Computers=creativity?
In his article ‘Computer as paintbrush: technology, play and the creative society’ (Resnick, 2006) Resnick argues that most children’s interactions with computers are passive, but that this needn’t be the case. I agree that instead of just interacting with computer technology, students should use media such as garageband, etc, to create and design projects, giving them a greater understanding of how technology works and how they can manipulate it to different ends.
From google images URL here
Resnick’s article cites several examples of how this has been done, for example a marble machine that uses small computers (Crickets) to manipulate the marble’s path through the maze. The experimentation this child undertook to determine where she should place her crickets, how she could time the crickets movements, etc, involved a lot of creative thinking, and was also something she highly enjoyed. I think that technologies like this that can be integrated into the curriculum are great tools that can foster creative thinking in students, and can perhaps engage them in ways that traditional methods cannot.
