Blog Entry #10 - Creativity & Technology
My working definition of creativity was that it is “the process of using your imagination to build an invention, idea, theory, etc. from scratch that is unique” (Shaw, 2022, para. 1). After writing this definition, I began to ponder if technology integration in the classroom is actually creative? Do students utilize technology to build their unique ideas, or do they simply use technology to mimic others' ideas? So, today I will be exploring the question:
Does technology integration allow students to be creative or does it simply enable them to innovate?
I decided to answer this question through an examination of an option course at my school. One of our most popular complementary courses is Biomedical Design. In this course, students are challenged with a guiding question and then they research, design, etc. based on their own personal solution to this question. For example, this past year students were faced with the guiding question “How can technology help someone with a disability?”
Immediately after this question was posed, two groups of students emerged. The first group of students wanted to research previous designs and build upon them to develop their technology. This group sounds strikingly like my working definition of innovation which was “an original idea that builds upon societies previous knowledge of a concept, process or invention” (Shaw, 2022, para. 1). On the other hand, another group emerged which wanted to research some of the difficulties that disabled individuals faced on a regular basis. Once they had collected their research, they started to think about technologies that might make a difference in these individuals' lives. I started to see creative ideas being explored by these students, so that they could meaningfully help others.
Do I think that all students would have the skill level, interest, etc. to be creative during this task? No, I don’t...In fact, I think that for some students the process of innovation was the right fit for where they were in their learning.
To answer my question that I posed above:
I believe that technology integration can lead to both innovation and creativity. The task that students are completing needs to be meaningful, so that they can see a real-world connection. From there, it really depends on your students' abilities, previous knowledge, interest level, etc. If a student is truly engaged, then I do believe that they can be creative. I also think that it is okay for other students to be innovative based on their current level of learning.
What do you think? Can technology integration in the classroom lead to true creativity? Have you seen an example of this firsthand in your classroom? If so, I would love to hear about it!
Resources
Shaw, M (2022, July 11). Re: Creativity [Discussion post]. Queens University OnQ. https://onq.queensu.ca/d2l/le/content/680625/viewContent/4002936/View
Shaw, M. (2022, July 8). Re: Innovation [Discussion post]. Queens University OnQ. https://onq.queensu.ca/d2l/le/content/680625/viewContent/4002935/View
Hi Megan
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing quest your students went on! Biomedical design? Wow... Also, what a neat observation about the innovative vs. creative approaches to the task. Do you think that your learning from this course (the difference between innovation (adding to) and creativity (unique and novel)) allowed you to identify the two groups retrospectively?
I think you hit on a good point when you mention that you can't always expect the same thing from different groups. Sometimes, for example, I find that some more current approaches that require a lot of independence and creative thought and curiosity are reaaaaaallly hard for some students to engage in. Some students just want to be told what to do, and while I know we want to foster curiosity and encourage creativity... what if that pupil really just wants to plug away at a (less innovative) research report, rather than answering a 'big idea' inquiry question?
Your question re: technology integration and creativity was thought-provoking. I think meaningful use can certainly lead to creativity; I'm not sure if this is the answer you were looking for, but this past year my students used Pixton to create comic representations of our novel. It was a ton of work, but used were able to use a creative tool to represent their learning. But they weren't doing anything new, I guess... though it WAS new to THEM. Does that make a difference? What about Coding? Or even something like Minecraft, I suppose, where technology supports the creation of... well, whatever it is ids do on Minecraft, lol!
I think with students and screens we tend to think of a zombie generation who stare passively at bright blinking screens and blue light. That sort of image definitely doesn't scream 'Creative! Innovative'. But I do think that meaningful and purposeful technology use has great potential for creativity.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteThat course and assignment you talked about sounds awesome! I do believe that technology implementation in the classroom can lead to true creativity. I had a student on my caseload this year who was struggling in their English class. The grade 8 English class was doing some writing assignment looking at a school in the novel they were reading and then having them describe their perfect school. The teacher knew that my student was struggling with the writing aspect of the assignment, so she opened it up to her that she could do an alternative assignment. On her own the student decided to recreate the school from the novel in Minecraft and then build her ideal school beside it. The teacher had not suggested this to the student, but instead the student had thought of a way to show her learning through technology she already knew how to use.
Megan, what a great question! I do believe that technology integration can lead to true creativity. I love to paint but sometimes I need inspiration or I will copy a technique that I saw someone else use but I do so in my own style. These may be innovative approaches but they lead to truly creative individualized pieces. I often wonder to myself if a thought I had was truly the first thought of its kind or if anyone else had thought of the next new best thing before it actually became the next new best thing - if that makes sense. I believe that technology can lead to true creativity through innovation but I also believe that it can lead to true innovation by addressing ‘gaps’ in the literature. In module three, we learned that we need to learn from history. Past failures and attempts can lead to new, true creativity in the present either as an innovative approach or as a truly new creative approach. I hope I am making sense, I know what I want to say but I fear it isn’t coming out properly. I am passionate about this topic and question. Thanks for making me think!
ReplyDeleteHi Megan!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great question that you posed and the course and assignment that you discussed sounded incredibly interesting. I do believe that the implementation of technology can not only lead to creativity, but also produce innovative thinking. I have seen in the past that we need to effectively use technology rather as a replacement for everything. When we use technology as a support, it can help to promote creativity and innovative ways of thinking, rather than using it as a replacement for teaching practices. I think that when we look at technology as a support, we are able to use it in ways that will promote creative thinking and something that adds value rather than taking over.
Thank you for asking such thought-provoking questions and for diving deeper into these sort of practices!
Amy