Sir Ken Robinson is concerned that we’re killing creativity in our education systems.

If you watched the video I made from last week’s trip, I included a clip of a young boy who likes using Scratch in his school. The program acts as his virtual toolbox to create things, like his experiment with fractal music. It wasn’t beautiful art, per se, but it was what he set out to make: “music” based on the concepts of fractals. There’s no right or wrong answer here, unless you want to quibble over what formula he used. If you use the same tool to tell a story, or to create a game… there are good stories and bad ones, and certainly great games and lame games. No question. But how do we work towards discovering the great games within us if we aren’t exploring, creating, and failing every so often?

I think the bigger question for both parents and teachers is this: Why don’t more of you value creativity? I think schools would respond if society were asking (or demanding) creativity from our schools. Likely the biggest thrill I got out of visiting other Scratch enthusiasts last week was their own creativity (in expanding the platform) but also the celebration of what creativity is capable of. The trigger for me is an emotional response. When work students do causes that emotional response in me, I know it’s right, it’s good, and it’s very creative. As I move forward as an educator, I know my calling is to promote the powerful theme of creativity in learning.

Here are some highlights from the first day of Scratch this past week.

Scratch@MIT 2010: Day 1 Conference from Karen Brennan on Vimeo.

The conference was in Cambridge, MA and over 225 were in attendance. I’d wager that a third were from countries outside of the U.S. It was great to see the famous MIT Media Lab up close, and to see the birthplace of some amazing projects, including Scratch, Siftables, and the “Sixth Sense.” The focus however was on Scratch, the community behind it, and some innovations taking place both at MIT and also by others around the world.

Scratch@MIT 2010: Day 2 Conference from Karen Brennan on Vimeo.

The neatest take-away was a new Scratch-related project called DesignBlocks. This new project takes the Scratch-esque programming blocks and puts them online via Flash into a context for building designs and art.

I’m processing my own photos and movies now… but these videos (above and below) was shown during the conference’s closing session.

Scratch@MIT 2010: Day 2 Interviews from Karen Brennan on Vimeo.

To see my video, visit Vimeo.

Just watched a great episode of MacBreak on developing iPad “web apps” using automation on Mac OS X.

The idea is to prepare some media for sharing, and the automation can do the rest. It is definitely worth a try. I only wish they would have shown us more of the Mac manipulation than the hosts.

For more, check out padilicious.com/.

We’ve moved from the etiquette of the individual to the etiquette of the flow.

I came across this article today via Kottke.

The new coffeehouse is not a place per se, it’s a feature.

(Don’t miss this link at the bottom, where evidently California is a happy place after all, according to Twitter.)

The reason this stuff interests me is because I see phones coming out more and more when people get together, and I’m not sure how it rubs me. With full disclosure, I’ve pulled mine out as well. It seems if others start, you might as well join-in. But why do people do this?

• Is it because they feel an addictive need to “swipe open” their iPhones and check Twitter?
• Is it because they’re really interested in checking their e-mail (or other types of communication)?
• Is it because they have to update their status in some social forum?
• Is it because they are playing a social game that will earn them points or notoriety?

Or, you know, some other reason?

I have to say in general I find when I’m in the company of others that taking calls is rude. I’ve taken one (yes, just one) in my life, and I felt it was a near-emergency that required me answering the phone. And yet I still feel guilty about it.

But I also feel for those who feel an instinct to pull out (whip it, as they say in the article, well written indeed) that they find comfort in the act of becoming connected. And I wonder – where this is headed.

The feeling of peace overcomes me at times at work when my iChat window is not there—I’ve forgotten to open the program. It’s me, my thoughts, and the computer. A happy, productive knowledge worker. But soon I may find isolation overtake me. It’s not people I necessarily need, it’s a communion with the grid. I mark myself “Available” and happy times ensue.

Unless it’s a day of endless questions.

So, in the end, I think a group (large or small) may elect to have personal reading time on a smartphone, to do whatever: catch up on news, answer an important e-mail, or play a social game. But the key here is we need to agree. It might be habit. But there’s something instinctual about valuing the personal, face-time (not FaceTime™) arrangement we can have by finding a more peaceful space to enjoy one another’s company, fully listen to one another, or just to show respect for one another.

That’s fine, I know, you say, but so many of the folks I work with have kids. And who is calling them? The kids. It’s either a minor emergency, a permission request to do something, or arranging childcare among the grandparents. How do you manage that??

And do you change the rules if you’re among friends vs. work colleagues?

I don’t have all the answers, obviously, but I find this very interesting. Are we really joining a party of collectiveness that’s richer and more expressive by accessing our cell phones on the prowl? Or are we quite plainly de-valuing the social interactions we have with friends, co-workers, and family? &&Can we all get along with both needs—to respect one another and yet still satisfy the connection itch?**

I’ve been absent recently from the more active voices of the online world. I apologize for folks who read this blog. Lately I feel like I’ve been consuming so much and had little to say. Or at least that is a convenient excuse.

But I turned to the blogosphere today (as opposed to the quick and dirty world of the Twitterverse) to voice my complaint about AT&T Mobile.

I like my iPhone – I’m a fan of Apple’s – and I have had a reasonable experience with AT&T. They don’t mess up my billing and I haven’t had nightmares with their service.

But lately they’ve been sending me spam. Little store announcements telling me to come in and check out their new, refurbished store. But these stores aren’t in Virginia. The latest one is from Indiana:

Visit our recently remodeled AT&T store to experience the latest in communications technology: AT&T 1102 N. Wayne Street Angola, IN 46703 (260) 665-6417

Why should I be getting this?? I will never go to Angola, IN. And if I’m a liar and do, it won’t be to check out their store.

I think it’s ridiculous marketing that only has the potential to anger its otherwise satisfied customers. So I’ve unsubscribed from their e-mail.

Does that mean I won’t get my bills anymore? Because that is the only reason I signed up to begin with…

Nothing like clearing your mind of a good old fashioned complaint to bring you back to the blogosphere.