Best of Week: "The Elusive Big Idea"

This week the most important idea that I think our class talked over was the ideas that were presented in the article  "The Elusive Big Idea" by Neil Gabler. 

In his article he talked about how we live in a post-idea world and that all the ideas that have ever been useful or can ever be useful have already been thought up. How the only thing that is important in our generation anymore is the obtaining of information. As much information as possible and knowing more information than any other person rather than thinking about that information and using it to try and comprehend the world and people around us. 

His article made me think about how our generation is all about a obtaining as much information about our friends and our family and even random facts that we find when we are following someone on Twitter, and less on creating thought-provoking ideas. Of course he talks about how Steve Jobs is obviously someone who had brilliant ideas and was a great inventor, but the things that he invented were material objects not ideas or thoughts that give us insight into his inventions or even into comprehending the world. That is something that we are missing in this generation, ideas. Now you are undoubtedly thinking that Steve Jobs did exactly that, he had ideas and he used those ideas to create something revolutionary, but it's also apparent that his ideas were profit-making inventions, not ideas that challenge you to think intellectually. 

Because of the overload of information that we take in everyday, we don't have the time to really process that information and really think about how it connects with the world around us. "We are inundated with so much information that we wouldn't have time to process it even if we wanted to, and most of us don't want to" (Gabler "The Elusive Big Idea). 

He also talks about how we have all of these sites and blogs dedicated to the expression of ideas like Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr etc., but they are basically just different ways to exchange information from one person to another as easily as possible, not necessarily ideas. I truly believe that these sites, although they were originally meant for ideas, have essentially become corrupted and they're one of the things that keeps my generation from creating ideas. I've noticed that we have this sort of obsession with Twitter and Facebook because of how it helps us attain more useless information about anything that happens at any given moment.

Of course there are the exceptions of people who do actually spread ideas, thought-provoking ideas, that get the Twitter and Facebook population to really think about their ideas, but I agree with Neal Gabler when he says, "To paraphrase the famous dictum, often attributed to Yogi Berra, that you can't think and hit at the same time, you can't think and tweet at the same time either, not because it is impossible to multitask but because tweeting, which is largely a burst of either brief, unsupported opinions or brief descriptions of your own prosaic activities, is a form of distraction or anti-thinking" (Gabler). 

For example, because you're only allowed 140 some characters on a Twitter post, you can't arguably produce an idea that makes people think. Makes them wonder about this idea and the possibilities it holds. Of course it is difficult for someone who has boarded the information train to get off easily, but I plan on not becoming a victim to information. Just by reading this article, I am able to understand what Neal Gabler is trying to get my generation to think about. This article is an idea. It is exactly what we are missing and he is presenting this idea that we have a shortage of ideas by expressing his ideas.

Did you get that?

Let me rephrase. Neal Gabler uses his article "The Elusive Big Idea" to express to us how thought-provoking ideas are almost non-existent in this generation. He is expressing this idea to us and is forcing us to think about that idea, and when we think about that idea it created thought-provoking ideas from the reader.

Now do you get it?

Think about it.

Until next time,
Rachel.

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Connection: "The Sea of Information" to Being a Good Student

This week we were assigned to read The Sea of Information by Andrea Barrett and, "Prepare for discussion three passages that express an insight about creativity." -Mr.Allen. When it came time for me to look over the homework assigned on the class website, I read the above explanation for the assignment incorrectly. I thought that it had meant write about three passages that explain how she expresses her creativity.

Boy was I wrong.

The next day there was a quiz on the essay, and for the quiz we had to write down almost the exact same thing we did for homework, and it wasn't until I was flipping through the essay looking for useable notes that I realized I had done the assignment completely wrong.

By sheer luck I had underlined the first of three ways that she, "express[es] an insight about creativity" and that ended up being the only thing I wrote down the entire quiz. 

The next day we went over the answers that Mr. Allen believed to be correct and I noticed that the answers were almost describing exactly what I didn't do to complete the assignment right.  The Sea of Information seems to be indirectly related to how someone can be a good student. Her first point was:

               #1. "Study the work of other creators and be a good student. 

                    The work of others in terms of structure and language can 

                    inspire you to create (10)." (Mr. Allen's 1st answer)

This first point informed me that to be a good student I have to take the time to study in depth the creations of other 'creators' essentially. If I had done exactly that, I would have been able to read the entire essay and point out exactly where she gives insight about creativity. Not only does this relate to my incomplete assignment, but also to my creative thinking process. In addition:

               #2. "Inhabit other worlds through reading. This allows the 

                    creative mind to think in other realities and live beyond its 

                    own, generating a richer pool of ideas for creative work 

                    (14)." (Mr. Allen's 2nd answer)

The second point in a way was informing me of the importance of expanding my creative mind by thoroughly reading the essay and other literature. By doing so, I won't miss it's main points and I'll be able to do the assignment correctly while also helping my creative mind to think beyond my own reality. Lastly:

             #3. "Finding the voice of your work is very important. You 

                  have to feel your way into it by constructing the basic frame-

                  work of the work, then add the details later. In other words, 

                  be willing to sketch (18)." (Mr. Allen's 3rd answer)

Finally, the third point is a way to bring all your thoughts together and figure out what your personal voice is in your work. By doing so, you'll be able to set the foundation of your creation and then have options as to what your next move will be based on that foundation. For me it means following the guidelines of the homework while adding my personal thoughts or voice to the work as well.

The Sea of Information informs students like me on how to be a good student by giving step by step instructions on how to accomplish that. They are related because, perhaps without knowing, she (and Mr. Allen!) created a guideline for students to follow when it comes to being a good student. The relationship between these two subjects matters to me because I am the kind of student who has a lot of trouble thoroughly reading the packets that my English teachers hand out. This essay gave me insight into the things that I am doing wrong when it comes to analyzing stories or essays and how I can change the way I approach the assignment (or my creative mind). 

The next time you encounter a homework assignment that seems difficult, remember the instructions that Andrea Barrett and my teacher Mr. Allen taught here today.

Until next time,

Rachel.

Carry It Forward: The Creative Personality

Can you remember your first grade teacher? How about second? Or third? What do you remember about these people? Perhaps they were crabby old women, or mean unfriendly men.

Or maybe there was one teacher who you will never forget. A teacher who taught you the alphabet or colors in creative ways that you can still remember today. Most likely that teacher is still teaching today and I'd be willing to bet they are one of the happiest people you'll ever meet.

Why? Because he or she values creativity. 

In the article, The Creative Personality, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi talks about the idea that, "creativity is a central source in our lives", and that "when we're creative, we feel we are living more fully than during the rest of life" (Csikszentmihalyi). I value creativity because, like the article says, when we are creative it gives us a feeling of fulfillment that almost no other situation can.

But what about teaching creativity in our schools? Are our teachers teaching our children the values we want them to learn? If our teachers do not value and teach creativity in the classroom, our children's creativity may not survive past adolescence.

Creativity is a key value that all teachers should possess, especially those who teach young children. If children are instilled at an early age with the idea that creativity is a key to living a full life, they'll teach their children and their children will teach their children and the cycle will continue.

I view creativity as an important aspect in the development of our nations younger generations, and I plan on basing the structure of my future teaching career on creativity. By valuing creativity as a future teacher, I'll be able to encourage the creativity of our children step by step, while at the same time teaching them to value it as well.

For example, if children are taught at an early age to nurture and experiment with their creativity, they'll experience first hand what it feels like to have a sense of fulfillment. From then on, they'll realize that being creative is what makes them have this feeling of being fulfilled, and they will continue to explore their creativity as they grow older. With whole generations focusing on their creative sides, the current creativity crisis will start to decrease and more people will get to experience the feeling of fulfillment.

You may be wondering if there is any hope for those of you past childhood to explore your creative side and the answer is a big yes! I challenge you to incorporate creativity into your everyday lives and find something that gives your life a fuller feeling.

Until next time,
Rachel.