How to Kill Creativity!

Class,

Check out the story below to read a great article on the top 10 things you can do to CRUSH creativity. The fatal flaw in many of these killers is, I would say, where the focus is. Check 'em out and let me now if you agree, disagree, or have subtractions or additions for the list?

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/ten-great-ways-to-crush-creativity.html

~mrc

Acronyms

Estudiantes,

You all did GREAT with the Acronym Exercise in Thursday's class! We're off to a good start with our deBono's.

For many of you, this was a very different type of activity than you're used to with no single "right" answer. I hope you had fun and it stretched your brain just a bit and got those dendrites growing!

I'll post some of my favorites here in the blog as they come in, and Ms Davis of the BET group just sent theirs:

#2. Bilingual eastern tibetans

#6. Between enthusiastic turtles

#10. Be energized totally

#12. Broad elaborate talking

#14. Breaking every toilet

#15. Better equipped theories

#16. Building elaborate taverns

But why didn't your official list include one I know you said in class:

Big Elephant Testicles?

~mrc

Is Failing Fatal?

Wow!

I saw Henry Jenkins speak live at Princeton last summer for a conference and he was SUPER engaging. His comments here are particularly relevant to our current discussion on education, creativity, technology, and the value of innovations.

I recommend this short video to each of you. Does he suggest things you'd like for us to incorporate into this class? How? Let me know what you think by posting in the comments!

~mrc

* For those who worry about these things, this is NOT a graded assignment; it is purely for your own edification.

Week One - Orientation and Foundation

Hola, estudiantes!

For Thursday 8/27

The (under)Value of Creativity

Come to class having listened to the Podcasts* below. They feature British researcher Sir Ken Robinson. They were recorded almost 2 years apart for DishyMix, an interview-driven business management and marketing show hosted by Susan Bratton. There are some ads and other fluff in these episodes, but push through them and really listen to Robinson's comments. You might want to note anything that jumps out at you, and consider the questions below:

How do Robinson's comments strike you? Can you relate? Do you agree? Are they brilliant, bull, or somewhere in between? How would you implement some of what Robinson suggests in your life, school, or work? COME TO CLASS PREPARED TO DISCUSS.

DishyMix 006 - 8/2/07, 38 minutes

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=31548579&id=258633626

DishyMix 098 - 5/12/09, 45 minutes

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=54859523&id=258633626

*You do not need an iPod or an Apple computer to listen to podcasts. You will need iTunes installed on your computer, though. If you don't have iTunes, it is available for FREE for BOTH Windows PCs and Macs at this address: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

~mrc

Welcome!

Welcome to Humanities 246: Creative Thinking!

WHAT the heck is this class about and WHAT are we going to do in it?

Well, in short, we're going to build our brains to better serve business and our personal interests. The long is how we'll be doing that in and out of class.

For greater details, you can check the course syllabus at top left in the list of links to important documents, but the best way to know what's going on will be to:

1) Come to the first day of class Tuesday, August 25th at 430PM in the Earp Lab at the SVHEC, and

B) Check back here on the blog often for assignments. I'll post the week's reading and activities here the Friday preceding class. If there are special circumstances or a last minute change, I'll send a mass email.

In fact, a great way to get started will be to send a "hello" email to me at bencapozzi@mac.com so that I can add you to the course mailing list.

I look forward to seeing you in class!

~mrc

* This course makes extensive and aggressive use of the internet and other digital resources to create, collaborate, and share content, ideas, and responses. Ubiquitous computer access is an assumption perhaps not fully borne out by the reality of life in Southside, but that does not change the fact that you are here to prepare for a workforce that is increasingly wired and dependent on the computer for getting things done. I cannot in good conscience ignore the utility of the computer (it levels the playing field for all), nor can I penalize those for whom access is an undue burden ("I have dial up!"). Access to all of this course's resources, fora, and communication methods is available from any computer here at the SVHEC (for free!), and from nearly any internet-capable computer at home or elsewhere.

Still, if you will have difficulty accessing email, websites, or other online resources, you should bring this to my attention as quickly as possible to determine if there is a workable strategy for access available, or if this course simply will not work for you. I will do everything I can to help you perform well in this course.