>If you are a parent looking at the calendar and finding some blanks spaces that need to be filled for your kids this summer, here are some last minute ideas if you live in Austin or Dallas. Our New World Kids two week program will be running at the Dallas Museum of Art Summer Camps and Laguna Gloria – The Contemporary in Austin. It is the foundational program in creative thinking for 5-7yr olds. Here’s the description Read More →
What Moves Us Now?
There’s a great big world out there that is trying to grab our attention, to lead our eyes to a new spot on the page, to entice us to follow the video movement into the storyline or tickle our senses in a way that makes us want to Buy This or Go Here or Be This Way. Images and sound in all their forms pour out of all the screens that are now a huge Read More →
Follow the Curiosity
Last weekend when my grandsons came for a visit, the 12 year old showed me a photo on his phone that he (somehow!) took though the microscope in his science class. The new and special wonder of observing the very clear “thing” that lives in a world much smaller than we can possibly see had him entranced. The surprise of the color, the amazing detail with its hairy-looking texture, the seemingly improbable spherical form — Read More →
Calling All Grandparents!
August is definitely time for parent relief! It is the perfect moment for grandparents to come to the fore as parents start gearing up for school, and kids need a change of scene. Good kinds of play can build creative thinking skills! As an “elder” of your “tribe,” you have the wisdom that comes from the long view, and know just how far creative thinking can take you in the “real world. And the best Read More →
Ft. Worth, here we come!
The 2013 NAEA National Convention is just around the corner…that is, the National Arts Education Association. And this year it’s being held literally around the corner in Ft. Worth! March 7 — 10. If there are any arts educators out there who are attending, we want you to know that co-authors Susan Marcus and Cindy Herbert will be giving two presentations. We’d LOVE to see you there! Details below: Session 1: Monkeybars for Young Minds: Read More →
Powerful Voices for Change
For parents who are interested in systemic change in education: know that there is important ongoing research that supports these large questions and is engaged in imagining what these changes might look like—from a foundation of applied research. What we’re posting here is an evocative 7-minute video that voices these concerns and hints at some forward momentum. It introduces the story of connected learning, the outcome of a six-year research effort supported by the MacArthur Read More →
Rethinking the Meaning of Literacy
Redefining the meaning of literacy in the 21st century is an international megatrend! This was just one of the topics considered at the New Media Consortium’s “Future of Education Summit” here in Austin this past week. I was one of the lucky one hundred participants from around the world representing the different fields of education, research and technology. The NMC has built this extraordinary annual gathering on ten years of research in emerging technologies in Read More →
The Care and Feeding of the Imagination
Your imagination doesn’t speak English. It uses sensory language and sensory knowings to communicate with your conscious mind. For example, if you are riding your bike down the street and start to skid and fall, the “idea” for what to do to catch your balance is a kinetic idea. It’s a movement impulse that comes to you from your imagination, lightening fast…no words involved. The same is true for solving the problem of: “I’m hungry. Read More →
Beyond the 3 R’s
We all want the best for our children. And that goes way beyond good grades. We hope they find their “path,” the way into a satisfying career, one that will match their natural passions and drive. But if you ask a young child what they want to be when they grow up you’ll often hear “fireman,” “ballerina” or “doctor,” ideas that come from toys, stories or the very same answers they’ve heard before, handed down Read More →
Adobe on Creativity: Why it Matters
Last month, Adobe, the pioneering software company that brought us Photoshop, released an important survey called “Creativity and Education: Why it Matters.” It found creativity to be an important component of success in today’s workplace. A towering 85% believe that “creative thinking is critical for problem solving in their jobs.” And a vast majority of those interviewed believe creativity could and should be taught. This is a thoughtful, up-to-the-minute survey regarding creative thinking. It’s a Read More →