“Creative Literacy Activities”
This workshop will provide low-cost and no-cost creative activities to help promote reading, mathematics, and critical thinking for children in preschool through elementary school. The workshop will include some make-and-take materials ready for you to implement at home.

Presenter: Ms. Lou Karas, Director of the Center for Arts and Education, West Liberty University
Lou has worked extensively in arts advocacy and arts leadership.  She was the Director of the Appalachian Education Initiative, a non-profit arts intermediary in Morgantown, WV before creating the Center for Arts and Education at West Liberty University.

“Bookmaking in the Elementary Classroom”
TBA

“Using GigaPan Images & Technology in the Classroom”
This workshop will prepare educators to incorporate Gigipan panoramic pictures into instruction.  Additionally, the technology behind the robotic Gigipan will be demonstrated and shared with participants.

Presenter: Varies

“MakeShop and tMaker Design in Action”
TBA

“Motivation and Social Psychology”
This workshop will provide participants with an overview of motivation, social psychology, and their intersections. A special focus will be placed on extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and the diverse learning outcomes and creative processes they can evoke in individuals. The goal of this workshop is to make teachers aware of how important it is to support motivation in the right way, in order to facilitate creativity and academic performance (e.g. creative flow). At the same time, this workshop is intended to disclose how harmful the wrongful application and treatment of motivation can be to individuals, their learning, and their creative capacities. (1-2 hours)

Presenter: Dr. Miriam Roth Douglas, Assistant Professor of Education and Director of Community Education, West Liberty University.
Miriam teaches graduate and undergraduate coursework related to motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), social psychology, and creativity.

“Promoting Creativity in Kids”
TBA

“Creativity and Education: A Mutually Exclusive Paradox?”
“Creativity is a high-demand skill that most workforces and industries are looking for in their employees.” Educational institutions, in contrast, seem to focus more on standardized testing and memorizing skills than critical thinking and creativity. Sir Ken Robinson even goes so far as to ask the question if schools kill creativity in his book, Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative. This interactive presentation will focus on these issues by presenting a short background on existing creativity research, providing a platform for the discussion of the controversial topic of teaching for creativity, and by challenging participants to explore their own creativity.

Presenter: Dr. Miriam Roth Douglas, Director of Community Education, West Liberty University
Miriam is an Assistant Professor of Education. She teaches coursework related to arts integration, motivation and creativity, non-formal learning spaces, and community education.