BRIAN HOUSAND, PH.D.
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
BRIANHOUSAND.COM
Geek. Nerd. Dork. Dweeb. All terms that were once derogatory and served to
alienate and ridicule highly intelligent individuals who are passionate about
specific areas of interest. Yet, in 2014, these have become terms of empower-
ment to a great number of gifted students and a source of true pride. This keynote
session begins by examining the origin and evolution in the portrayal of stereotypes in popular culture while exploring the differences between each of these terms. From there, we will explore a collection of powerful online tools and resources for the geeks and nerds in your life. Come and GET YOUR GEEK ON!
47. AM GAuiNdeI fForE DSevTeOlop:i n g a Creative Career
1. Don't be afraid to fall in love with something and
pursue it with intensity.!
2. Know, understand, take pride in, practice, develop,
exploit and enjoy your greatest strengths.!
3. Learn to free yourself from the expectations of
others and to walk away from the games they impose
on you.!Free yourself to play your own game.!
4. Find a great teacher or mentor who will help you.!
5. Don't waste energy trying to be well rounded.!
6. Do what you love and can do well.!
7. Learn the skills of interdependence.
105. Creativity is just
connecting things.
When you ask creative people
how they did something, they
feel a little guilty because they
didn’t really do it, they just saw
something. It seemed obvious
to them after a while.
That’s because they were able
to connect experiences they’ve
had and SYNTHESIZE
new things.!
- Steve Jobs, 1995
113. TYPE II
METHODOLOGICAL
HOW-TO ACTIVITIES
TYPE III
TYPE I
GENERAL
EXPLORATORY
ACTIVITIES
!
TRAINING /
!
INDEPENDENT OR SMALL GROUP INVESTIGATIONS
PRODUCTS AND/OR PERFORMANCES
(Renzulli, 1977)
131. “We don’t
have the option
of turning away
from the future.
No one gets to
vote on whether
technology is
going to change
our lives.”
!
! ! Bill Gates !
The Road Ahead
133. “Every generation of
teenagers embraces
the freedoms and
possibilities wrought
by technology in ways
that shock the elders.”
Time!!
March!27,!2006