Research Guides: Creative Assignments: Creative Assignments

Assignment Planning:

Designing Meaningful Research Assignments
Guidelines for making library research a learning experience for students.
Collaboration & Creativity
Web literacy activities that focus on the concepts of connect, protect, open practice, contribute, and share.
Literacy Writing
Web literacy activities that focus on the concepts of design, code, compose, revise, and remix.
Problem Solving & Communication
Web literacy activities that focus on the concepts of search, navigate, synthesize, evaluate.

BeautifulA.I
Enables users to create dynamic presentations quickly and easily with “smart templates,” large selection of stock photos and tools.
Hack the News
Use X-Ray Googles to remix news headlines, stories and images. Great way to introduce the concepts of remixing and fake news.
Padlet
Real-time classroom collaboration tool for sharing pictures, articles, etc.
Piktochart
Transform data into memorable graphical presentations
StoryMap
Northwestern University's design lets you add video, articles and more to your maps.
ThingLink
Add graphics, video and text to an image - more interesting than a PowerPoint without the dizziness of a Prezi.

Portfolio Presentation tools:

Omeka
Free (paid upgrades available) digital exhibit format combines images and text, creating a website that can be added to over time. Good for collaborative or personal project and student portfolios or resumes.

Omeka Example: Goin' North - from West Chester University History Department

Scalar
Open source publishing tool that enables users to assemble media from multiple sources.

Scalar Example: We Are All Children of Algeria - from New York University Media, Culture, and Communication Department

VIDEO: Storytelling in Colleges
Professor Carol Haigh, Professor in Nursing at MMU, talks about how she uses storytelling with her students.
Creative Teaching
Storytelling ideas from Manchester Metropolitan University

Storytelling Templates & Tools:

Printable Comics
Wide variety of templates to choose from; free.
Make Beliefs Printable Comics
FREE: Create and print simple comics. At their website, find the “Start Here” button and click it. Once started, creating is fairly straight-forward. 305+ templates
Sway
Digital storytelling app that uses images, text and other media; free for individuals.

Play to Learn
100 great sites (software, tools, and design) that focus on gamification in education.
Introduction to Teaching with Gaming
Gaming ideas and best practices from the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Gamestar Mechanic
Interactive site to learn how to design and make video games.
VIDEO: Games and Education
James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy
How to Smile
Over 3,000 activities created by science museums to support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
NASA Science
STEM activites for high school and higher educational settings.
Quizlet
Make, study and share online flashcards, study guides and quizzes.

Gaming for Good:

Games for Change
Facilitates the creation and distribution of social impact games that serve as critical tools in humanitarian and educational efforts.
Super Better
Games for learning resilience. Resilience means staying curious, optimistic and motivated even in the face of the toughest challenges.
TED: Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life
McGonigal explains how a game can boost resilience -- and promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life.