1. The Journalism Lab:
Brewing Creative Minds
Sheila Jones, CJE
For
JEA National Convention
San Francisco, CA
April 2013

2. R ATIVITY
Suddenly, creativity is …
BIGfinally

3. Why should we care?
In a 1968 study. George Land gave 1,600
five-year-olds NASA’s creativity test used to
select innovative scientists and engineers.
The results:
Among the 5-year-olds: 98 percent
Retested at 10-yrs-old: 30 percent
Retested at 15-yrs-old: 12 percent
Same test to 280,000 adults: 2 percent
Conclusion:
Non-creative behavior is learned.
Linda Naiman, “Orchestrating Collaboration at Work,” creativityatwork.com

4. [Image: Taylorswiftquotes.net]
Is creativity music? Lyrics? Poetry? Art? Dance? What about science? Math?

5. Colorado students display creativity
in real science solutions
Students in Creative Engineering
at Skyline High School in Longmont, CO,
go beyond hypothetical problems to work
on an adaptive technology project to aid
a local 10-year-old girl with a debilitative
joint condition.
The Denver Post
Intel Corporation
Sara Volz, a Colorado Springs senior at
Cheyenne Mountain High School won
$100,000 in the 2013 Intel Science Talent
Search. Her project involves increasing
The oil content of algae to create an
economical source of biofuel.

6. #1 - What makes creativity work?
Myths vs. Reality
#2 – Because journalism
creates opportunities for
creativity to occur, we can
de-‘myth’-ify it in the
journalism lab.

7. 1st
Some background

8. The business world values creativity
Creativity is at the
foundation of innovation
and is vital for our country’s
growth and development.
Creativity fuels all areas of
our country’s economy and
prosperity.
Stephan Turnipseed
President, LEGO Education

9. August Turak, wrote in Forbes’ magazine that
IBM’s success depended on teaching its
executive leaders to think creatively….
In business we all know we
must do a better job at
“getting outside the box” but
very few of us do anything
about it….We don’t learn to be
creative. We must become
creative people.

10. Society wants more than just the practical.
They want the aesthetic as well.
Beauty. Art. Emotion. Luxury.
So says Apple: “Fashion meets Function.”
orDesigner Michael Kors
$80
+
[Images: Apple.com, MichaeKors.com, hardwaresphere.com]

11. Voices are emerging….
Sir Ken Robinson
Out of Our Minds:
Learning to be Creative
Daniel Pink
A Whole New Mind:
How Right-brainers will Rule the World
Jonah Lehrer
Imagine:
How Creativity Works
Images:
SirKenRobinson.com,
DanielPink.com,
JonahLehrer.com,
Amazon.com
Donald J. Treffinger, Ph.D.
with Patricia Schoonover
and Edwin Selby
Educating for Creativity &
Innovation.

12. But in the classroom?
Teach
to the
Test
ACT
SAT
State
Assessments

13. Mercedes Benz ad that plays with Daniel Pink’s idea of training the “whole mind” .

14. Tony Wagner
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Identified
21st Century Learning Skills
[Image: TonyWagner.com]

15. A Difference in Opinion

16. Add
together…Jour
nalism lab =
Creativity Lab

17. Yet nurturing the
creative culture
involves some
myth-busting

18. Myth: Creativity can’t be controlled.
It’s “magical, mysterious, mystical.”
Reality:
Creativity can be managed
using tools and processes.

19. Preparation
• Research
• Curiosity
• Focusing
the problem
Incubation
• Let ideas stew
• 90% of good
work is good
thinking
Insight
• The “Aha!”
moment
• Inspiration
occurs
Evaluation
• Judging quality
• Deciding
whether to
continue
Elaboration
• Translating
thoughts into
actions or
product
Creativity is a process that can be
managed—creative problem solving.

20. Creativity is Persistence in Process
Not just finding the answers,
but figuring out the right questions
The Kipling Method
5W’s and 1 H
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?

22. Prepare Incubate Insight Evaluate Elaborate
Myth: Creativity erupts spontaneously
Reality:
Sometimes it does. More frequently it
evolves from a synthesis of experiences
– what Pink calls “symphony,” as
illustrated with the next few concepts.

23. Creativity is Conceptual Blending
The overlap between two seemingly unrelated
ideas. Creativity invokes expertise in one field to
create something in a new field.
The Wright Brothers’ bicycle expertise became the foundation for the byplane.

24. Johannes Gutenberg’s expertise with…
Winepress Printing Press


25. Journalism Application?
Another way to look at this concept is

28. Creativity is also problem-solving
• Daydreaming
3M gives engineers 15% of
their time to daydream.
They call it bootlegging time.
Google, long considered one
of the most creative
companies does the same.
They call it innovation time.

29. • Triggering Which would you rather take?
a. True or false test
b. Multiple choice test
c. Short answer test
d. Essay test
Creating a clip file


30. Sources for clip files:
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• NewsPageDesigner.org
• Newseum.org/todaysfrontpages
• Pinterest

31. • Priming A phenomenon that occurs when the
activation of one word or image allows a
person to react more quickly to related
words or images—power of suggestion.

32. PiRATEER
This month’s
focus:
Fightingagainst theTide
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Who’sWho?
EnglewoodHighSchool’sfig
h
t tosavethe pool
Want moreonthisstory?
Go to page 10 for a
feature on the boys’
swim team.
Divingintotheproblems
Howit got tothispoint
“TheCrusader”
Sophomore Scott
Neff organized a
petition and rally
in attempt to save
the pool.
“ThePromethean”
Junior Randall
Kloewer helped
organize the
petition and
rallyto save the
pool.
T.C.ScaggiariandVeroniqueBarbour
In a worldin which moldthrives, one
swimmingpoolwillfacetheultimatebattle. Sink
or swim, sailor fail. But howit got tothis point is
thebigquestion that everyoneis asking. Twenty
years in themaking, theneglect oftheEHSpool
has becomea shipwreckofa disaster.
“Ithinkit is a shamethat thepoolis closing.
Severalteams useit andit willbea bigloss to
thecommunity,”former girls’swimcoach Ruth
Nisbet said. Nisbet startedthegirls swimteamat
EnglewoodHigh Schoolbackin the1960s when
thepoolwas first built.
At thetimeit was a stateoftheart pool
andcertain American DisabilityAct (ADA)
requirements, such as handicapped accessibility,
werenot in place, Sup’t. Brian Ewert explains.
“Themost significant issue, andthemost
expensive, even moresothan thedeteriorating
facility, is theinabilitytomakethepool, locker
rooms, bathrooms, hallways, andentrances ADA
accessible. When thepoolwas built in 1966,
thesecoderequirements didn’t exist. In 2012,
theselaws/ codes govern therenovation ofthese
facilities. Theymust bebrought in tocompliance
oncerenovations begin,”Ewert said.
Nisbet stillbelieves theEHSpoolis better
than anyother poolin thestateofColorado. With
its tilefloors andeight lanes, this poolwas a
valuableasset toEHS.
Nisbet, alongwith manyothers, has a
significant historywith this pool. Not onlydid
shestart a swimteam, but shealsostarteda new
chapter ofher lifethere. Ruth Nisbet’s husband
LarryNisbet proposedtoher at theEnglewood
High Schoolpool. Her husbandbecamethe
actingsuperintendent ofEHSfor a periodoftime
duetotheprevious superintendent’s sudden and
unexpectedresignation.
“Myhusband, as superintendent [of
EnglewoodSchools], oversawallbuildings
in Englewood,”Nisbet said. As theacting
superintendent, LarryNisbet was oneofthe
caretakers ofthepool. Budget cuts andissues
slowlyledtotheneglect ofthepool.
“Thepoolwas in great shapewhen Ileft.
However, pools takedailycare. Ifyou don’t take
careofit, it willdeteriorate,”Nisbet said.
In a worldwheremoldthrives, it was not
hardfor thepooltoget intosuch disrepair
becauseofneglectedmaintenance. “It’s never
been maintainedas it shouldhavebeen andnow
wearewhereweare,”SchoolBoardSecretary
VickiHowardsaid.
Currently, theschoolis stuckwith a pool
that is closingandwillbedemolishedafter the
schoolyear andnumerous swimteams, such
as theAces, willbewithout a pool. In theinitial
evaluation ofthepool, its manyfaults werenot
seen;therefore, thoserepair costs werenot
includedin thebond.
“Duringthelongrangeplanningprocess,
thecondition oftheEHSpoolwas describedas
‘poor’. Adeepandthorough assessment ofthe
poolwas not completedat that timeas it was not
part ofthescopeofthelong-rangeplan contract.
So, a rough estimatewas madebasedon the
opinions ofthosewhoperformedthevisual
assessment ofthepool,”Ewert said.
The‘visualassessment’allowedfor
$1million dollars for theupdateofthe
pool;however, despitetheboard’s simple
investigations, theseverityofthesituation hada
higher pricetagthan expected.
“Oncewebegan theprocess ofa full
evaluation ofthepooltoput a realpricetagon
therenovations, it was clear that thepoolhad
manysignificant issues,”Ewert added.
With thebudget cuts andthetight spending
on theBond, theSchoolBoarddecidedthat the
poolwas not an important asset tothebuilding’s
main functions. This means that EHS Pirates will
havetosailtheseas without water for sometime.
Despitethevoter approvalofthebond,
which calledfor completerenovation andrepairs
in EnglewoodHigh School, theterriblecondition
oftheEHSpoolbrought realitycrashingdown.
Englewood’s poolconditions haveprogressively
been decliningalongwith enrollment sinceits
openingin 1966, its maintenancehas slowly
becomemoreandmoreexpensiveandits use
for students has sliddownhillin theeyes of
theschoolboardandsomeofEnglewood’s
taxpayers.
“Wecan’t gobackin time, but weneedto
represent taxpayers. Idon’t thinktheywouldbe
comfortablewith theboardspendingten percent
ofthebudget on a programthat willbefor 50to
70people,”a taxpayer representativesaid.
SophomoreScott NeffandJunior Randall
Kloewer both spokeat themeetingfor the
student body, arguingthat thepoolis an
important part ofEnglewood’s building, history,
and education; however, becauseoftheneglect of
thepool’s maintenanceon thepart ofEnglewood
Parks andRecandEnglewoodSchools, its state
cannot berepairedwith the$1million set aside
for thepoolin thebond. Costs ofpoolrepairs
rackuptoabout $3.2million andcomplete
renovation wouldbearound$5million.
“We, basedon historyandnumbers, are
beingaskedtocontinuea programfor the
students that wouldcost millions ofdollars to
repair. Myjobis topayattention totheentire
community,”SchoolBoardPresident Scott
Gorskysaid.
Despitetherallyat thepoolanda video
thestudents madein support ofkeepingthe
pool, theschoolboarddecidedon February13
toabandon theinclusion ofthepoolin thenew
schoolbuilding. Theydecidedtoprolongthe
demolition ofthepooluntiltheschoolbegins
remodelingnext year, that is ifthepoolis still
safefor swimming. Theschoolboardis also
settingaside$1million andwillsearch for other
contributors tohelpbuilda newpoolin its own
facilityon theEHScampus. Theboardplans to
contact organizations andcorporations related
toswimmingandphysicalfitness for donations
toreach the$3.2million neededtobuildthis
newfacility.
“I don’t think
the bond should
have passed
without further
research about
the pool.”
Mariah
Holman, 12
“On one hand – [the pool] could be
considered an asset and an important
part of PEetc. On the other hand, there
are so manyneeds these days that a pool
seems like a luxuryitem to me.”
SherryScaggiari, tax-payer and former
school board member
“According to the
architects, contractors,
and engineers, we
will be within the
estimated budget. What
emerged from the pool
assessment was the
unknown factor. While
everyone wanted to
save the pool, no one
expected the cost of the
renovations to come
back at three times the
original estimate.”
Superintendent
Brian Ewert
T.C. Scaggiari and Josh Ferge
Issue:5,Volume:52,Date:March9,20123800S.LoganStreet,Englewood,CO80113
Self
Reflect
FormerCoach
Ruth Nisbet started
the swim team in
the late 1960s
after the pool was
built and made sure
that swimming was
required for students
Where the
Drugs Grow
Page 12
Digital
Citizenship
In-Depth
Page 6-7
S
E
I
Z
E
D
A
Y
t he
Page 8
Journalism apps for priming
Pull color out of a
photo and carry it
through the page.
It not only can
inspire your design,
but guide your
reader as well.
Repeat shapes and
images
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


33. After generating
ideas, focusing
ideas into a plan
Focus Sheets
• Finding your
focus
• Putting
thoughts into
action
Focus sheet available
under “Journalism” on
jonesclassesonline.weebly.com

34. Myth: Creativity is easy, quick, and error-
free
Reality:
It is perfectly OK to fail. Growth emerges
from failure and the experience of failure.
The trick is to fail, but fail better each time.
This is where persistence kicks in.

35. A person who never made a mistake
never tried anything new.
– Alfred
Einstein
First
Attempt
In
Learning

36. Myth: Creativity is a solitary effort
Reality:
The Power of Q is significant. “Q” is
group creativity. “When the right
mixture of people come together and
when they collaborate in the right way,
what happens can often feel like magic.”
– Jonah Lehrer, Imagine

37. Collaboration
Low Q
Few connections
Strangers
High Q
Many connections
Close friends, family
Medium Q
Mix of strangers +
close Friends
Sweet Spot
⏏
Based on study of Brian Uzzi,, Northwestern
University. From Imagine by Jonah Lehrer, p. 143.

38. “People have a tendency to want to
only work with their friends. It feels so
much more comfortable. But that’s
exactly the wrong thing to do. If you
really want to make something great
then you’re going to need to seek out
some new people too.”
– Brian Uzzi, Northwestern University

40. Imitate Pixar: Arrange lab for collaboration. Run into each other.
Have lunch meetings. Play games. Celebrate. Alienus Non Diutius.

41. Imitate Pixar: Critique and Debate
Studies and business practices show that debate and
criticism do not inhibit ideas, but stimulate them.
Friday Slideshows: Friday before publication week.
“If we don’t fix something that can be fixed, it’s everybody’s fault.”
– Lee Unkrich, Pixar director
Plussing: Each criticism should include a +.
Focus not on the mistake, but on how to fix it.
“We just want to screw up as quickly as
possible. We want to fail fast. And then
we want to fix it. Together.”
– Lee Unkrich, Pixar director

42. So, what does
this all mean?

43. Preparation
• Research
• Curiosity
• Focusing
the problem
Incubation
• Let ideas stew
• 90% of good
work is good
thinking
Insight
• The “Aha!”
moment
• Inspiration
occurs
Evaluation
• Judging quality
• Deciding
whether to
continue
Elaboration
• Translating
thoughts into
actions or
product
#1: You’re more likely to be creative if you go through
all the steps of a agreed upon process.

44. Tony Wagner
Harvard Graduate School of Education
[Image: TonyWagner.com]
Each of these occurs
in the journalism lab.
#2: Creativity is the sum
of the 21st Century Skills

45. #3: To increase creativity, engage both left brain and right brain.

46. Curiosity &
Imagination
Creativity
Problem
Solving
Adaptability
Collaboration
Initiative
Access &
Analyze
Information
Journalism Creativity: Putting it all together
for the 21st Century

47. References
“Creative Tools.” n.d. Web. http://Creatingminds.org
Lehrer, Jonah. Imagine: How Creativity Works. New York, Houghton-Mifflin. 2012. Print.
Naiman, Linda. “How do you unwrap creativity?” The Creativity at Work Blog. 3 March, 2012. Web.
<www.creativityatwork.com/wpcaw/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/
3-components-of-creativity>.
Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers will Rule the Future. New York, Riverhead. 2006. Print.
Treffinger, Donald, Patricia Schoonover, and Edwin Selby. Educating for Creativity and Innovation. Waco, Texas,
Prufrock Press. 2013. Print.
Turak, August. “Can Creativity Be Taught?” Forbes 22/5/2011.Web. <http://www.forbes.com/
sites/augustturak/2011/05/22/can-creativity-be-taught/>.
Wagner, Tony. The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills
Our Children Need--and What We Can Do About It. New York, Basic Books. 2008. Print.
“What does Creativity Mean to You, Your Boss, Your Clients? Creativity Land. 2010. Web. <http://www.
creativityland.ca/2010/what-does-creativity-mean-to-you-your-boss-your-clients/>.

48. The Journalism Lab:
The Creativity Lab
Sheila Jones
tosheilajones@msn.com