Check out Rankin (photographer, publisher and film director who launched Dazed & Confused magazine) and the Destroy Rankin Project. It’s…

Improve Your Browsing Sessions with SuggestRSS (via WebAppStorm)

More Challenges with Wikis: 4 ways to move students from passive to active (via The Journal)

Have a look at Matthew Needleman’s Video In The Classroom (Digital Storytelling in the Elementary Grades and Beyond) site to view student films, film techniques, tutorials, tips and rubrics.

A Missing Piece in the Economic Stimulus: Hobbling Arts Hobbles Innovation - an excellent article on why art education matters and how it leads to innovations in other areas. (from Psychology Today via Journeys in Art)

The 3 Best Sites To Read Manga Online (via Daniel Pink on Twitter)

I was flipping through some bookmarked videos and stumbled across this one again (video below). Not fully related to what I am writing but it made me wonder if I am understanding my students. I can’t remember who passed it on to me, so apologies. It’s in Japanese with Korean and English subtitles. Some food for thought.

Stimulating Imagination Through Constraints

In the classroom we need to be ‘clear and explicit about definitions, concepts and processes.’ Being creative does not simply mean to create something with no limits in mind. Usually such an open task will lead to more frustration and poorer quality of work. How will you then evaluate when all was simply asked was to be creative and imaginative? Providing some constraints can help define the problem and assist in solving the problem in creative ways.

(Read the full article through the link provided above).

(video link here)
ART & COPY out now in select cities.

After years of struggling with the planners designed for and by office workers, I figured out that it wasn’t me that was the problem: it was the design of the planners.

Creative people approach their work differently. Most of us don’t work 8-5, and we don’t have projects that we can plan to get done during the same times each day. The limiting factor for us is not the amount of time we have available, but rather the type of time we have available.

One size does not fit all when it comes to planners. Check out the planners to see which ones best relate to what you’re trying to do, and give them a try!

Check the link above to see the planners which best relate to what you’re trying to do, and give them a try. They may help increase your productivity.

Why Group Norms Kill Creativity from Psyblog:Research shows group members equate creativity with conformity.

Unique TV Series Episodes That Inspire Creativity from Smashing Magazine: In this article you’ll get inspiration from the area of creative writing in popular television series episodes from the past 40+ years, and we’ll discuss how the creativity achieved in these particular episodes can motivate all of us, as artists, to always strive to prevent our creations from being too normal and predictable.

Balance Life With the Media Diet Pyramid from Flowing Data.

Free Tools to Back Up Your Online Accounts from Lifehacker: Cloud computing means you can store your data in web applications and access it from any browser, anywhere—but that doesn’t mean you don’t need a backup plan. Safeguard your data when a storm’s a-brewing in the cloud with these tools.

15 Great Free Online File Sharing Alternatives from Hongkiat: Here are some free file-sharing sites we come to know and if you share files with friends or peers via Internet frequently, you might want to consider getting them done this way.

Free and Commercial Stock Photography Sites from Smashing Magazine: Here are a handful of sites to check out when considering the use of stock photography on your next project.

I have posted many of these before and most essentials are filed under the “Cool Web Tools” tab above here on this blog. I have also made some further additions to my Creativity 2.0 wiki (pictured below). If you are busy, skim through and look for the RECOMMENDED! sites as pictured right.

I have done my best to make the navigation on the wiki simple. I would advise starting with the Presentation section. You may also find something useful under the “Other Good Stuff” area too. Click on the picture below to take you to the wiki. If you have any further recommendations, I’d love to hear from you! Lastly, consider looking at Alan Levine’s  50+ Web 2.0 Ways To Tell a Story. (Remember, most 2.0 tools require sign up.)

My job position has changed this year. I am teaching grades 6-9 Art as well as grades 1-3 Drama. My involvement in IT at my school may be minimal. However, it should not affect the posts on this blog. Let’s face it, all teachers are in IT now.

My Influences from FNC videos on Vimeo.