Innovation” section in the 4Cs reading (from p. 25 - you should already have read this section).

2. Complete a separate reading about the importance of creativity in K12 classrooms: Creativity in Learning (Rep.). (2019). Washington, D.C.: Gallup. Click on "DOWNLOAD THE REPORT" to download and view it. (Ok - I realize this pdf is 45 pages - but most of that is images and large graphics - so it's honestly more like 15 pages and it's a fast read. I promise!)

3. Then, create a mindmap or sketchnote of your two readings.

Requirements for mindmap/sketchnote:

• Make sure to include a comprehensive view of your reading – main topics, how topics connect, the role of technology in supporting creativity, your own opinions about parts of the article, etc.

• I don’t want to have to tell college students how many “bubbles”, references, connections, etc. that are required. Your mindmap/sketchnote should be comprehensive enough to show your understanding of your reading.

• Post it on your Create Webpage. If you draw it – take a picture and then post it. If you used a mind-mapping tool – link to it, take a screenshot, attach it – whatever makes the most sense. Please DO NOT take a picture of your computer screen with your phone. If you don’t know how to make a screenshot on your computer, this is a great semester to learn. Screenshot instructions for a PC. Screenshot instructions for a Mac.

• Don’t forget to publish your page.

One way that schools can support creativity and innovation is through maker education. Maker Education covers a broad range of topics and activities (we offer a maker education course - EDIT4100S to cover all the topics), so it's really difficult for me to narrow down what I want you to read for this topic. My goal for this unit is for you to get a good understanding of what maker education is and how it supports creativity and innovation for K12 students. For now - you don't have to do anything with the readings/videos in this section. Just watch and read - you'll be asked to apply what you learned later in your maker reflection. The list may look long, but they are all fairly short so don't be scared.

1. Reading 1: Stager, G. (2017). Unconventional wisdom about the maker movement. District Administration, 6-10.

2. Reading 2: The overview of makerspaces in your textbook: pages 148-158.

3. Reading 3: Select a reading from the EdTech Magazine's Makerspaces articles to learn a bit more about maker education (you'll have to scroll down past the giant banner image to get to the list of articles).

4. Videos: Watch the two short videos below that do a great job of showing you what happens in a makerspace and its benefits to students.

5. Reading 4: Read about what's happening in Maker Education in an elementary school right across the street from UGA Athens campus. This is a link to all of the references to maker education on the Barrow Elementary School Media Center blog written by Andy Plemmons, the school library media specialist. Set a timer and spend at least 15 minutes exploring the many maker education posts on this site (there are a few that feature UGA students taking EDIT 4100S - see if you can find a few!)

Your maker project

Part 1 - Explore & Brainstorm

We are all makers - maybe not of robots but we certainly make other things: stories, music, cake, movies, hilarious memes, choreography, science discoveries, car repairs, crafts, photography, and on and on. There are many resources in your textbook that can be used for making. We'll take some time to explore them and then select something to make that's of interest to you.

1. Take some time to become familiar with the following tool overviews in your textbook:

• Art p. 53

• Book Publishing p. 69

• Comic Strip Creators p. 82

• Images and Icons p. 129

• Makerspaces p. 148

• Music p. 171

• Photo Editing p. 183

• Video: Animation and Production p. 246

So here's where the instructional challenge comes in for me. I want you to choose a tool from one of these sections in your textbook and create something new and interesting to you. But it is incredibly difficult to gauge how much time and effort each of you puts into a creative task. For instance - you might choose Photo Editing as your choice and edit several pictures from your Study Abroad experience. Maybe it took you 5 minutes, maybe it took 3 hours. Assessing creativity seems somehow inappropriate. So here's the best solution I can come up with when my goal is to provide you with an opportunity to truly pick something that you want to do but also make the workload equitable for everyone, regardless of choice.

2. After reading through the Creativity and Innovation categories in your textbook - think of a project you'd like to do: design a comic strip, create a short piece of music, make a green screen video, write a piece of code using Tynker, etc. My expectation is that you'll choose a project that will take around 1 1/2 to 2 hours to complete (assuming you're not a perfectionist).

Part 2: Create! (10 pt.)

1. Build your project - then, link it/add a screenshot/whatever makes sense for your project to your Create page.

2. Write about what you learned: On a new Google Doc, write a 500-800 word reflection describing your maker experience. In your reflection, discuss how experiences like this might support K12 student learning. How does this activity relate to this week's readings on creativity and maker education? It's never a bad idea to quote readings - especially if you decide to include references to previous week's readings (this is a great place to talk about meaningful learning with technology or UDL.) Make sure to share your document so that it's public. Then, insert it on your Create webpage.

3. Don't forget to publish your Create page.

Part 3: Share Your Work (2 pt.)

1. Post your project's link/screenshot/etc. with a 3-4 sentences brief instruction on the Padlet.

2. Comment on at least TWO posts by your classmates. Your comments should reflect the content of the peer - show that you have thoroughly looked through the project.

• For example, you can comment on what you liked about it, what you could relate to, what questions you have, or provide affirmative suggestions.

※Make sure to include your FULL NAME in your comments to get credits!

For this task, you'll continue to synthesize what you've learned about educational technology so far and how it supports creativity and innovation. You should probably re-read what you wrote in Unit 3 for the CONNECT paper in preparation for this task. You'll write this on a new Google Doc and it should be 4-5 paragraphs. If you want more writing tips - here's a link to some suggestions.

Your finished piece will be 3-4 paragraphs. Remember, you don't have to address every single question that I ask - these are just suggestions of what to talk about in your writing.

Questions:

• • Our topic this week was about the "magic of learning" and encouraging creativity and innovation in classrooms. One way we explored encouraging creativity was through maker education. How do some or all of the ISTE standards relate to this idea? (You can review the detailed explanations of each ISTE standard, if needed.) How does encouraging creativity support those standards? How does maker education support those standards?

  • What are other ways (besides makerspaces) creativity and innovation could be supported by ensuring those ISTE standards are addressed in K12 classrooms?

When finished, embed your Google Doc directly onto your Create webpage, instead of just putting the link. Don't forget to check the share setting of your document and publish the page (or I won't be able to view it).

I hope to hear your opinion - this is just a quick check-in to see how the class is working for you. I have been trying my best to arrange this course, but I wonder how you think about this learning experience. No worries - your responses will not affect your grades at all. I value your time, so this survey is worth 1 point! Why not take this good opportunity to easily earn and save an extra point for the future, right?

Here is the link to the course feedback survey. I hope this survey does not come too late, but I was not planning to distract you from your busy midterm. I look forward to your suggestions on making this course best fit you and your learning needs. Thank you in advance for your time and response!