In my last blog post I mentioned going to the Courageous Creativity Conference and that I'd post about it if there was something to tell you. Not much is published about this conference so I didn't know what it would be like. But if you get the chance to go, do it! Especially if you're a Disney fan.
The conference is put on by The California Arts Project and was held at Disneyland. A good enough reason to go, don't you thing? It takes place over 3 days and is for K-12 teachers. There are only 2-3 actual sessions so you don't necessarily come away with specific ideas to implement in a 1st grade classroom. I didn't get any actually. What it is, though, is hugely inspiring! HUGE!
Most of the conference was presentations by former and currents heads of Disney's Imagineering Department and actual imagineers. For example, there was a presentation about how the newest Cars Land ride was created and then we got to go ride it. That was fun!
The tour I signed up for was Soarin'Around the World and the man who designed the seating system for the ride explained how he came up with the idea and built a model from the erector set he had in his attic that became the design of the ride.
We then walked over to California Adventure and went on the ride. If you've been there before, the movie isn't Soarin' Over California anymore, instead you go around the world. It is spectacular! The real highlight of the tour, however, was watching from behind the screen to see how everything worked. Just amazing!!
What I really got out of this conference was inspiration to be creative and to encourage creativity in my students. I think that was the whole purpose. There was an imagineering panel and each person talked about where they came from (some from poverty, one with dyslexia) and one teacher who helped them along their way. They're all so passionate about what they do and I'm determined to infuse more opportunities for creativity into my teaching next year!
One last picture of one of my favorite rides. Have a wonderful day!
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Wow what a fabulous experience! I can see how inspirational it must have been.
ReplyDeleteEncouraging more creativity in the classroom is a very worthwhile goal. I've been thinking along the same lines, especially when I see all the cool engineering activities on Pinterest.
I have tried several computers to try to sign up for the letter exchange and I cannot get the form to work. Please email me how I can join. I participated last year and my kids LOVED it. janice@sumner.cc
ReplyDeleteI just emailed you.
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