Posted by: Administrator in Untagged on
Nov 04, 2009
Rory's Story Cubes® has received a glowing review from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. What makes their reviews special is that parents are given the products to take home and use with their children for a few weeks. It is this commitment to the review process that makes the review that bit more meaningful.
From the reviewer Rory's Story Cubes is easy to set up, easy to play, and easy to transport. When we play, I feel that we are developing our thinking skills and having a great time all at once. The fact that there is no wrong answer also helps. Besides improving storytelling skills and giving the brain a creativity workout, children learn patience and respect as they wait for their turn and listen to others tell their stories.
You can read the full review at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine website.
Roll Up! Roll Up! Have you got what it takes to face the Rory's Story Cubes®: SmackDown?
3 minutes, 2 illustrators and one roll of Rory's Story Cubes®! Armed only with a whiteboard and pens, illustrators, artists and doodlers drawn from the crowd will have 3 minutes to create a sketch inspired by a roll of Rory's Story Cubes®. They will then have 30 seconds to pitch their sketch to the audience.
Only one can survive the audience vote on who made best use of the 9 Story Cube symbols. The last man/woman standing will be named Rory's Story Cubes®: SmackDown Champion 2009. And all that that implies!
The event takes place in the OFF ROOM @ OFFSET 2009 from 3.30pm - 4.15pm.
If you would like to put your name forward, email rory(at)thecreativityhub.com or leave a comment.
Posted by: Administrator in Untagged on
Sep 24, 2009
I was amazed when I saw this video clip in a recent newsletter from Anecdote.com. It illustrates clear example how we, as humans, strive to 'fill in the gaps' and make meaning of the world around us.
Take a look at the clip below, then read on.
So what did you see? Was there an argument? A bullying figure acting threatening towards two other characters? Some scared characters trying to hide in a building? Or was it simple a serious on geometrical shapes drawn on paper, animated over time?
This video clip was used in research carried out In 1944 by psychologists Fritz Heider and Marianne Simmel. There paper was published in The American Journal of Psychology. It was a simple idea. Make a film of geometric shapes moving about and then ask the subjects "... to write down what happened in the picture." 1
If you interpreted it in the form of a story, you may begin to appreciate how we have a tendency to jump to conclusions. This process of ascribing meaning, has probably helped us to survive surprise attacks by predators, but nowadays can lead us to make assumptions that can have a massive negative impact.
Where in your life might you be ascribing meaning where there is none?
Posted by: Administrator in Untagged on
Sep 15, 2009
I'm really pleased to be able to share a few photos of the sample cubes for our latest expansion for Rory's Story Cubes, imaginatively titled, Rory's Story Cubes: Actions. The molds still require some tweaking, but overall, the cubes are living up to the high standard that we set with the original Rory's Story Cubes.
If you like what you see, you can pre-order your set(s) from our shop.
We are looking for feedback on the interface of our Rory's Story Cubes® iPhone application (coming soon). We want the application to be as universally accessible as the physical game and wish to keep text explanations to a minimum.
Please click on the image below to view full-size. Then take a look at the buttons on the left of the screen and tell us what function you think each performs. There are no prizes, just the warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing you helped us out.
This video outlines Argentinian e-bay style company MasOportunidades.com's new campaign. It highlights how a little imagination and some emotional branding can help you break free of your competitors and grow your market.
What I really like is the reference to doing something that 'scared' the competitor. MasOportunidades.com didn't just do something different. They did something that their competitor couldn't imagine doing!
I really like how Mapumental, a web app that helps commuters in London pick their ideal spot to live, displays its information in a visual and organic form. The implications for overlaying data on other areas are interesting. Could it be used to map areas of contention, social deprivation or wellbeing?
RTE Nationwide ran a piece today on how we are trying to promote creativity through Rory's Story Cubes™.We've already received a positive response from viewers.
A big thanks goes out to Stephen Macken who filmed and edited the piece.
Anita and I are part of the learning group for the Corrymeela Refugee Integration Project taking place in the Greater Belfast Area. The project is a partnerhip between Corrymeela Community and the Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seeks (NICRAS).
At a recent learning group meeting, the question about the effectiveness of the existing needs assessment questionnaire was raised. It was the usual text-based word document. Our view was that it was unappealing and and ill-suited for peothe target audience who would not take time to read the document of ask for help with filling it in. We agreed that something more visual might work better.
I proposed using the projectives method of gathering feedback. Dr. Elaine Woodall of the Univeristy of Ulster (Coleraine campus) employed this method in a survey she conducted on the effectiveness of our Innovation Hub project with Citi back in 2007.
We quickly sketched out the questions (see below) we wanted to asked both local residents and the members of the refugee and asylum seeker community.
Below you can see the final images used in the Needs Analysis. The response so far has been really positive with Ann Marie White, the project worker, expressing her surprise at the level of honesty expressed using this simple approach.
