reflection on JSB's "Tinkering As A Mode of Knowledge Production"

Within the first 2 minutes I had to stop the video and start this blog.  There are a ton of other ideas that I also latched onto later in the video (some are listed at the end), but I really made a personal connection to his introduction that I wanted to share.

My view of myself: I am not creative, I am not imaginative.  When asked to produce something creative I freeze.  I feel put on the spot, and I am afraid of the failure of not being able to produce, or producing something so subpar any audience just feels sorry for me.  I immediately see the bar as too high and can't even imagine reaching it.  I want to do the get to know you activities, but each time I start one or start to even think about one, I just see it flopping.   I see that it can (should) be better, but not really how to make it better.
BUT...
The other day my 9 year old (Ela) was playing with pipe cleaners.  She had taken a few orange ones and created a sphere.  Because they were orange, and because it is October I started thinking 'It's a pumpkin.  She could make a jack-o-lantern.'  So I asked her what she was making and she said she didn't know, it was just a ball.  I asked her if I could do something with it.  If she didn't like it, I would undo it.  I took a black pipe cleaner and formed a jack-o-lantern mouth, then played at trying to get it to fit onto her orange ball.  She immediately saw what I was doing and started asking how she could put eyes on it.  I gave it back to her and told her to see what she could figure out.  What would work.  She had watched me play with the mouth.  It was her time to play.
My other daughter (11, Macey) is much more like I think I am (see description above).  When she saw what Ela was doing, and that I had helped her see new possibilities, Macey said "Wow, mom you are so good a crafts.  How do you know how to do all this stuff?"  I was a little floored, because it goes so far against my own sense of self.  I am not creative.  I do not know how to do all this stuff.  I am a follower of directions.  As a child I would never have created a pipe cleaner jack-o-lantern.  I would have stared at the package of pretty, straight colourful pipe cleaners wishing I could make something cool with them, but afraid of wasting them by not making something I was proud of.  But I want my girls to see the possibilities, not the restrictions.  I want them to see it is OK to 'tinker' and figure out, then know.  They don't have to know first.  I try to model this for them, I try not to show my fear of not being as good as others because I don't want them to fear that.

And now that I've watched more of the video, it is all I can do not to delete this thinking it's not really the point of the video.  But maybe it is... I imagined the connection, I created the post, I reflected on it (the post), and I am sharing it.  The sharing is important.  And the continued reflection is important.  I can (must?) continue to reflect on the other ideas in the video without discrediting my first impulses.

John Seely Brown says:
"If you don't have an imagination you can't even start to be creative"
imagine... create.... reflect.... share...  All steps are necessary for growth, production

And maybe, based on this blog, I might have an idea for my 6 word story...
Here it is:

Here we go...

Yesterday we had our PLP kickoff in Ontario.  It was exhausting and exhilarating.  I want to get started, but am uncertain what exactly to do.  I've poked around the Ning, added some comments here and there, and was very impressed at Peter's amazing ability to comment on every person's post and personalize each reply in a meaningful way.
I guess my next step is to start my blog.  The name for my blog comes from something I've heard Sheryl say a few times. I am really attracted to the idea that it's OK for learning to be messy and that learning really is about making mistakes - we shouldn't feel like we have to hide them.

Upon reflecting on yesterday, one of the things that stood out to me yesterday was from Will's keynote.  I looked at the slides today, but the slide I wanted wasn't there...  It was the one about (Digital) Literacy.  What stood out to me was the idea that to be literate now includes the ability to simultaneously follow multiple streams of information (or something like that).  One of the reasons I was attracted to this idea is because I've started to think I've developed ADD as an adult due to my being on-line.  At any given moment I have 2 browsers open on my computer and at least 3 tabs in each browser.  Now, thanks to Will's slide, I can use it as proof that I am 21st Century Literate! But I do have a few 'wonderings' about this point:
There is [still?] a very prominent belief that multitasking is "wrong," and we need to stop allowing people to believe it is even possible.  Is there a difference between multitasking and following multiple streams of information? (I wish I had the actual wording from the slide.)  Where did this definition come from?  Is the skill part being able to keep a focus in the multiple streams?  And being able to find your way back to where you started?  Or even remember why/where you started?
When I brought up this point at supper with Alanna and Sarah (who were also at the kick off) they both said that point from the slide stood out to them as well.
What do you think?  Did it catch your attention?  What else did?