Creativity, Educational Technology, and 21st Century Education

Creativity, Educational Technology, and 21st Century Education

Eddie Eugene Coney

The picture above is my father who was one of the most creative people that I have ever met in my life. I started this blog off with him because when I was growing up I didn't think that I had a talent. My mother was an educator and so was he, but he was creative in a way that dried your tears and put a smile on your face. He was one of those men who would scare you with a plastic spider or make you something because it was so many of us he couldn't afford to buy everyone something. I didn't know I was poor until I was an adult and looked back on some of the thing we didn't have. We couldn't afford a real swing, so he made us a tire swing with a rope that hung from the tree. We didn't have real board games so we made up games. We would count how many red and blue cars would pass by and whoever had the most would win. We had no ideas he was teaching us colors and how to count at the same time. Creativity was my survival as well as my success.

Creativity is Forever by Gary A. Davis is one those books that allows you to see creativity in everything, but this post will focus on sensory and body movement. When I was young people told me that body movement was just play as I got older I realized it was true Art. So what's important about it when it comes to our students and children? (Davis, 1999) asserts that children discover their moving parts when the teacher asks them to move their fingers, then hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, head, face. This might seem like not very much. but when children discover that they can move like the wind and express their inner emotions with just movement it become more than a lesson it becomes their creativity.

In another assignment we answered a very important question about creativity. Why is it one of the most important 21st Century skills? For me I see creativity as the Jack in the box jumping out. It is freedom for people from all walks of life. It is the chain taken off of an animal so it can run free, or light and explores darkness in the mist of a movie. It is the beauty in silence it one chooses not to speak and it is the spoken words that one can voice that might only have meaning to the person who spoke. Creativity is one of the most important skills that a person can have period, because it is expression, exposure , education and experience all wrapped up in one skill.

What's your gift that's special to you? What is it that you do that tears down your blue and breathes life into your expression. Tapping into your creativity is great, but not tapping into a student's creativity can be detrimental.

Here are some suggested project and activities that I did with students in my classroom.

Montage - Make a photo montage with pictures of your family with your favorite music.
Music Maker - Use garage band to create your music and write lyrics to go along with your favorite lesson

Camera. lights, action - Create a morning show with five people: Anchor, weather, feature, sports and special interest.