This week, as part of The Billy Madison Project for TransformEd, I got to sit in on a few high school classes. I wasn't a guest or a visitor, I was a student. I got the same assignments and was expected to do the same work.
In English class I was on the edge of my seat as the teacher introduced the kids to Pixton, a Click-n-Drag Comics™ technology that allows anyone to create comics. When he announced the assignment as: "I want you to get into Pixton, mess around and make something" I must have been visibly giddy. An English teacher introducing a technology and encouraging kids to create something had awesome written all over it. Later in the class, he handed out copies of Maus by Art Spiegelman and I thought I might embarrass myself with my enthusiasm. Inside of 30 minutes, I got that adrenaline rush you get when you are so overwhelmed with excitement that you have a hard time articulating a cohesive thought.
Next generation schools must help kids explore creativity and give them opportunities to experience new things by encouraging the maker mentality and having them take action. The kids in this class wanted guidance on how they were going to be graded but this teacher could hardly wait to see what these kids would create when given access to a technology as powerful as Pixton. How do you put a grade on creativity?
Pixton is one of many things available with the ability to transform education. A spark of creativity and the encouragement to use your imagination are all you need to create something way beyond awesome. Now go get after it!
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