Journal #3

     Since posting my last journal, I have had a few discussions with my LSTC about possible project ideas.  We both agreed that anything pertaining to the Mimio would be beneficial to the staff at our school.  Now that 95% of the teachers at my school are integrating the interactive whiteboard into their lessons, a tutorial site would greatly improve their confidence and usage of technology.
     My school has committees that meet on the first Thursday of every month.  In August I signed up to be on the technology committee.  I am joined by 10 other teachers each morning as we discuss the integration of technology at our school.  We are also the first to know of new technologies that are soon to be introduced so that we are able to assist the LSTC in training fellow teachers.  Recently, my LSTC asked me if I would lead our Technology committee meeting on October 6th by demonstrating how I use the Mimio in my classroom.  I thought that this would be a great lead-in to my semester project.  As I plan for my presentation, I will be constantly brainstorming ideas for my semester project.
     The Hong, Clinton, and Rieber article frame two of the most important aspects I aim to include in every lesson I teach and my Studio project:  interactivity and creativity.  I immediately related to the last section of the article, "Enhacing Creativity to Design Creative Interactions".  Since I am not very artistic, I sometimes struggle with being creative.  I found the tips listed in the seven suggestions to be applicable.  Suggestion #1 was a great starting point for me.  I need to choose to be creative.  I find that I get discouraged when taking on a project that requires artistic ability, so agreeing to be creative will put me on the right path right away.
     The fourth suggestion relates to my last journal when I talked about using the IDEO cards.  Simply looking at something from a different perspective can develop creative ideas.  I will try this when working on my Studio project.  Since I am familiar with the Mimio, I'll try using it from the perspective of someone who is not accustomed to the technology.  This is definitely an article I will refer back to while working on my project.     

Holly


Hong, Y., Clinton, G., & Rieber, L.P. (2010). Designing creative interactions for educational multimedia. Submitted for publication.