More on the 'Crowdsourcing Questions' Project

With regard to my West Civ class's 'crowdsourcing questions' project, Reader nkogan asks:

Shelly, this is a great idea and is one that I'll work to get my students to contribute to. Do you have any criteria for how the questions should be formulated (e.g. they must begin with "how" or "why"), the topics they should deal with, or the genre of historical question they should be (e.g. change over time or compare-contast)?

Also, is anyone with a Wikispaces account able to edit and contribute to your class wiki? My students all have Wikispaces accounts, so this shouldn't be too difficult (hopefully). Is there any particular way you'd like the students to contribute these questions (e.g. submitted to this blog? post directly to the wiki? signed with one's name?)

For those of you interested in taking part in the project, our wiki is now live.

The type/format/gist of the questions are completely up to the creator of the question. The only thing I ask is that you consider (and I use that verb for specific reasons) that your audience is a class of high school Freshmen.

Weekly topics are typed in bold on the wiki at the start of each week's unit. Under the topic of the week is an essential question that each student will respond to as a weekly article. Under the weekly question is a list of daily questions -- these are the crowdsourced questions. Individually, students choose four dailies each week and blog on them. Then, we'll go back discuss and post to our magazine (still under construction) the best of the responses to the dailies in an effort to start a broader discussion online and beyond the limits of our classroom walls.

I've set up the wiki so that anyone can post questions. While I monitor all incoming edits, I trust our community to engage in a meaningful way with the wiki and I encourage folks to change things up and use the wiki as a starting point for your own discussions as well; already we've had three or four classrooms from other schools get in touch about sharing ideas and collaborating.

Post your questions directly to the wiki (I may edit them lightly or shift them to different parts of the wiki depending on what we're focusing on in class, but your questions will stand). As always online, I encourage folks to leave their real names and links both to demonstrate who they are and to encourage students to understand that learning is not merely a 'classroom-based' activity, but rather questions and ideas and learning come from engaging with the questions and ideas and learning of 'real people'.

Thanks to everyone who has shown interest in this project. I look forward to seeing where it goes.

On the Deeper Connections Built Into Throw-Away Questions

So the Tweet goes...

Latin Students: How many museums can you find on Twitter? +10 pt coupon to anybody who Tweets 20 museums with collections in Ancient Art!

A throw-away question like this -- casually posted after school -- can create so much opportunity, so much grist for the next day's classroom discussion, such a great compilation of resources to be bookmarked up on Delicious, so much potential for future investigation.

I call it a throw-away question because in-and-of-itself, it's just a simple question of the first type Bloom recognized.

But we're living in a world where even throw-away questions can produce stunning by-products.

For we are living in an age in which questions themselves -- questions of all varieties and supposed levels -- are capable of tapping into links far beyond whatever our initial thought or intention of the question originally was.

Certainly, this has long been the case with questions. But now, a simple question like "How Many?" Produces results like "I didn't know they had Twitter in Italy!" and "Why do all these museums need to be on Twitter?" and "Do they have Greek Art in museums in China?" and -- one of my favorites -- "How did you know about all of this stuff before the Internet?"

The kids are ready for the Network.

That is, of course, if you've prepped 'em to use social media effectively.

The best way to do that is to make social media -- and the whole instant global connected network itself -- a regular and ordinary part of your classroom environment.

Students don't need you lecture them on how to use it; they just need to see you use it.

They'll pick it up.

Especially if they get to see immediate benefits. Like when you let them use Twitter as a lifeline to their classmates on a test. Or when you let them access Delicious during an in class essay.

Or when you let a throw-away question veer off into the philosophical.

Your use of social media doesn't have to be flashy to produce good results. There was nothing flashy about Socrates.

Sometimes the simplicity of asking students to Tweet a list of resources is not only enough to fill several days' worth of classroom conversation and 'homework browsing', but it's also an investment in the future connection your kids are making with social media and networked learning itself.

It's the difference between a throw-away question (i.e. 'I wonder how many museums are on Twitter?') and a deeper connection.

My Questions for President Obama

President Obama is taking your questions on the economy. The White House is open for questions. This is your chance to be heard...

You can submit both a text and video question... and vote on questions you like. Finally, the best part is when President Obama will answer some of the popular questions live in town hall format on Thursday morning at 11:30 am EST.

Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world

I submitted my own questions today for the first time for President Obama and the White House:

"When will the government provide incentives to entrepreneurs and innovators who are creating new businesses, new products, new opportunities? This would be analogous to having a seed investor in a new company with no revenue, however a viable plan."
SanjayD, Irvine, CA - Small Business

"Many large universities have huge endowment funds. When will the universities use these funds to lower the cost of tuition for students? In addition, can the universities provide incentives such as free tuition to needy students?"
SanjayD, Irvine, CA - Education

So, I am speaking out, and asking our President a couple of questions... so should you! So go ahead and ask your questions on the economy, small business, education, home ownership, healthcare, veterans, small business, auto, retirement security, green and energy, financial stability, jobs and budget!

Did you read my last article on asking questions? Creativity begins with asking questions, innovation happens when you find answers... Check out this article... I would love to hear your views.

Go here to ask your question...

Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world

Questions lead to Creativity, Answers lead to Innovations

• Creativity begins with asking questions…
• Innovation happens when you find answers…
• No questions, no answer
• More questions, better answer

“The important thing is never to stop questioning.” - Albert Einstein

Ask “This List of Questions”

• People ask these questions about objects and actions.
• People ask these questions in any situation.
• Certain questions may be silly or misplaced for certain situations.
• Often these questions lead to the most creative ideas.

Let us begin with your question…

• My Question is:
  
• ____________________________

Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world

Say, your question could be: "I just released my new user interface. And a majority of my customers hate it. What do I do now?"

There is an old saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Facebook released their new interface last week, and loyal Facebook users are voicing their disapproval in hordes. Remember, Facebook got popular as a platform without much user feedback in the early years.

Now that Facebook has millions of users, user feedback becomes paramount!

One has to ask these questions:
1. What feedback did Facebook product managers get from their users before they designed the new interface?
2. Did Facebook get this right? Was this feedback accurate? Was it from a large base of users?
3. Did Facebook design and deploy the new interface properly?

What will Facebook do now?

Can it go about face and go back to the old interface? This would make Facebook look rather pedestrian. It's similar to Nintendo or Microsoft releasing their latest version of Wii or Xbox, and recalling it. But, this is web software. So, Facebook can go back to the older version. Or better yet, create an intermediate version, rather fast, to please the larger majority of users.

The longer Facebook takes to respond, the bigger this problem potentially becomes. Facebook does not want this to become news story on a Jay Leno or David Letterman for sure...

Or, Facebook, can wait, and try to ride it out... Can they do this?

What are we doing here? We are asking a lot of relevant questions about the situation Facebook is currently in.

Questions lead to new discoveries, new ideas, increased creativity. And when one finds answers to these questions, they often lead to innovations.

Here is The List of Questions that one must ask to unlock the creativity, and spark new ideas before solving any problem, creating a new innovation, embarking on a new opportunity - (adopted from eCornell and Roger Shank's book):

The first list is the Object Rules:

1. Where From
Where did you get XYZ? Is it easy to find this?
2. Function
What do you do with XYZ? Who wants XYZ?
3. Enablement
How did you get XYZ? What resources?
4. Habits
How does doing XYZ fit? What changes?
5. Associated Objects
What goes in, around, with XYZ?

6. Results

What will you do after XYZ? Before XYZ?

What if you don’t like after XYZ?

7. Problems

What issues will be caused by XYZ?

What issues without XYZ?

What is the perception of having XYZ?

The second list is made up of Action Rules:

1. Next Event

What happens or might happen next?

2. Preceding and Enabling Events

What caused XYZ? What led up? Able to?

3. Associated Objects

How do you XYZ without ABC? How did you get ABC that enabled XYZ?

4. Other Actors

Who else XYZs? Or creates XYZs?

5. Associated Actions

What happens with or goes along XYZ?

6. Physical Results

Do we want state ABC due to XYZ? Why?

7. Scripts

What else was going on to cause XYZ?

8. Reason

Why did XYZ take place? Facts causing this

9. Alternative Plans

Why don’t we do ABC instead?

Is there a different path to get XYZ?

Who will help us get there, and why?

10. History

What was going on, the frequency and causes XYZ to happen?

11. Emotional or Social Effect

Do you love XYZ? Does it make a difference? Everyone wants XYZ?

So, the next time you are faced with change, roadblock, or beginning new initiatives, ask the above list of questions.

How will Facebook react to the user feedback? I am a Facebook user myself, and will be eagerly awaiting Facebook's answer to this latest challenge. Facebook business leadership must act swiftly before the current situation becomes a juggernaut.

• Creativity begins with asking questions…
  
• Innovation happens when you find answers…

Download my leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business used by over 1,000 professionals, faculty and innovators at educational institutions and businesses all around the world including EDS, Ericsson, Center for Sales Strategy, IdeaChampions, Acara Global, Byrne Dairy, Cleveland Clinic, Magpie, DOJ/FBI, HP, Hewlett Packard, Intervista Institute, Fryett Consulting Group, Satellite Shelters, ProductVentures, Speakeasy - a Best Buy company, Jarden Consumer Solutions, Hallmark, Infinium, DeakinPrime - Deakin University, Lucas-TVS, McCann Worldgroup, S.P.Jain Center of Management, Suffolk University, RiCoMan, AmpControl, Craig Rispin, Momentive, Champion Laboratories, University of Phoenix, University of Washington, SFR - Neufbox, Attwood as Edison, Academy of Sport, Ideogenesis, Principled Innovation, Meridian Partners, Ananzi, Tangibility, Syngenta Global, Speedy, The Business Lab, Deloitte, Lane Management, University of California at Irvine, Wharton Business School, Babson University, Larsen & Toubro, Nokia, Credera, Pfizer, Bilkent University, Indian Institute of Science and many more.

This eBook is a 212-page collection of over 55 best practices, case studies, and insights on the current state of Innovation in Business at Top Innovators including Apple, Google, Netflix, 3M, Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, Toyota, GE, BMW, Deloitte, Frito Lay, IBM, Nike, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Microsoft, Dell, Intel and more. With pertinent articles from the award-winning Creativity And Innovation Driving Business Blog, this Faculty eBook provides real-world examples on how the Top Innovators innovate and grow their business successfully time and again, especially during economic cycles. Creativity And Innovation in Business is a definitive guide that will help you unblock creativity, uncover and create game-changing innovations, and make exponential business growth a reality. Learn more...

References:

Roger Shank

Selected references:
Leading eBook on Creativity and Innovation in Business
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world