I did talk to a co-worker's daughter, Hayden, a sophomore in high school. Hayden's a bright girl, and is interested in going to college and pursuing veterinarian school. I anticipated that she'd have lots to say about her desire for creativity connected to assignments, but it started out slowly.
So, she appreciates the self-expression aspect of creativity, which is true of most students her age. Most are eager to express themselves in their apparel, language, art, and extra curricular activities.
From this statement it seems that she would value the use of digital media in any lesson that would promote learning. This observation rings true to me; as a student I to appreciate the use of technology when learning something new. The use of technology and digital media comes naturally to me, so I like to learn and teach with it.
This is the part of the conversation where I get discouraged. Hayden assumed that the use of technology could hinder ones creative ability. This makes me believe that she's had little opportunity with the numerous Web 2.0 tools that are available to students. While she may not have had many opportunities to be digitally creative, she mentioned that she'd much rather create a project than take a test as an assessment. This type of assignment is exactly what Gardner suggests for adolescents, a task in which there is no one right answer (Gardner, 2008). This type of thinking can help students evaluate, maintain, or even change their outlook on a topic, and that evaluation is necessary for knowledge to be retained.
Gardner, H. (2008). Five Minds for the Future. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Press
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