What's the Big Idea? (Module 2)

There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception ~ Aldous Huxley

Perceiving

The first paragraph of Chapter 3 of the Sparks book starts with the bold declaration that “all knowledge begins in observation (30).” When I think of observation in such a manner, I recall the “Where’s Waldo” books that challenged its readers to find the fictional character of Waldo among the multitude of objects on a single page.

Finding Waldo among all the activity in the pictures requires more than just looking them over once or twice. It requires patience and determination. As the Root-Bernsteins astutely stated, “the patience to look and look again is therefore a trait that characterizes great artists (33).” Martin Handford, the creator of the Where’s Waldo books certainly must have possessed that particular quality. Likewise, he seemed to be equally adept at imaging.

Although Mr. Handford’s version of imaging is visual, there are other methods of imaging in a creative form. The Sparks book adds that, “many writers of fiction are visualizers. Charles Dickens declared that he simply “saw” his stories and then wrote them down (55).” It may seem odd but in this instance I find that a clear difference between observing and imaging in my practice is that observing is often a cognitive skill that is passive, while imaging is active.

From a personal and creative standpoint I would like to apply observation in my practice through on site evaluations. For example, I can sit in on a training session that I created and watch how the trainer delivers the content and how the students respond to it. After the evaluation, I can take what I witnessed in the classroom and subsequently use imaging to improve or develop new and innovative training programs. As it relates to my content area I can further determine if a webinar would be more useful to teach certain types of content.

And speaking of webinars, I believe that using my observing and imaging skills will help me to decide what kind of webinars are appropriate for the type of training that is needed. For example, would a live webinar be the most cost effective way to deliver training or would a pre-recorded version provide more flexibility for a particular business environment (e.g. 9 to 5 or 24x Contact Center employees)?

Also to expand the boundaries of teaching/training to promote creativity among students, I am going to develop exercises and learning modules that focus on the cognitive skills of observing and imaging. This approach will be implemented to encourage creativity on the job. I believe that if employees tap into their own creative powers they will bring more enthusiasm and effectiveness to their jobs.

I can definitely see how observation and imaging will play a significant role in the way I develop future training programs. Furthermore I can see how it can help me become a more creative individual both professionally “and” personally.

Reference:

Where's Waldo. Candlewick Press. Retrieved from:

http://www.candlewick.com/images/cwp_bookjackets/648/0763634980.jpg

How Do I Love Thee? (Module 2)

Perceiving  

My content area focuses on the use of webinars in a training/educational environment. Webinars are becoming increasingly popular among trainers and educators.  They are a multi-dimensional tool because they allow asynchronous as well as synchronous learning.  Essentially webinars can be viewed live and have many interactive features.  They also are capable of being archived for future and multiple viewings.  One core sensory being used to observe a webinar is seeing.

Let’s examine observation by seeing. Take a look at the color wheel below. Notice that all the colors are in sync and easily identifiable.

But the picture above does not represent every example of observation though seeing.  Why? Because what we see isn’t always as clear as we initially believe. The image below is a good example of how that can occur.  Take a moment to follow the directions and see what happens.

The Color Quiz

Look at the chart and say the color, not the word.

How did you fare? I followed the directions and had trouble differentiating between the color of the words and the actual words.  According to the Sparks book, “Observing, and rendering what we observe in some way, is indeed a function of the mind. We cannot focus our attention unless we know what to look at and how to look at it.” So how does this information apply to my content area?

Well, if I observe webinars from a “seeing” perspective, I need to understand that they can sometimes present misleading visual information. Making sure that the audio portion is consistent with the visual will help eliminate confusion. I need to thoroughly research the entire contents of the webinars I choose to use for training purposes. If the visual, audio and content are presented in harmony then students are more apt to gain a true understanding of what they are being taught.

An example of a webinar that contains all these critical aspects is provided below. The visual portion is clear and concise. It also works in association with the audio to present the content in a very comprehensive manner. 

References:

Color Wheel: The Makings of a Make-up Artist: Retrieved from:
http://www.blogger.com/%3C%22http://beautyklutz.blogspot.com/2010/03/color-wheel.html%22

Color Chart. 123 Optical Illusions. Retrieved from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhto5aOIuVNzxFiYvwQNEt2wVVB5fMcqjGEWrB_m4Xp_P4yJK3lD-qY3vY8Thq4L8EdvTM3J2QNlHhxzfFhpWJamIiQ_p4CkFxORPo9bsg_QXEzsUNg-8hyuBszSUluj9WUWFg7RGZUK1sn/s400/colorwheel1.jpg

Root-Bernstein, Robert & Michelle. (1999). Sparks of Genius. New York: Houghton Miflin. p. 42

Google Docs in Plain English. YouTube. Retrieved from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA&feature=related

Zoom In 2

Here it is as it is used normally

It works well as a handy organizer too

Here it is used to store spare change

Here it is as a paperweight

My Content Area Topic

I am an instructional designer and one of the avenues of training that I have been exploring is using webinars to train our employees who work from home. So the area of content I will be focusing on is the use of webinars as an educational tool. More information on this topic will be added as this course moves along.

What's the Big Idea (Module 1)

Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.” ~ Henry Ford


In Chapter One of the book, “Sparks of Genius” the reader is presented with the idea that we should review or possibly even change our perception about what thinking is and the dominant implication it has on creative selves. The very concept of thinking is interesting to ponder. Many of us take the time to analyze how or why we think the way we do, yet very few of us put any effort into understanding the thinking process. The Root-Bernsteins decided to do exactly that and their theories actually sparked (no pun intended) my interest in the very notion of thinking.

According to the Root-Bernsteins, thinking is the foundation of creativity. They suggest that, “…it is imperative that we learn to use feelings, emotions, and intuitions that are the bases of the creative imagination (13).” I certainly concur with this suggestion because when we think it is a very personal process. What we feel plays a significant role in the thoughts we form. We generally want or need to contemplate on something in particular.

Take for example, this first week of study in CEP818. Already, it has challenged my idea of what reality and illusion truly is. The Veja du assignment was a great exercise in thinking outside the box. Just like the fictional character Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth, I learned that we must strive to, “…live in Illusions and Reality at the same time (23).” To strike this delicate balance is not as easy it may seem.

In Chapter 16 of the Sparks of Genius book, the Root-Bernsteins conceptualize thinking as it pertains to education. They focus on the idea of synthetic education. According to them, as educators, “[we] need not change what we teach.” A synthetic education requires only that we change how we teach… (316)” so we can in turn, teach more effectively. In this relatively new century we certainly have a plethora of tools to accomplish this task. The key to making it happen is with the help of technology. As a matter of fact I see how the Internet, Social Media, and even Smart Phone technology figures prominently into the scenario.

Teachers need to one day be open to the idea of allowing students to text assignments in or letting them submit their work via a podcast or video. Now that’s what I call thinking outside of the box. I would imagine that the Root-Bernsteins might applaud these suggestions on some level. Although there were times when I was reading the assigned chapters where I felt they placed too much emphasis on figures of the past. Einstein, Picasso, and Dewey are indeed notable individuals whose accomplishments should be lauded, but I hope somewhere in the upcoming passages, there will be a mention of names like Sir Tim Berners-Lee (the inventor of the world wide web) or Bill Gates (Microsoft). Either way, I am looking forward to reading the rest of the Sparks of Genius book. It is has been a very insightful read thus far.

veja du 1

Spoiler Alert: Don't scroll down to the next post if you want to figure this out first.

and the image is...

Voila! A clip on lamp:

Welcome to my CEP 818 Blog!

Good News! I am finally online after an unexpected delay, but so looking forward to what we we will be learning in this class. I haven't blogged in quite awhile (since my grad school studies began to be exact), but I am looking forward to blogging in this class. Can't wait to read everyone's individual sites and see where this new class takes us in terms of creativity and technology.