Scridoodling

A scridoodle is a mix of scribble and doodle. The mind starts and the pen takes off and forms some image or collection of lines on a page. Sometimes it forms into a coherent whole (Pool Boy 2 semi self-portrait), other times it resembles a mess in ink or a rough collection of thought images. Some up coming scridoodles will demonstrate this theme. The thing with a scidoodle is that when I start to draw or muse I have no outcome in mind. I start and it continues. Then something emerges. Sometimes, it is in the looking back that meaning is made and innovation becomes apparent.

Songs and Days

Wednesday's Child aired on ABC radio Australia in 2007 - a lament for Wednesdays and Thursdays when it comes to music. More Thinking Caps can be found on the Thinking Caps CD on itunes.

Slide Zen

It is interesting that Powerpoint and general use of slides in presenting and educating is copping a bit of stick at the moment and the answer for a lot of presenters/educators is to not use the approach. I prefer the Ella Fitzgerald philosophy from the 1939 penned tune when she sings 't'aint what you do, it's the way that you do it'. Use slides (I prefer Keynote rather than Powerpoint) in such a way that they add value to your presentation and help to reach and teach folk in deeper layers. Therefore, slides as a teaching and reaching tool take thought and time in how you design, how you introduce them and what they can bring to certain learners that other elements of your design and delivery can not.
Perhaps it is easier to not use slides or to use slides that detract from the message and layers of meaning but easier may not be the best choice. I love the creative approach in designing slides (visuals, imbedded audio, original art work, thought of font, choice of transition...) that add layers of depth, meaning and entertainment. Slides are so much more than Bullet Points or videos stolen from youtube.
After I presented at the National Master Class for Professional Speakers in Sydney (March 2009), Paul Wallbank wrote Interestingly, at the National Speakers Convention over the weekend, I noticed most professional speakers have given up the use of PowerPoint or Keynote altogether. Most are going back to using butcher's paper and relying on simply their knowledge and passion for their topics. That's not to say PowerPoint is completely dead. One speaker who used the medium very well was Glenn Capelli, but his use of Apple Keynote was a far cry from the "heading-bullet point- bullet point-bullet point-corporate logo-next heading" type presentation we've all suffered through. Which showed the right tools used well can have stunning results. From http://www.smartcompany.com.au
Many thanks Paul for your words and more so your thinking beyond the words. Last year I ran a Slide Zen worshop and thoroughly enjoyed the way the attendees have taken to creative use of slide design to enhance learning. We will run more Slide Zen workshops this year in WA, Victoria and NSW. Maybe other states too.

The Return of the Passion Bum

A Thinking Caps radio piece featuring my love of a good Caesar Salad and the passion of a tattoo on a bum. It aired (the piece, not the bum) in April 2009. A piece for understanding benchmarks, service and getting that get up and give it your best shot feeling. Passion - pass it on. PS. The Caesar Salad restaurant I first mention is The World Southbank Melbourne, a regular eatery for my wife Lindy, our mate Colin James and I.

Visual Journal

Visual note taking is an eclectic combination of words, stick figures, shapes and designs to take notes and make notes. Taking notes is when you transcribe what a presenter or author is saying/writing. Making Notes is when you note down something for you that the speaker or writer has sparked in you. Often my Note Making is when something I have heard or read has sparked the idea for a song - either a song that the presenter can use in their presentation or a song that I might write myself. Sometimes my Note Making is related to methodology of presenting - how has the presenter portrayed their information? What methods have they used (or not used) in getting their messages across? Then, importantly, what does this mean for me as a learner and an educator? My Visual Journals started when I was around 12 years of age and continue to continue. They are my favourite resources and a document of a learning life in action (potholes and all). Check out our CapMaps DVD at The Shop www.glenncapelli.com

Smarty Pants

David Perkins of Harvard fame wrote a book called Outsmarting IQ. I find Intelligence such an interesting and fluid concept - what my work is about is that Intelligence is a mix of Creative, Analytical, Practical and Emotional Smarts - a chumbawamba of a brew of a soup. Smarty Pants aired on ABC radio in 2008 and explores genes and the germs of beyond IQ. More Thinking Caps are on itunes CD.

Think Big. Start Small. Act Now.

In Thomas Friedman's thoughtful and most recent release Hot, Flat and Crowded he quotes Governor Suebu of Papua as having a motto of Think Big, Start Small and Act Now. His reference is regarding the protection of tropical forests but I think it is a pretty nifty motto as a foundation philosophy for most things. Perhaps we could all play around with and extend the philosophy too. How about - Think Big. Start Small. Act Now. Head in the right direction. Or Think Big. Start Small. Act Now. Head in the right direction. But no need to skite about it. As Kev Carmondy and Paul Kelly remind us, from little things, big things grow. From big ideas, little actions start that become pathways to the future; a future where we may look back and say 'Thank God , we did something about it then'. As the collaborative eco team called the Vehicle Design Summit group say 'We are the people we have been waiting for'. Another nifty motto!