Innovative Guide for Creative Education
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For those who lead children and youth in activities and education, cell phones have become the bane of their existence. As hard as schools try, they continue to have cell phones distract their students. So, Neilson and Webb challenge teachers to stop fighting students and start working within the "texting" culture, using cell phones as an ally instead of an enemy.

This book is very through, although if I were to use it I would really have to do some deeper research om how to use my cell phone more effectively. The book includes ideas on how to develop lesson plans with wireless technology, and how to advocate for a text-friendly educational plan in your classroom, school,and district. The authors provide studies of this model of education to bolster their advocacy of the use of text messaging in schools. It is a really well laid out argument in favor of cell phones, especially smart phones, in a classroom environment.

I do think, however, that the authors are a little overly optimistic about how smoothly this model of education will integrate into an educational environment. I don't have any evidence of this however, just the gut instinct of someone who worked with adolescents for over a decade.
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Creative thinking as defined by the author is "the ability to re-arrange, re-formulate, re-pattern, mix, merge and construct already known and new 'thought forms' in different combinations" and he aims to keep your creative mechanism humming along productively and enthusiastically.

Drawing from his knowledge of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), he offers simple mental strategies and keys to unlock your creative powers, your enthusiasm and a whole lot more in
"Creative Problem Solving Techniques To Change Your Life." Well done. Highly recommended.
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"Think Wrong" is a very creatively designed book for people who want to go beyond the status quo and blaze a path into the future. The world has a lot of problems that need to be solved and the methods the coaches who wrote this book employ help open up the imagination to new possibilities.

So "thinking wrong" does not mean thinking negatively. It simply means to work together with others for the most innovative ideas to appear.

People are often afraid of sharing their ideas because they fear rejection or being laughed out of a room. The drills explained in this book help to open up communication and as the authors say: "listen to other's points of view."

To me this book reminded me of brainstorming. You will need posters and post-it notes and a room full of eager participants. People do have solutions to the world's problems when they are encouraged to speak up.

So the ideas in this book are on the cutting edge of thinking. Examples are given about companies who have had great success with these methods. Don't be surprised if this book inspires new solutions to old problems you've tried to solve unsuccessfully in the past.

~The Rebecca Review

The authors very kindly provided me with a review copy.
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Design for Motion provides a great introduction to the process of design thinking for motion graphics. This book focuses mainly on the creation of styleframes, design boards, and process books, while still covering many other aspects of motion graphics. Inside you will find real world examples, plenty of student work, and input from top industry designers and directors like Patrick Clair, GMUNK, Erin Sarofsky, Daniel Oeffinger, Danny Yount.

What also makes this book standout is its ability to be used by students and educators alike (and of course, active creative folk of any type). Included are a series of creative briefs that can be used to practice the techniques covered in the text. Take them seriously too, many of the student examples came from very similar briefs, and as you will see they yielded some impressive results.

Take aways:
- Great introduction to motion design principles and industry know-how
- Covers wide variety of subjects within motion design (terms, process, pitches, design boards, styleframes, etc.)
- Filled with student and industry examples
- Interviews with many industry leaders
- Built in "projects" for those serious about developing these skills
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Many books on the subject of creativity are loaded with exercises that may feel silly to most folks. Rather than have readers stand on their heads or play odd word games, Plsek's approach to creativity is logical and  scientifically founded. In addition to being a great approach to the theory  and practice of generating creative ideas, the book also opens the door to  learnings from cognitive sciences. Smart, illuminating  and highly  readable.
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As school systems become enmeshed in data-driven policies, students across our country are losing the opportunity to discover and use their creative gifts. As a parent of a nine year-old girl and a teacher, I wish every school district in this country would show their teachers Creativity in Education.  This documentary not only looks at the historical roots of standardized testing, but also outlines a plan for educators and parents to enable children to re-discover their creative talents so that learning can become an adventure.
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"The World is Open", by Curtis J. Bonk, PhD, is tremendously filled with new ideas and innovations for education.  From the causal, on-demand learner to elementary schools and college students, this book identifies the latest trends and resources in learning.  This book has so much; it took me a long while to finish.  Every few pages I would get on the internet and look at the sites.  Wow!  Something in this book impacts everyone who is reading this review.

If you are reading this, then you have learned how to blog, or a t least how to surf the internet.  Maybe even how to use Twitter or Facebook.  This is an example on on-demand, on-line, blended learning.  For The Flat classroom project has students from Westwood Schools in Camillia, Ga., collaborating with students and schools in Doha, Qatar and Dhaka, Bangladesh for project-oriented activities judged by judges in China, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.  MIT has the open course project has their class curriculum on-line and free to use.  Since 2006, Michigan requires high school students to complete at least 20 hours of meaningful online learning to graduate and Florida has an on-line high school.

Dr. Bonk's book illustrates current trends and technologies of using Web 2.0 in learning of all types, not just education.  It really brings home the how the world will be taught in the upcoming years.  What is evident from Japan, China, Africa, South America, and Canada, is those countries are investing and using the new technology to educate and train their people, and if the U.S. does not change its educational delivery, then it will fall behind.

Here are just some of the things for learners, students, and educators Bonk lists in his exciting book:  Big Think, Teacher Tube, PLoS, SciVee, MIT, Chinswing, Connexions, Curriki, Wikispecies, MoOM, GNG, Global Kids, WEbook, Scribd, ePal, Chumby and Livemocha (which I am using now to learn Chinese).  Go by his website, google the above items, and get into the future of learning.
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As a homeschooling mom, I took one look at the copy I got from the library and decided I had to have this book in my collection. Its a great resource. Very creative and unique. Saves me from having to hunt up fun hands on activities for the countries we are studying.  I am not an artsy craftsy kind of person and usually find that stuff a waste of time. So something must be really good for me to take notice of. I think theres alot of value to this book. Its a resource to supplement what you are teaching.
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This is an excellent and timely book as teachers and students continue their evolution into new and emerging media technology. It is clear the authors are completely in touch with students and teachers while comfortable with methods of teaching that take advantage new multimedia research and presentations. The layout of the book is outstanding with useful learning goals, tech and teaching tips. Their use of sidebars and post-it notes keeps the readers' attention very well. Illustrating how to use technology in the range of subjects from science to math to literature enhances the book greatly. As the dean emeritus of two different medical schools, I would enjoy seeing these authors partner with the health sciences to make a comparable book.
JF, Dean Emeritus, University of Illinois Colleges of Medicine.
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This book presents an array of helpful ideas for improved thinking. It is filled with original brainstorming tools that will empower one to generate, organize and process ideas. The book shows how to look at problems and convert them into opportunities.
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This product is a wonderful example of innovative learning and exploration. Not only does the custom application guide the builder through the process of making a very high fidelity, Bose quality, Bluetooth speaker, but it teaches the fundamentals of sound and wave technology as well as how sound can be influenced by enclosures, available surfaces etc.  This is a product that encourages hands-on learning and I for one think it is the type of product that will help bring innovation back into the reality of the next generation of learners. If every STEM learning program had products of this caliber to teach with, we would have more new ideas than we know what to do with!  This was a fun project for a bright 6 year old and her dad to produce and the functioning lightshow / speaker is a bonus benefit to the project!  Thank you Bosebuild for this incredibly simple but enjoyable teaching/learning platform!
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This book is a wonderful, practical guide for building a more creative environment.  He starts with the essential factors and ground rules for achieving creativity, such as:
*  Everyone is creative.
*  Be aware of your own defenses.
*  Keep it in the room:  confidentiality counts.
*  Build on other's ideas.
*  Keep the energy up.
*  Stick to the problem/topic.
*  Keep it fun to keep it productive.
*  Embrace ambiguity.
*  Foster Constructive dissatisfaction.
*  Nothing "bad."
He describes some great process tools to brainstorm and wraps them all up in "The Game" where the facilitator provides creative prompts to force new perspectives and new mind-sets.  He lets you know how to set it up, what to be careful about and how to get the most out of the game.
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STEAM is an amazing collection of ideas for teaching science, technology, engineering, art, and math principles to young children. An easy to read format that is perfect for busy parents and teachers, this is a valuable resource for anyone working with young children. The wide variety of activities are carefully designed to appeal to a range of ages, interests, and abilities. I can't wait to explore trains and magnets, create our own rainbows, and more. STEAM is thoughtfully written, creatively designed, and overall inspiring.
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This is an excellent text book for creating dynamic and creative curriculum and for lesson planning.  I wish  I had written it.  I highly recommend it.
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A refreshingly creative book that makes you immediately
want to go out and make something new and different.  This
is not just a book about dolls and sewing; it's an artistic
exploration of culture, color, materials, and processes.
Lovely color photos, drawings, and step-by-step instructions.
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This is not the usual boring  education book. The ideas in this book are easily adaptable for any grade level and can be implemented easily.
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An altogether excellent book for teachers and students alike. It covers most of the basic poetic devices in an innovative way, drawing on both traditions (classics and Hip-hop). The question are well thought out and it is nice that essay prompts are suggested.