Hey guys!

This is not a DIY post but a post about my MOOC at Coursera.org. I mentioned before that I joined a massive open online course about Creativity, Innovation and Change, and now, I was about to finish the course.

As part of our final requirement we have to come up with our own CIC Synthesis. And so, I thought that my blog would be a great place to share about it.


Taking a MOOC is something new to me. So, I got really excited when the CIC course began. I never thought that online classes would be that fun. It's something new, something different and something that should be shared across the globe. How I wish everyone who has an internet connection would get the chance to discover this new way of learning.

Well, I actually don't know where to begin or how to come up with my own synthesis. All I know is that I learned a lot from the professors and also from the discussion forums.

Changes? There had been a few changes about myself since the course began. At first, I really had this stereotype about creative people.

CREATIVE PEOPLE:
-expressive
-weird
-self-centered
-spontaneous
-impressive
-overflowing ideas about anything under the sun

And I always had this in mind:
"Not all people are creative."

Then, I thought CIC would be about honing our creative side, the one that's inclined to expressing ourselves through the arts like singing, dancing, crafts, acting or anything impressionistic.

But I was wrong...

CIC is a serious thing. This is about understanding more what creativity really is and how we are going to use that creativity to innovate things and change the world. It doesn't have to be that big but you can start innovating simple things that can change you, your neighborhood, your community and then everything will follow.

Creative Diversity

Professor Kathryn made me realize that Creativity isn't just for a few people. She made me remember that  "All people are creative" it's just that everyone has different levels or style of creativity. I also learned from her that creativity is part of everyone's way of thinking and solving everyday problems. Creativity is diverse and that diversion, if we put them together can come up with wild innovating ideas that can help make our world a better place.

The C.E.N.T.E.R.

One of the coolest concept throughout the course is Professor Darrell's CENTER strategy. I really had a great time completing my own CENTER acronym.

Character: I am A PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE HOLDER, I will be A PSYCHOLOGIST SOMEDAY.
Entrepreneurship: I run experiments and risks toward my dream of BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGIST.
owNership: Based on my CHARACTER, I choose to STUDY HARD ON MY M.A. CLASS.
Tenacity: I will hold on in my pursuit toward FINISHING MY M.A. DEGREE, amidst all barriers.
Excellence: I plan and focus hard work on gaining skill in PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING.
Relationship: My family is MY MOM AND DAD AND MY THREE SIBLINGS. My home is VALENZUELA CITY, PHILIPPINES.

I promise to always keep this in mind so that I would always be in focus towards achieving my dreams.

Intelligence Fast Failure

As the saying goes "learn from your mistakes," Professor Jack not only reminded us that we learn from our mistakes but we should also accept Failures. And from accepting those failures, it can give us a hint on how to succeed in life. It's just a matter of how we are going to face failures and stay on track. IFF is essential to learning. So, I learned that we should not be afraid to fail. We just have to "fail...learn...fail again and learn again" as the professors said on their last lecture video.

Things that got stocked on my mind...

1. Everyone's creative so don't feel down when you can't come up with a cute drawing. It's just that different person have different creative style and level.
2. I fall under the more adaptive creative style which is true because I stick with the rules and I always feel uncomfortable when something is uncertain.
3. There are times when we have this sudden burst of ideas, and that happens to me. But most of the time I just let them slip away. After I've learned about the Idea Journal, now, I always carry a handy notebook at the ready for AHA! moments.
4. In every goal it is important to acknowledge both the things that enables us and the things the limits us from achieving it. If we took the time to think about them we'll surely find a way to push through our goals.
5. Collaborating with other people who has different styles and levels of creativity is a great way to solve problems. That way you'll get to see the problem from different angles and help each other to come up with solutions to solve them. 
6. Be open for changes.
7. Use your creativity to innovate and start changes.

Thanks CIC staff for all the things that you imparted to us!