Co-Crea App
Design of an app to promote collaborative creativity processes in schools
The design, implementation and evaluation of the CO-CREA APP is funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, projects: EDU2016-80258-R, Desenvolupar, Orquestrar i Avaluar processos de creativitat col·laborativa amb tecnologia mòbil a secundària; and PID2019-107399RB-I00, Implementació i avaluació d'una tecnologia que doni suport a processos de creativitat col·laborativa: implicacions per a un model tecnopedagògic co-creatiu.
The CO-CREA APP aims to support, enrich, promote and orchestrate co-creative problem solving.
The design, implementation and evaluation of the CO-CREA APP in the classroom aims to achieve the following results:
1) A tool which can be used in educational centres for co-creative resolution of complex problems and challenges. Specifically, the APP incorporates the following technological and pedagogical variables: a) multi-user application; b) graphic representation of co-creative processes; c) enrichment of the processes of collaborative creativity with a set of creative tools; and d) design of a workspace that allows to orchestrate, reflect and monitor the processes of collaborative creativity: in sum, a co-creative road map.
2) A set of examples of how to solve complex projects and problems creatively and collaboratively with the APP.
3) A technopedagogical model to promote collaborative creativity processes in the classroom and work on curricular contents.
4) Scientific evidence of the potential impact of using the co-creative PPP on the development of collaborative creativity processes for solving complex problems.
5) Contribution to an evaluation procedure of the processes of collaborative collaboration.
6) Theoretical contribution to the dialogic use of technology to support creative dialogue and promote collaborative creativity processes.
These results may have an impact on the development of individual and group skills in today's global knowledge society and digital economy as they promote the development of creative, participative and democratic people who can develop new ideas, collectively, to solve challenges of the digital economy and the knowledge society.
Furthermore, the project will have a direct impact on the educational community, as the receiver of technological support that will provide new pedagogical and technological strategies to manage and solve social problems by promoting equal participation of all members, in a dialogical, collaborative and creative way.
The project may also have an impact on the international academic and scientific community, through publications in journals of international impact and communications at international conferences.
Finally, the project may have an impact on small companies dedicated to innovation and creativity. The design of the co-creative APP together with the creative and collaborative work methodology developed will contribute to enrich the creative methodologies used by the companies involved in this project.
Manoli Pifarré Turmo
Associate Professor in Educational Psychology (tenure track), Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education. Universitat de Lleida.
Honorary Research Fellow. Graduate School of Education. University of Exeter (U.K.)
Doctor in Psychopedagogy by the Universitat de Lleida (1999).
My research interest focuses on the dialogical use of technology as a tool that can promote the development of unique cognitive, metacognitive, and social processes. In this field of study, I have led six consecutive R&D projects funded by the Ministries of Education, Science, Universities and Competitiveness. Also, in this subject, I have led the UdL work team in three European research projects.
I lead the research group “Context and Cognition mediated by Information and Communication Technologies” –COnTIC. From 2005, the group has the recognition of Consolidated Research Group by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
I have carried out various research stays in international centres which have helped me to create a solid network of collaboration with other international research groups. Specifically, I did research stays as guest researcher at the Centre for Language and Communication -CLAC- The Open University (UK) with the team of Dr. Neil Mercer; at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Exeter (UK) with the team of Dr. Rupert Wegerif; at the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge with the team of Dr. Wegerif and Dra. Sara Hennessy and at the University College of London Knowledge Lab with the team of Dr Manolis Mavrikis.
I am currently participating as an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter in various research activities at the University’s Graduate School of Education. I am an associate research member of the Cambridge Educational Dialogue Research Group (CEDIR) at the University of Cambridge.
My research career has a dual purpose, on the one hand, to transform the teaching and learning processes in secondary education. As a result, part of my research has been done in high schools and I have worked closely and equally with teachers and students. On the other hand, my research aims to achieve high scientific quality in the use of technology in education.
David Aguilar
Moises Selfa
Enric Falguera
Noemí Verdú Surroca
She holds a doctorate in Psychopedagogy, a Bachelor in Primary Education (1998) and a Bachelor in Psychopedagogy (2001) by the Universitat de Lleida.
She works as a Psychopedagogist at the Teaching Innovation and Elearning Area (SAAD) since 2004. She researches and offers advice in teaching and learning methodologies, in interactive resources and contents, in assessment and improvement strategies using ICT, and others.
She is also a Part-Time Professor at the Faculty of Education, Psychology and Social Work at University of Lleida.
Her PhD research is about collaborative learning in teaching and learning via virtual environments in higher education.
Mercè del Barrio Arranz
Associate Lecturer in Science Education, Department of Specific Didactics at the Universitat de Lleida.
Professor of Secondary Education, Department of Education, specializing in Biology and Geology.
Degree in Biology by the Universitat de Barcelona (1985) and Master's Degree in Educational Research by the Universitat de Lleida (2012).
She has worked as a Secondary School Teacher since 1986, professor and tutor of Pedagogical Aptitude Course and then at Master in Teacher Training since 1993. Member and Coordinator of the ICE-UdL Tutoring Team from 1989 to 2001.
At the High School Guindàvols has held several positions: Head of the Experimental Sciences Department, Head of the Biology Seminar, Tutor, Coordinator of Health Education, etc. ...
Currently, still developing her work teaching, especially aimed at teaching scientific thinking and research, with the use of tools that promote reflection and construction of scientific thought collaboratively.
She has won different prizes for the supervision of research projects, the most notable being the Young Research Award of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Young Researchers Contest, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, the awards for baccalaureate research projects of the University of Lleida and the Xavier Domingo Award (UB). She has also received several recognitions with high school students in the Geology Olympics, the Biology Olympics and an Agri-food and Forestry Olympiad.
Laia Cutillas
Andreea Cujba
PhD Student at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education. Universitat de Lleida.
Graduated in Psychology (2014) and Master’s degree in General Health Psychology (2017), Universitat de Lleida.
She is currently an FPI fellow of the project Develop, orchestrate and evaluate collaborative creativity processes with mobile technology in secondary school (EDU2016-80258-R), funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. She is doing her doctoral thesis within the framework of the Doctorate program in Education, Society and Quality of Life at the University of Lleida. She is focusing her PhD study on how the use of technology enhances the attitudes towards statistics in secondary education. She is also centred on collaborative work and problem-based learning as measures to reduce statistical anxiety.
She has experience as a researcher in different national and international projects. Her research interests are related with the role of interactive technologies in promoting social and cognitive development. Currently she is researching pedagogical and technological design for supporting and promoting collaborative creativity processes with technology.
Ascribed to the project "SPIDAS -Strategic Partnership for Innovation in Data Analytics in Schools", co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU.
UI Haq, Ijaz
PhD Student at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education. Universitat de Lleida.
Software engineer graduate from the University of Sciente and Information Technologies (Peshawar, Pakistan) and Master degree in Software Engineering from Bahria University (Islamabad Pakistan).
Ijaz Ul Haq earned an undergraduate degree in Software Engineering from City University of Science Information Technology, Peshawar Pakistan, and a Master’s degree in Software Engineering from Bahria University, Islamabad Pakistan.
Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate at University de Lleida (UdL). His Ph.D. project is focused on ICT4CoCreation - Design, implementation, and evaluation of a technology to support collaborative creativity: technology-enhanced pedagogy implications, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and University. Before commencing his Ph.D., he was a lecturer of Computer Science and Mathematics at the reputed institute Brilliant Science College in Pakistan.
Mr. Ijaz Ul Haq has a great commitment to keep learning and developing his professional skills and research skills. His research areas include Artificial Intelligence in Education, Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), Technology enhanced learning and Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL).
Collaborative creativity is a joint, participative and imaginative activity that encourages the creation of innovative and original results, which have been co-elaborated and have a value for the community.
During the joint creative activity, it is very important to develop a dialogic space and the use of a creative dialogue that allows the emergence of co-creation strategies such as exchanging ideas, co-constructing, combining, selecting, evaluating and reflecting on ideas.
The relationship between language and creative thinking is very close. The development of creative thinking goes hand in hand with the development of language and creative social attitudes.
During the co-creative resolution of a challenge, students must learn to develop an attitude towards others including considering the ideas from peers, being ready to include ideas from peers, creating synergy and a good atmosphere by thinking together, or introducing other viewpoints.
These attitudes involve using a creative language characterised by: speculation (e.g., what if...); exaggeration (e.g., what if you made it work for everyone...), being funny (e.g., a silly idea would be...); incorporating other points of view (e.g., a scientist would say...).
The CO-CREA APP has designed a set of video-examples and infographics that explicitly teach and develop a co-creative language and a co-creative social attitude.
Today's interactive technologies allow a group of users to share the same workspace.
All users are connected, and share and externalise their ideas, create objects of knowledge in a shared environment; their ideas can be modified, extended and reformulated by all the members of the group.
· A multi-user space where all participants are interconnected.
· Multimodal representation of information. Use of different ways of representing information: visual, diagrams, maps.
· Enable the creation and manipulation of ideas in shared knowledge objects.
· Encourage the representation, planning, management and improvement of ideas and the group's creative work processes.
· Allow to visualise and/or identify the contributions of the other members of the group.
· Enable communication between participants.
The class group and the school are regarded as communities capable of solving significant social challenges for society. Pupils develop creative strategies to provide innovative solutions to real and local social challenges.
The establishment and explicit agreement of group work rules during the co-creative process is an essential aspect of the pedagogical model. At the beginning of the co-creative project and during the development of the project, students reflect on and evaluate the agreed-upon group norms. Furthermore, activities are designed to promote discussion and presentation of ideas at different levels of interaction and dialogue: within the work group, in the classroom group and in the educational community.
Our pedagogical model uses current interactive technologies that allow users to be connected with others in the same workspace and share their ideas:
· being connected with others in the same workspace and sharing their ideas,
· using different channels and ways of representing information: photos, graphics, videos... and,
· co-creating knowledge through on-line interaction.
Among the characteristics of technology for co-creation, our pedagogical model emphasises the following five:
a) Accessibility and visibility of the ideas and actions of the other members of the group.
b) Responsiveness and interactivity among all members in the shared work space.
c) Manipulation of the ideas of others and co-construction of new ideas.
d) Multimodal representation of ideas and complex concepts.
e) Revisiting and reusing ideas throughout the creative process.
Creative ToolKit is made up of:
· Creative Phases
· Creative techniques
· Video-examples and infographics on how to use each creative technique to solve the challenge posed. The video-examples illustrate the creative language and the most appropriate creative attitudes to solve the challenge.
· Roadmap
Co-Crea divides the creative process into six phases with differentiated objectives.
In each phase of the creative process, a set of creative techniques are proposed. The aim of these techniques is to enrich the repertoire of creative strategies to respond innovatively to a challenge or social problem.
Each creative technique is described with an infographic or a video-example. The description includes: objective of the technique and creative attitudes for students to adopt in order to create collaboratively.
The attitudes refer to fluidity, flexibility, originality and elaboration of ideas. Specific examples are given on how to contribute a greater number of ideas; how to introduce a different point of view; or how to think differently.
A work space that allows visualising, orchestrating, reflecting on and monitoring the collaborative creative processes underway. In the road map, students write down the phases and creative techniques used as well as the main milestones achieved in each phase.
This technique helps students to think about and decide on the rules needed to do good group work.
Each member has to think of at least two rules that they think are important for good group work. Through dialogue and consensus, they end up deciding on the 3-4 working rules for their group.
This technique helps students to think about and decide on the rules needed to do good group work.
Each member has to think of at least two rules that they think are important for good group work. Through dialogue and consensus, they end up deciding on the 3-4 working rules for their group.
From some examples, students learn how to write hypotheses correctly. For each topic, they write the research question and 2 possible hypotheses.
Each small group of students presents the 3 final hypotheses in front of the whole class. The classmates, together with the teacher, pose as judges and have to evaluate the pros and cons of each hypothesis. With the observations received, each small group has to choose (and reformulate if necessary) the final research hypothesis.
In order to answer the research hypothesis, students need to take decisions about the data they have to collect: Who, Where, What, What, How, When and Why.
Based on key questions that guide students to identify well-formulated survey questions, they have to assess which questions are appropriate and which are not.
This technique will help students to ask good questions and find good answers.
Questions will be asked about the data collected and how to represent them in order to answer the research question.
Technique that helps to find an explanation to the data and communicate it in a clear way based on chain questions and answers.
This technique is useful when you have different ideas and need to select the most relevant ones and narrow down the number of options. The aim is to synthesise or select the best ideas and argue the selection. Telescope is a very useful technique for drawing up the conclusions of your research.
This technique is useful when you have different ideas and need to select the main ones and narrow down the number of options. It involves grouping the ideas, summarising them and ordering them according to their importance in solving the problem. Dartboard of ideas is a very useful technique for drawing up the conclusions of your research.
Students have to decide to whom and how they will communicate the results of their research, by means of brainstorming and key slogans.
The activity requires the students to look into the decisions taken in the previous step (Brainstorming technique).
Session of presentation of the main results of the SPIDAS and CO-CREA projects. The conference showed the educational resources used for working on data analysis in a co-creative way at different levels of primary, secondary and high school education. It also showed how to teach students to question and interpret a large amount of data in a creative way. And finally, the conference revealed how technology can help to visualise and understand a large amount of data.
Publicaciones
Peguera, M. & Aguilar, D. (2017).
Sanuy, J., Bernad, O. & Llevot, N. (2017).
Solé-Llussà, A., Aguilar, D., Ibáñez, M. & Coiduras, J. (2017).