Creativity and ICT

I am starting to discover that there are many different sides and aspects to creativity than I once thought. Creativity can be a scientific thought, artistic expression, musical virtuosity or something completely different but there is an essence of it residing in every one of us. Gardener (1993) has made strong cases for at least eight different types of creative intelligence and if his theory is correct then we are not confined to just one type of expression of our imagination but can be creative in many different ways.

This week we experienced information and communication technology (ICT) as a different vehicle to express creativity. This is an area that I feel comfortable in and because of this, I have more confidence and am not scared to jump in and have a go. In the past, I would not have thought of myself as being creative, however, through my learning I can see that all the work I did in the ICT elective last year was very creative and that maybe ICT is my vehicle to express creativity?

Curriculum for Excellence Technologies: Principle and Practice (2009, p.2) states that technology and ICT can “provide frequent opportunities for active learning in creative and work-related contexts” and that creativity and innovation are skills which can be developed through the use of ICT. I think that ICT can be an ideal medium for creativity. Nothing is permanent unless you want it to be and things can be changed as many times as you have a new idea. In my opinion, this can work well for all children as they can continually update their creation, they do not have to worry about making mistakes and it can be easier for some children to create what they see in their imagination on a computer than it is with paper and pen.

Wheeler (2007, p.133) suggests, “ICT can be used to help children to think and act creatively, by tapping into their natural imagination, and transforming the learning experience”. There is a vast array of material available to encourage children’s creative thinking. This should make it an easy task to select the appropriate programme or medium to suite the learning intentions, however, I think that there is just so much out there that it can be overwhelming for teachers and without any guidance or training many of them are too scared to give it a go.

During our lesson we tried to look at as many different tools as we could in the time we had. Firstly, we looked at digital animation. In the past, I have used Digital Blue which every school should have access to but can be rather time consuming. Here is an animation I have previously created.

We looked at some apps on the Ipad and discovered two which were quicker and easier to use. The first was called I Can Animate where you took photographs using the device and it guided you by showing you the outline of the previous photograph. The second was AnimationHD where you drew your creation on the screen and again it helped you by showing the outline of the previous slide. We also found a programme called Sock Puppet where you could create your very own sock puppet movie by designing your puppet and background before adding in sound. Here is one I made.

We also looked at avatars such as Vokis and Crazy Talk and different programmes for the Interactive White Boards. There is a phenomenal amount of resources out there for all different levels and types of lessons. Teachers need guidance and encouragement in this area through CPD to explore the possibilities and potential for their learners.

References

Gerdener, H (1993). Frames of Mind: The theory of Multiple Intelligences, 2^nd edn. London:Fontana.

Scottish Government. (2009). Curriculum for Excellence technologies: principles and practice. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Wheeler, S. (2005). Transforming Primary ICT. Exeter: Learning Matters.