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Do Away with PISA?

PISA12/17/11 - Random Thoughts from the Conference on Imagination and Creativity #2

Well the day started out much like yesterday – missed the bus – but found 2 colleagues Robyn Gillies from University of Queensland  and her husband (retired teacher) from Australia who had also – we shared a cab and I spent most of the day with them –  about 3 pm I was looking at the program and saw a familiar picture and turned to Robyn and said OH there you are!! – Evidently she was an invited speaker on Cooperative Learning – Fame is Fleeting! - engaging together couple; enjoyed them.

Technology to the Rescue

Random thoughts from the Confernce Creativity and Imagination held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

12/16/11

Missed the bus to the University as did a couple of my colleagues from Finland – so we shared a cab.  They are at the East Finland University and are special educators – I have me many Finnish special educators on previous trips  – they know how to travel --  the older professor has a colleague in Nebraska who he visits with --  an insight to the Finnish personality – he likes it – says he went to a small town of 700 people and read the history – said the town was formed in 1879 and nothing has changed much since – he says that is the way Fins like - 

Creativity+ Innovation = Game Change!

Steve Jobs was the Henry Ford of his time. Henry did not invent the automobile. He turned automotive transportation into an affordable consumer product. Steve did not invent the computer, the phone or the tablet. He turned these devices into affordable consumer products.  The car and the modern computer interface came from the creative minds of other people but were commercialized by creative innovators Ford and Jobs.

Creativity is the development of a novel idea that has value (de Bono 2011, Amiable 1996, 2004; Sternberg 1999). Being creative in a leadership sense is the capacity to see and think differently than most. But, “being creative is not enough!” 

Strategic Leadership: Key Definitions

Strategic
At the center of anything strategic is a purpose that needs to be fostered, enhanced, or nurtured. So, when you hear the word strategic think purpose, priorities, strategies and the tactics you use to achieve your purpose.

What Makes these Events Creative?

Observation #1
I was standing in the lobby of the Europa Hotel in Belfast waiting for a colleague to go to dinner.  Singles, pairs and groups of young men and women rushed into the lobby and asked where was the White Collar Boxing taking place.  The doorman said on the first floor,  After observing this scene for a few minutes I asked the doorman what is white collar boxing and why were all these people rushing to participate.  After all I had been at the hotel for 4 days and had not seen this many people in the lobby before.  He explained that white collar means managers, lawyers, directors of companies where donating their talent to box each other for charity,  He surmised that some of the people rushing in where coming to see their boss take a beating.   

The Master SLer Steps Down!

Steve Jobs


The Master SLer steps down!  Steve Jobs says his health no longer allows him to fulfill his duties. He is the man who was a role model of:




1. Persistence and learning from mistakes – the Newton – Lisa. The newton turned into I Phone; Lisa turned into the Macintosh;


2. Commitment to values – ease of use and cool design – closed sourcing –


3. Resilience – forced out of Apple, he founded Next computer – returned to Apple and took it to greater heights.


4. Branding and Image - The Black Mock Turtle – The well worn blue jeans - The annual presentation of products we couldn’t do without. — The image, voice and soul of Apple.  A Rock Star

Frame or be Framed!

pastaI am the eldest of six children in our family.  After our parents passed, we all have grown older and closer. At our annual reunions there is always a time, generally at the dinner table, when our conversation turns to memories of our youth, our parents, and our views of the world then and now.

We grew up in a small three bedroom house with one small bathroom.   With eight of us squeezed into this small house, we   lived in exceptionally close proximity but when it was story-telling time during our reunions it is as if we each grew up in a different house to different parents and with other siblings.  Memories are strange that way!

Roll Up or Roll Out?

uuDr. Linda Ellington
Associate Professor of Business
Palm Beach Atlantic University

Systems thinkers believe the whole is greater than the parts. They see the whole picture and the connections between and among seemingly disparate events and processes and use this information to make reliable inferences developing an increasingly deep understanding of underlying structure.  Here is how it works!

Mulling it Over! Fast or Slow

sayReflection (or mulling things over) is the ability to inquire, mentally concentrate, carefully consider, and evaluate our experiences. Reflective thinking can be used on action, in action, and for action. When used on action we review past experiences to determine what happened and how could we have done it better. When used for action, the evaluative way the skills of critical thinking and creative thinking are important.  When used in action we act intuitively relying on the rules of thumb we created when reflecting on action. Using these three tactics, reflection becomes a powerful strategic thinking skill that enables us to evaluate, decide and embark on new paths. The following vignette of how a school found its purpose illustrates how it works!

A Little Birdie Told Me!

birdieReflection serves several functions. It can be used on action, in action, and for action. This post examines reflection in action or thinking on our feet in the heat of the battle. Schön’s (1983) ideas on reflecting in action, Simon’s (1987) intuition, Meyers’ (2002) and Gladwell’s (2005)  thin slicing, Klein’s (1998) recognition primed decision-making, Chase & Simon’s (1973) chunking, and Pisapia’s (2010) contrast of blinking and thinking are examples of scholarly and popular work in the area.

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