Supporting Creativity

Posted by Craig Mill on the 20th October, 2015

CALL Scotland is pleased to announce the release of a new resource; ‘iPad Apps to Support Creativity’.

The resource is available as a free download from the CALL Scotland website. Based on ten categories, the infograph offers apps to support a range of curriculum activities as well as a rich array of apps to help develop, encourage and express learning in areas such as music, art, creative writing, storytelling as well as photography video and animation. There are even apps to introduce pupils to basic and fun-focused computer programing. 

The apps have been carefully selected to include pupils across the curriculum, with colourful engaging apps for younger learners to more challenging and interactive apps for older pupils.

Many of the apps integrate seamlessly with other apps, therefore extending creativity opportunities, e.g. use the iPad's camera to shoot a short video which can be  edited in iMovie and then exported/imported to Book Creator. Book Creator could be used to showcase the video along with narration, photos and then published in iBooks – a great activity to present to others in class.

Some apps also offer opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively; write a basic narrative script using one of the ‘Creative Writing’ apps to produce an animated cartoon in Sock Puppets, Puppet Pals or Tellagami.

The Foldify apps are great fun for cutting out predefined 3D shapes such as animals (Foldify Zoo) to create a stop-animation movie using I Can Animate or Stop Motion Studio. And with premade music loops in Garageband the final product will have a professional polished feel that pupils can be proud of.

Apps such as those highlighted above also provide alternative means of creating, recording and presenting classwork for those pupils who find traditional methods of writing and reading challenging, offering an innovative way to engage pupils who feel disengaged with learning.

There is, however, a more serious side to creativity in teaching and learning. According to Education Scotland, creativity has a high profile in Scottish education at present. Scottish Government ministers have endorsed a national Creative Learning Plan which is being taken forward by Scotland’s key education organisations, together with committed partners from across Scotland.
 
Additionally, the ‘3-18 Curriculum Impact Report on creativity across learning’, published by Education Scotland states:

the need for a well-developed set of higher-order skills that will be a key part of a pupil’s ‘toolkit’ and the ability to think creatively will be one of the most important tools in that toolkit.

Furthermore, in a report by the Scottish Government’s ‘Higher Order Skills Excellence Group’ a clear link was identified between creativity and its impact on children and young people. Creativity sits at the top of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of Skills, as detailed within the Group Report of 2011. 

Undoubtedly creativity transcends the iPad with its many apps but with its built-in microphone and camera for taking photos and videos coupled with pre-installed apps such as GarageBand, iMovie and Photos the iPad offers a great deal of creative potential for teaching and learning…and it’s great fun too!

CALL Course - Creativity and Beyond with an iPad (3rd December 2015)

If you like to find out more about using the iPad and apps to support creativity, CALL is running a one-day hands-on course. The course will provide an opportunity to explore a range of different apps, work collaboratively to share ideas and resources with other delegates.