CCTNetwork25Jan08

=CCT Network events, 25 Jan 08= 

Mapping the wider CCT network of allies and resources
//Goals:// 1. To get to know people and find out about their CCT-related experiences. 2. To delve -- helping each other -- into the resources that are listed or documented in the CCT website & wiki and help a map of wider CCT network of allies and resources.

//Process:// Approach a person & find out if they meet one of the criteria in your bingo sheet. If so, chat about the item and mark it off on your sheet. If not, let the other person choose an item on their sheet that requires investigation by using the CCT website (www.cct.umb.edu) or CCT wiki (cct.wikispaces.com). When you find the answer, write about it on a postit & add it where you like on the map. Make links to other postits. Your partner marks the item off on their sheet. When you have crossed out 5 in a line, call out "Bingo." Repeat process until sheet is full or start a new sheet. When people are getting bingo-ed out, we'll have a discussion of what discoveries people made and what implications that has for how they view CCT (from perspective of a student, an alum, a faculty member, a prospective organizing group member, etc.)

Spreadsheet for generating random bingo sheets (to be attached)

Notes on suggestions made during organizing group Dialogue session:

 * getting the correct information is important - we need to make an effort to make updates to our database for proper alum. information
 * it would be useful to define categories of activities that might define the kinds of events that we are thinking of
 * the events might be a way to informally share the ongoing “discoveries” that people are making in relation to critical and creative thinking or insights about critical and creative thinking itself
 * want to make sure to continuing the transition of the perception of the CCT program, from a “hidden secret” to a recognized and highly-regarded name
 * what is organized should be fun, not only for the community as a whole, but even more specifically for the organizing group as well
 * we should do some further probing into other successful “self-perpetuating organizations” and seek some insight about what helps these to work as they do
 * the issue of time is important, but often overlooked; participation seems to mean that people have to carve out yet another slice of time in already busy schedules to attend events, put thought into participation, feedback, planning, etc. Question: rather than think of the CCT network as another thing that consumes time, what would cause people to shift their thinking to look at their participation as a priority - something that they “need” to fit in?
 * it would be worthwhile to envision more concrete ways to provide incentives to participation (or perhaps to make existing incentives more visible?); “what has the CCT program done for me lately?”
 * some insight might be found by looking at the outcomes/activities/processes of the CPSI conference (via Creative Ed. Inst. at the U. of Buffalo)
 * consideration might be given to creative endeavors happening in our local community and in speaking with those who are considered successful; what are CCT-ish activities that are happening locally, outside of the CCT program? how can we capture the attention/partnership with other people and engage them as resources and partners?
 * the organizational group might evolve into a way for us to try things that we might like to do as practitioners and get feedback; we could use gatherings to try practice runs at experimental educational activities or any other innovation that we are considering in our environment