6Cs of education – Creativity with Book Creator

According to renowned psychologist Csikszentmihalyi, creativity is a process that transforms an existing notion into something new.  As such, this definition may be a driving force behind the much of the discussion around creativity in schools and the rise of ideas such as AppSmashing and remixing.

However, as I wrote in a recent post on Innovate My School, Professor Michael Fullan refers to creativity as one of his 6Cs and links the idea with imagination.

In thinking about creativity as a manifestation of imagination, as well as the popularity of AppSmashing, remixing, and digital authorship, I started to realize how Book Creator exists as a sort of catalyst for the creative process. Within the app, students can draw, type, record audio, and insert images as well as video, but that is only the beginning!

With our upcoming embedding feature Book Creator can also pull from other apps and devices, so students now have unlimited access to creative potential. You'll soon be able to add Google Maps, Google Docs or Slides, videos posted to YouTube or Vimeo, and even embed codes from tools such as Desmos or Nearpod!

Since the list of potential embed codes seems to be growing by the day, students have unlimited possibilities to create something new.

With the ability to publish Book Creator products to the web, students can even embed or link books to other platforms and projects: websites, interactive Google Drawings, Microsoft Sways, or even within virtual reality spaces. In many ways, Book Creator can almost create a never-ending spiral of creativity. Creations can be added to books and then books can be added to new creative spaces.

However, Professor Fullan further defines creativity not only as "the opportunity to pursue novel ideas" but also as "economic and social entrepreneurialism" and "leadership for action." That said, beyond considering Book Creator as an option for students to share their thinking, demonstrate their understanding, or create something new, how might we allow them to harness the power of a single app to design or present a creative solution to a community challenge or take action as a leader in the classroom?

Because much like how a paintbrush becomes the instrument of a masterpiece when placed in the hand of an artist with just the right inspiration, we believe that Book Creator can lead to creativity in a classroom when it encourages students to imagine, problem-solve, create and play.