Technology and Creativity Notes

Dr. Jorge Vanegas

We live in a world that is facing a whole new reality. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

Shift Happens.

We live in islands of automation

The road maps need to be changed, the world can be changed by connecting two elements.

Dose of Technology:

Vision-interconnection,automated systems. processes, and equipment will drastically reduce the time and cost

ex) a 15 story building was built in six days!!!

Portfolio Entry 9 - Supplementary Graded Assignment 04

Prezi Presentation:

The learning objectives learning a web application are to (1) develop skills in learning

new ways of doing normal tasks, such as a presentation; (2) develop skills in communicating through

an audiovisual format; and (3) expand the scope of tools that can be used for communicating ideas

using a modern medium.

To view my presentation on "How to be Creative" please click on the following link

Enjoy!

http://prezi.com/ujdzdtmbw_8i/creative-thinking/

Bike Invention

The vast amount of bike inventions that have been created in the past now restrict ENDS 101 students from creating bike inventions. However, as I was biking to class today I realized that I would love to invent a bike shield that blocked the wind from my face and hands. During the summer time, the breeze is soothing and refreshing, however when winter comes and the temperature drops, the breeze is so cold that my face often feels as tho it is completely frozen. The shield I would like to create would be plastic to ensure it did not break easily, clear, so one could see through it, and removable so one could still enjoy the breeze in the summer time.

Portfolio Entry 8 - Team Graded Assignment No. T-3

Ideas Challenge Competition (ICC):

The learning objective of participating in a university-wide competition is to provide an
incentive and a context for the development of innovations, which transcend the course. More
specifically, the learning objectives of this individual assignment are to (1) develop skills in problem
solving, creativity, innovation, and invention; (2) provide an opportunity to apply these skills within the
broader context of business and society; (3) learn about entrepreneurship given that the goal of the
competition is “…to dream up the next great product or service;” and (4) learn to present ideas through
the development of a technical report, a prior work collections, and a technical briefing on the idea,
creation, innovation, or invention developed for the assignment.

To view my teams "Legal Tunes" please click on the following links:

Enjoy!

Technical Report

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B5VW54czbPqvNzVlZmExZDctZGE5Yi00MGY4LWE5ZDctY2E0MWNhY2FiNWUw&hl=en

Prezi!

http://prezi.com/cq0vooghumig/legal-tunes/

Communication and The Creative Process Notes

Dr. Tracy Rutherford

Associate Professor

Agricultural Communications and Journalism

What is communication?

A process in which people interpret messages in order to coordinate their individual and social meanings. Can be verbal, symbols

Basic communication model

Sender-message-receiver

SMCR-Source, Message, Channel, Receiver

Pattern Exercise

To be creative you must defer judgment!

Enhancing creative communication:

• Have a safe environment
• Non-verbal communication
• Time
• Feedback

Personal Feedback of the Lecture:

I never truly realized the great connection between creativity and communication. After listening to today's presentation I realized that without communication, the art of creativity would not exist.

Reflecting on today's presentation, creativity is much more than simply thinking of a new innovation, it is also how you communicate the idea. For example, lets say a Google employee has just invented a great feature for Google. His creation is magnificent, however in the beginning he is the only one that is aware of its existence. Now he must persuade others and make them understand the positive points of the idea. Such persuasion must be done by using effective communication skills, such as a presentation or on a face to face basis.

The lesson of this lecture, I may add, is that the power of creative ideas is only as big as the efficiency of the communicator.

Grand Challenges for Creativity, Innovation, & Knowledge Creation Notes

• In today's society, we are suffering from "too much". Have you been shopping lately? Lets say you want to buy cereal and once you arrive at one of the million stores you are forced to chose from over a hundred cereal brands.
• Our water and environment is so contaminated that when the Olympic games began, many athletes feared that the contamination could harm their health.

Food for thought:

Are you observing, or are you a boiling frog?

An observant person is always aware of his surroundings, while a boiling frog is completely clueless.

Are we prepared? Will we be caught by surprise?

Portfolio Entry 7 - Individual Graded Assignment No. I-4

Process Innovations:

The learning objectives of developing Soft Innovations are: (1) to become aware of

the numerous opportunities that exist for developing product, process, service, or business model

innovations; (2) to develop skills and abilities in creative thinking and problem-solving; (3) to be able to

describe any innovation developed in a briefing, using both visual depictions of the innovations and

textual narratives, and following a clear set of guidelines; and (4) to formally document that any

innovations developed are novel and unique, through the development of a Prior Works Collection

(needs, resources, and precedents) for the innovation, and by conducting simple search engine,

trademark, and patent searches.

My four soft innovations included:

5. Pad-less Brake System

6. Waste-less SCC Printing

7. Easy Access Peanut Butter Jar

8. Non-Removable/ Recyclable Twist Bottle Cap

To fully explore the presentation click on the link bellow

Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B5VW54czbPqvYzE2MDVhMmUtNGNjMS00OGM4LTk2YWMtZGFmMDJmOGY4YTMz&authkey=CPC4hP8J&hl=en

Singularity-Accelerating Futures Notes

 Guest lecturer: Professor Rodney Hill

For companies to be successful many companies believe in a reward system that allows individual employees to succeed and push themselves.

Overview of presentation:

In the past humanity has only undergone through three waves of change, the future has in store many changes. 

Examples:

• Technology has changed everything shopping to interacting with people.
• The new CEO of microsoft has a new pet project in which he wears a camera on his clothes and records pictures every 60 minutes, and so every time he meets someone new he can recall his past conversations
• In five years every ultrasound machine will have the ability to view the image in 3D
• By 2020, the genetic revolution will undergo through a new revolution
• In the future all of the things that were claimed as "impossible" will become reality
• Caltech specialized nano-particle to deliver  type pf gene-silencing RNA to cancer cells in human subjects
• There is huge possibility my generation will live up to 100 years, and our children will live to be 120, the only problem will be that there will be no social security money
• The Chinese one child plan is to be canceled because of a lack of women, today the the ratio of men to women is absurd and a majority of the men will not be able to reproduce which will lead to a decrease in the work field
• What about virtual classrooms?
• In the long run, it may be possible to eliminate retirement
• Will you need to buy a birthday card for your clone?

Possible Assignment:

• How might your occupation morph by 2030
• What could be invented that might eliminate your domain?

Leadership and the Creative Process Notes

Dr. Jorge Vanegas

The opposite of order is randomness, yet in between those two is "chaos"

1. Equilibrium is a precursor to death.

2. Living things often move towards chaos

3. Living things have a tendency to self-organize

Several Vital Things For Creativity

1. Leadership- the ability to lead

2. Empathy- accept others

3. Healing- adding to the wholeness of a person

4. Awareness- issues involving ethics, power, and values

5. Persuasion- to convince others rather than coerce compliance

6. Conceptualization

7. Foresight- keep in mind lessons from the past and keep in mind consequences for the future

8. Stewardship- "hold something in trust for another"

Re-imagine leadership skills by Tom Peter

1. I DON'T KNOW- Leadership is about mutual discovery

2. QUEST- allow members to discover their greatness-Leaders decentralize

3. Great Leaders always compete against the best

4. A leader is a dealer of hope

5. Golden Leadership Triangle

6. Leadership Mantra- It all depends

7. Leaders show up

8. Leaders have a too hard box

9. Leaders are optimists

10. Leaders have to deliver

11. Leaders FOCUS

12. Leaders set clear design specs

13. K.I.S.S.- keep it simple stupid

14. If it's not broken, fix it

15. Leaders destroy

16. Leaders do not mindlessly bulk up

17. Leaders make mistakes

18. Leaders make and tolerate big mistakes

19. Leaders reward excellent failures and punish mediocre successes

20. Leaders put innovations first

21. Leaders love the top line

22. Leaders are not copy-cats

23. Leaders pursue dramatic difference

24. Leaders want to stand out

25. Get better vs. Get Different

26. Leaders bet the farm on the new technology

27. Leaders have a legacy

28. Leaders define themselves

29. Leaders have a vision for the future

30. Leaders push their organizations out

31. Leaders offer scintillating experiences

32. Leaders want a gasp-worthy design

33. Leaders want talent

34. Leaders know women rule

35. Leaders hire weird

36. Leaders sell passion

37. Leaders focus on the soft stuff

38. Leaders love politics

39. Leaders give respect

40. Leadership is a performance

41. Leaders hae a great story

42. Leaders love the word excellence

43. Leaders enjoy leading

44. Leaders laugh

45. Leaders play offense

46. Leaders know themselves

47. Leaders aim high

48. Leaders dont play defense

49. Leaders do not aim low

50. Leaders know when to lead

 

Portfolio Entry 6 - Supplementary Graded Assignment S-3

YouTube Video on Creativity

The learning objectives of developing a YouTube video are to (1) develop skills in

converting knowledge gained in the course into a dynamic visual form; (2) develop skills in

communicating through an audiovisual format; and (3) learn to broadly disseminate ideas using a

medium like YouTube.

To view my teams video defining creativity click on the link bellow

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdlTqA1SNGI

Humor and Creativity Notes

 Dr. Jorge Vanegas

Humor and Creativity lie in the same part of the brain, and so they go hand in hand.

• Humor lubricates creativity
• 52% of American executives will die of stress related illnesses
• Sustained laughter stimulates an increased release of endorphins
• Ha+Ha=Aha
• Humor and/or play can lead to creative thinking
• "Play" jump starts our brain, lowers our inhibitions, encourages spontaneity, and fosters a culture of risk taking in a workplace
• A common place to see this is when people play on words
• Humor at times allows students to learn 
• Some companies have actually created play rooms for their employees
• Humor can be achieved by combining two completely different concepts

Production of Knoledge and Creativity Notes

Dr. Jorge Vanegas

Pre-lecture videos- iPod stand invention, NASA robot

4 Paradimes

1. Knowledge Creation- to move  from the baseline of what is, to a vision of what can be, in the pursuit of enhancements and new solutions

Drivers- questions, problems, needs, opportunities, aspirations

external context--->current state (status quo) <--- Internal Context

Important Point- the ability to mass produce the demanded product

Outcomes- What can be, answers, solutions, satisfaction, realization, fulfillment

external context--->future state (vision) <--- Internal Context

the drivers can become outcomes through RD^4E

Sustainability needs economic capital,social capital, natural capital, industrial capital, built capital

2. Integration

Three pillars: learning/teaching, research/creative work, engagement (practice/outreach and service)

3. Expanded Scholarship- in the pursuit of enhancement and new solutions (an example of this is all the different sectors of Texas A&M University

4.Pluridisciplinary- concerned with the boundary, depth, and solid theoretical foundation, (every field beliefs they have the "right" answer) This involves combining views from different fields.

Lean Project- how do you maximize the value and yet minimize waste, there is opportunities anywhere you look. Some areas include: scenario based project planning, automated design, integrated procurement and supply network, intelligent job site, intelligent self-maintaining repairing operational facility

to address the challenges of sustainability of the built environment we need the paradigms