Digging Deeper session at the Summer Institute in Digital Literacy 2013

1. CREATIVE SYNTHESIS AS PART OF
INQUIRY: FOUNDATIONAL IDEAS
Dr. Hiller A. Spires
North Carolina State University
2013 Summer Institute in Digital Literacy
July 14 - 19, 2013

3. PBI MODEL
Spires et al. (2009)

4. WHAT IS SYNTHESIS?
A combination of two or more entities that
together form something new.
Greek, from syntithenai, to put together
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synthesis
.

5. WHAT IS SYNTHESIS?
 Connections within text, among texts and to
background knowledge enable the construction of
an integrated mental model of understanding
(Kintsch, 1998; Rouet, 2006)
 “A dynamic, flexible, strategic, recursive reading
process that begins with and is driven by
awareness of purpose” (Hagerman, 2013)

6. WHAT IS CREATIVE SYNTHESIS?
 Iterative design and development process that
results in representing research results in new and
original ways.
 Using multimodal literacies and complex
thinking with content.
 Integrating information across print and digital texts,
drawing inferences, summarizing, and making
novel connections to create media products.
 Evaluation may include intellectual, aesthetic,
and technical quality outcomes.
(Spires et al., 2012)

7. ANY VALUE IN INVERTING REVISED BLOOM’S
TAXONOMY?
(Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) (Spires, et al., 2012)

8. Author Defining Creative Synthesis
Psychologydictionary.org Creative synthesis refers to the
mixture of many concepts,
visuals, or correlations, into a
new whole, particularly
whenever this varies
fundamentally from any of its
parts.
Hockenberry (2007) A modern solution for solving
problems and expanding
knowledge.

9. Author Defining Creative Synthesis
Michael DeSchryver (2012, p.155) The concept of creative synthesis is
largely the application of the
creative process to reading and
synthesizing Web text(s). In this way, the
theory moves both scholarly conceptions
of reading and creativity in new directions.
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt
(1832 – 1920)
When elements are attended to, they can
be arranged and rearranged according
to the individual's will, and thus
arrangements never actually experienced
before can result. Wundt called this
phenomenon creative synthesis.

10. CREATIVE SYNTHESIS WITH NEW MEDIA
Remixing
Curating

11. THE LAST WORD
“This is the moment—this is the most
important moment right now. We are
about making a contribution. That’s what
our job is. It’s about contributing
something.” Benjamin Zander
How will you contribute to the world of your
students’ digital futures?

12. Thank you!
Let me hear from you.
hiller_spires@ncsu.edu

13. REFERENCES
DeSchryber, M. (2012). Towards a theory of web-mediated knowledge synthesis: How advanced
learners used the Web to construct knowledge about climate change behavior. (Unpublished doctoral
dissertation). Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Hagerman, M. (2013). Dissertation in progress. Michigan State University.
Hergenhahn, B.R. (2009). An introduction to the history of Psychology (6th ed.). Independence, KY:
Cengage Learning.
Hockenberry, M. (2007). Introduction to creative synthesis. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/creativesynthesis/introduction-to-creative-synthesis-290294
Spires, H., Hervey, L., Morris, G., & Stelpflug, C. (2012). Energizing project-based inquiry:Middle
school students read, write, and create videos. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,55(6), 483-493.
doi: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/JAAL.00058/pdf
Spires, H. A., Wiebe, E., Young, C. A., Hollebrands, K., & Lee, J. K. (2012). Toward a new learning
ecology: Professional development for teachers in 1:1 learning environments. Contemporary Issues in
Technology and Teacher Education, 12(2). Retrieved
fromhttp://www.citejournal.org/vol12/iss2/currentpractice/article1.cfm (Reprint of the Friday Institute
White Paper. NC State University: Raleigh, NC.)