This post, together with the last one, is intended to elicit feedback and comments from institutions and companies interested in exploring standards as a framework for further development and to promote discussion on standards development. It describes a simple standards system for discussion. 

Nothing is more important to the success of the learning process than motivation.

Talent is important, but talent without motivation simply doesn’t cut it.  Curiosity, persistence and a spirit of creative accomplishment are indispensable.  It’s the responsibility of the instructor and the institution to ensure that the learning environment is one that encourages openness, individuality, teamwork, sound problem solving and creativity.

This short post demonstrates the use of low cost high speed video recording as a method for improving the recording and analysis of animation reference.  Results using two CASIO EXILIM cameras are discussed and links provided to recordings made at 210 frames per second.

In this post, the author further expands on the core characteristics need to transform learning in formal institutions.

Assuming that a revolution in educational institutions is not only necessary but inevitable, key practices that can be designed into new learning frameworks must be open, flexible, and customized.

Rather than simply throw new technologies into the mix, it essential to transform the methods we use today. This means a complete reevaluation of what works and what doesn't work. It's everyone's responsibility to be fully prepared for the future and that demands we acknowledging the urgent need for radical change in all our learning communities.

Too many institutions are using Industrial Age methods to instruct digitally immersed Information Age students for the evolving Conceptual Age. It’s time to rethink and reinvent how we learn, share, mentor, and collaborate  in our consumer-driven, multitasking ecosystem where new technologies rapidly terraform the media landscape. 

Many of our instructional methods are poorly implemented and frequently obsolete.  Now is the time to reevaluate how we teach, how we learn and how to best prepare ourselves for the coming transformation.  

Standardized core competencies provide an explicit benchmark defining the content and level of expertise that should be evident throughout an educational or training regimen. They not only provide a framework for developing curriculum and courseware but also guide the instructor when he or she is planning, organizing and presenting the content of individual lessons and tasks.

Autodesk Inc. has made considerable progress in improve this situation through the development of instructional standards for their flagship animation applications, Maya, 3dsmax and Softimage. Intended for those applying for Instructor certification, they are extremely useful for everyone teaching and training these software products and for others in the educational sector.

This blog lists examples of core competencies as a starting point for discussion about addressing the gap between graduate skills and employment standards.

Creativity is at the core of our personal and collective evolution – whether as individuals or as teams.  Yet creativity behavior is poorly understood and commonly misinterpreted – often for historical reasons.  It’s frequently seen as something difficult to define, a mysterious phenomenon and an ability that some people have and others do not.   The facts are different. Creative ability is well understood, can be clearly explained and everyone is capable of creative effort given well-designed training, experiential exercises and reflective practice.

Our task as educators is to restore the sense of inquisitiveness, curiosity, playfulness and creative invention that we had as children.

This post introduces the skills we need and describes why education programs that develop creative skills must be contextual and culturally relevant. 

Sad to say, today’s colleges, universities and many private institutions are dramatically outdated when it comes to providing contemporary learning experiences and environments that adequately prepare graduates for the realities they will face in the future. In short – formal instruction is badly broken.  Too many schools are deeply routed in19^th and 20^th Century practices based on antiquated and outmoded industrial models. This blog identifies many of the major problems plaguing formal education and invites the reader to face today's institutional short comings so that we can move forward to more creative solutions for learning in the 21st Century.

Creative transformation means re-visioning the learning environment by adopting a set of principles that enable authentic learning experiences.  Traditional teaching techniques are no longer appropriate in a world of rapid technical and conceptual change. Successful learning practices need to be flexible and individualistic but also capable of mirroring professional practices at their best.  This post details a preliminary list of principles designed to establish a set of transformational practices that create and support authentic learning.