Week 3 Journal: “Make” Activities Literature & Language Essay

During Modules 1 through 7, you are asked to focus on a specific chapter of your choice from the Zig Zag text. After carefully reading this chapter, reviewing and practicing the techniques, little exercises, or games, write a weekly journal entry on this chapter. For Module 3, you may wish to focus on the area of practice where you scored the next lowest in the Personal Creativity Assessment in M1D2.
In preparation for writing your journal entry, choose and carry out any 3 of the activities presented in the chapter you are focusing on for Module 3. At least one of the 3 activities must be collaborative. You may collaborate with classmates or people outside the class in person, by phone or video phone software such as Skype. Go to your “Inbox” in the left side toolbar of the course, to make initial contact with classmates. The Inbox is the course email system and you will be able to see the names of your classmates there.
Write a 1 to 2-page journal entry on the process and results of the 3 activities. Include the following information about each activity in each journal entry:
name of the activity including the chapter where it appears
individual or collaborative activity
where you were and time of day
description or process
reasons why you chose it
what you learned about creativity and problem solving
how you will apply this learning personally and professionally
You will repeat this process each week, based on a different chapter in the Zig Zag text, submitting a new journal entry for each week. While you must submit your journal by the end of Module 3, you will receive your grade and feedback from your instructor on your journal entries for Modules 1 through 3 after Module 3 and your journal entries for Modules 4 through 7 after Module 7. This activity aligns with module outcome 3. Journals are assessed using the SLA Journal Rubric. Review the rubric carefully so you understand how you are graded.
Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.
Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Submit Assignment” in the upper right corner. Click on “Browse,” browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to the Browse button. Enter your comments, if any, in the Comments area. Click on “Submit Assignment.”
Evaluation
Journals from Modules 1 through 3 will be graded using the Journal Rubric located on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here section of the course. Please review the rubric prior to beginning your work so that you ensure your submission meets the criteria in place for this assignment. Journals from Modules 1 through 3 account for 10% of your final grade.

Personal Creativity Assessment

Give yourself one point for each ‘‘yes’’ answer. A higher score means you have greater potential to excel at that step. A lower score means you need a bit more effort and exercise.

Ask

__N___ I am never satisfied; everything can always be made better.

___Y__ When someone starts telling me about a problem he or she is having, I tend to say things like, ‘‘Wait a minute; it sounds like your real problem is ... ’’

__Y___ I get annoyed by little things that don’t work like they’re supposed to.

___N__ I’ve never agreed with that old saying, ‘‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’’

___Y__ Sometimes I go down the wrong path, but I trust that eventually I’ll catch myself and correct my course.

__N___ I never have enough time to explore everything I’m interested in.

Total for Ask: __3___ (6 possible points)

Learn

__Y___ I would call myself an expert in my area.

___N__ I’ve learned just about everything there is to know about my creative challenge.

___Y__ People come to me for advice about my field.

___N__ I can tell you exactly where to get the answer to your question.

___Y__ I stay on top of new developments in my area.

___N__ I subscribe to magazines and journals that keep me up-to-date.

___N__ I keep handy the most important reference books in my field.

___Y__ When something new and different happens in my field, it’s immediately obvious to me why it’s different.

Total for Learn: ___4__ (8 possible points)

Look

__Y___ I like learning new things.

___Y__ When I meet someone with a job I’ve never

heard of, I ask a lot of questions about what he or she does.

_Y____ I dabble in things; I’ve tried lots of different hobbies.

_Y____ I get bored listening to the same style of music over and over. I seek out unusual sounds and styles.

__Y___ I rarely have time to watch television, but when I do, I surf channels to see what sorts of shows are on these days.

__Y___ I get bored going to the same places; I’d almost always rather go to a new place.

Total for Look: __6___ (6 possible points)

Play

__Y___ Sometimes I act a bit silly, but I rarely worry about it.

__Y___ I often imagine what it would be like if the world were very different.

___Y__ I’m always trying out new things. I almost never worry about looking stupid or making mistakes.

__Y___ I take breaks from work, but not necessarily at exactly the same time every day. I can tell when I’ve worked enough and I need to clear my head, and that’s when I go for coffee or a snack.

__Y___ I sometimes have ideas when I’m not really doing anything—in the shower, or while driving. I write them down so I can work on them later.

__Y___ I sometimes wonder what life is like for some- one born in another country who speaks a different language and was raised in a different religion.

Total for Play: ___6__ (6 possible points)

Think

__Y___ When someone suggests a crazy idea, I’m almost always willing to go with it.

__y___ I rarely have trouble coming up with ideas.

__y___ Sometimes people laugh at my ideas because they seem kind of crazy.

___y__ My friends and colleagues think of me as an ‘‘idea person.’’

___y__ When someone else has an idea, my first reaction is to build on it and try to make it even better.

__n___ When I can’t think of a good idea, I often step back and ask, ‘‘What’s blocking me?’’

Total for Think: ___5__ (6 possible points)

Fuse

__y___ I frequently notice strange connections between things—people, events, TV shows ...

__y___ I’m usually working on more than one project, and I switch between my projects pretty often.

__y___ I like to talk to people very different from me.

___y__ I’m always dabbling in new hobbies.

__n___ In this past year, I attended a totally new group meeting or public event for the first time.

__y___ I’m usually juggling a lot of different projects and interests.

Total for Fuse: __5___ (6 possible points)

Choose

__y___ I can tell pretty quickly if an idea is going to work.

__y___ Even if an idea sounds bad, I can usually find a couple of good things about it.

___y__ When an idea is a good one, I get a strong gut feeling, and I’ve learned to trust that.

__y___ I’ve had this experience: my idea turned out to be a bad idea, but I later used that idea for a completely different problem, and it worked out in an unexpected way.

__n___ Sometimes, to evaluate an idea, I’ll list the pros and cons.

__n___ I can tell when an idea is interesting for some reason, even if I don’t know yet if it will really work.

Total for Choose: _4____ (6 possible points)

Make

__n___ I often doodle during phone calls or meetings.

 __y___ I like to fix things myself—for example, if my child’s toy car breaks, or if my toaster stops working, I’ll take it apart before calling a professional.

___n__ I have kids’ toys around that are for building things: Tinkertoys, Legos, wooden blocks ...

__n___ I always have sketches and notes posted on the wall, where I can see them and think about them some more.

___y__ Sometimes, to help me think, I draw ideas or words in bubbles with arrows between them.

__y___ I’m a tinkerer. I have a work area where I keep lots of tools and materials, and I’m always experimenting.

Total for Make: ___3__ (6 possible points)