What follows is a list of useful web resources designed to promote creative thinking, specifically the generation of ideas:
The Idea Generator
You can get this application on your iPhone but it works just as well on the web. Simply click a button and scramble a three word phrase. We play it at home. I shake my phone, a phrase is created and the kids have 5 minutes to design an "eco-friendly kinetic instrument", or whatever it says.
Jump Start
This site asks you to state a challenge you are facing and then, once you have clicked a button, presents you with three randomly generated adjectives for you to use to help create a solution. This theory can be found in Edward de Bono's book on Lateral Thinking.
Watizit
This site encourages you to engage in some divergent thinking based on responding to a random graphic shape (What is it?). It's quite a long process to complete all the steps but I found it very useful.
Magnetic Poetry
An online version of the fridge magnet game. This link takes you straight to The Artist collection. Try different techniques for making your poem. Choose words randomly, or words beginning with the same letter, or words of only one syllable. Don't worry too much about the poems making sense. Use your intuition and if it sounds good to you, then maybe it is really good. If you create any particularly beautiful poems, why not post them as Comments?
WordGizmo
Generate a word that dosen't yet exist in any language and volunteer to define it. Hours of fun!
Thinkature
A web based collaborative mind-mapping tool.
An A-Z of Creativity Techniques
It does what it says on the tin. I was quite taken with Superheroes in which participants pretend to be a fictional (or real) super-hero (Superman, the Incredible Hulk, Batman, James Bond, Wonder Woman, Sherlock Holmes, Spiderman, etc.) and use their ‘super’ characteristics to trigger ideas.
Oblique Strategies
This one's a bit clever clever but what else can you expect from Brian Eno? The application for the iPhone is really lovely. This website is less than lovely but provides you with refreshable statements for those who've reached a creative impasse and is based on the original decks of cards.
That's enough to be going on with. I'd be interested to know if you found any of these tools useful.
5 comments:
Wow I loved some of these! The fridge magnet one is really cool here is what I made (it sounds more like a drunk conversation ) http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukv1290/3378044771/ I am going to have more of a play tonight! I also liked the look of Thinkature, I have not registered yet but it says you can collaberate and have 'live meetings' this looks like something the school (and creative tallis) can use use!?
Tom
I think you should write your poem here. It's really lovely. Obviously, I never get drunk but, if I did, I hope I would sound this philosophical!
This is what I made
"Why Suffer Your Subject
Sing That Song Which
We Will Scream Then
Free This Young Shimmer"
:)
Here's my Magnetic Poem:
I throw white paint
this impression you must perform
soon they will scream
the psychedelic rhythm
our empty concrete
wild with vivid passion
Not quite sure where that came from?!
The idea generator is really cool I'm using quite a bit now.
And the watizit? if it's spelt that way is also really useful.
Post a Comment