Doodlebuzz

I recently discovered this (like so many other recent discoveries) via Twitter. Doodlebuzz is a mixture of drawing, typography and news. Rather than a conventional online news feed, Doodlebuzz allows you to select a topic, then doodle a shape. This creates a drawing depicting a string of related news items. You can then continue to draw lines stretching from topics you are interested in exploring further. This creates another string of news items. You can continue the process ad infinitum. What I love about this is that the journey from one item to the next need not be linear. You could start with one word or phrase and this may lead to another that is seemingly unrelated but is, in fact, connected tangentially. I also like the way the designer has captured the process of making the application, posting videos on Vimeo and photos from his sketchbook on Flickr.

I had a conversation with Mr Hawes today where we discussed the idea of an extended learning project entitled "Make it better!" that would encourage teams of students (and teams of teachers) to collaborate on creating an idea for something that would improve the quality of our lives. This could be anything from a product or service to an activity or concept. The point would be to explore the process of learning together using an enquiry cycle: do some research, have an idea, refine it, make something, reflect on it. Something like Doodlebuzz would make a great example of how people get on and do this kind of learning in the real world every day.

Our Story

I've just begun an Our Story timeline about favourite photographs. The site seems like a great way to get people to collaborate on sharing their thoughts, memories, ideas and the timeline format lends itself to historical enquiry. It would be great if you could get involved and post your favourite photograph, making sure to enter the date when it was taken, so that we can build up a personal photographic narrative.

5x5x5=creativity

I've been reading a Futurelab document entitled Curriculum and Teaching Innovation which makes reference to an organisation called 5x5x5=creativity. Based on an early years model of student centred education, the project's philosophy and aims (listed below) are clearly related to our own and those of Creative Partnerships generally. Much of this thinking is also reflected in Futurelab's own alternative to the national curriculum which they call Enquiring Minds. I wonder if we could learn anything from their research so far? How easily might some of these principles and working practices translate into a secondary school setting?

5x5x5 aims to:

• demonstrate ways in which creativity can be fostered in young children and fire their interest in learning
• influence educational practice by establishing creativity as an essential foundation of learning
• produce research to demonstrate the value of creative enquiry, relationships and environments in helping children develop as confident, creative thinkers
• share the research findings as widely as possible, creating a legacy for the future
• provide integrated training and mentoring for participating teachers, artists and cultural settings

5x5x5 philosophy

The project is inspired by the creative educational approach of early years settings in Reggio Emilia. This internationally celebrated approach pioneered a collaborative way of working with young children that allows them to express their ideas in many creative ways, ‘in 100 languages'.

The key philosophical principles of 5x5x5:

• children are seen as innate and creative knowledge builders, explorers and co-constructors of their learning
• educators and artists are enablers and companions in the children's learning within a culture of listening
• learning is focussed on the process of the children's explorations, not the end product
• documenting children's learning journeys is our method for evaluating and reflecting upon the children's thinking and learning
• the development of a creative learning community of teachers, artists, co-workers in cultural centres, parents and children
• involving family and community in life-long learning

'Children need the freedom to appreciate the infinite resources of their hands, their eyes and their ears, the resources of forms, materials sounds and colours. They need the freedom to realise how reason, thought and imagination can create continuous interweaving of things, and can move and shake the world.'

Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia preschools

http://zerosei.comune.re.it/inter/reggiochildren.htm