Students Must Understand
the Importance of Creativity
in Today’s Business World

The Importance of Creativity in Today’s Economy

"Creativity, once a trait avoided by employers, is now prized among employers who are trying to create the empowered, high-performance workforce needed for competitiveness in today's marketplace.

Employees with these skills are in demand and are considered valuable human capital assets to companies," says Dr. Jacquelyn Robinson, a community workforce development specialist.

Creativity, along with innovation, are critical skills in the 21st century workplace.

What is Creativity?

Creativity is the ability to produce new, diverse and unique ideas. Thinking creatively means looking at things from a different perspective and not be restricted by rules, customs, or norms.

Creativity and Innovation

Innovation is the implementation of creativity - the introduction of a new idea, process, or product. Creativity provides the necessary spark to get the ball rolling.

Creativity in the Classroom

In schools creativity should not be limited to just art and music classes. Anyone in any occupation can be creative in their work. That is the reason why we must provide opportunities for our students to be creative across the curriculum.

Take a look at one teacher’s plans for "Cultivating Creativity in the Classroom.

Our economy has shifted from one based on industry and physical work to an ideas and creativity-focused economy. Creativity-based jobs have increased while physical jobs have declined. Teachers must help students move up this hierarchy of human talents.

Today’s students need to develop creative skills by learning to:

• Be open to new ideas and diverse viewpoints,
• Develop and communicate new ideas to other people,
• Make useful contributions based on original ideas.

Web 2.0 Tools

Remember the importance of creativity as you consider these Web 2.0 teaching tools for use with your students:

Animoto - Creating MTV-style videos

Glogster - Interactive online posters

Smilebox - 21st Century digital storytelling

Wordle - Creating word clouds

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