Observatory of Educational Innovation

What is creativity? Can it be developed? What role does confidence play in our creative ability at the moment of creating? Creativity is one of the characteristics of the human being, which is why it has been the subject of numerous studies. In 1980, Lakoff and Johnson argued that conceptual metaphors are not mere embellishments of language, but structures that determine what we can think and, therefore, what we can imagine.

By itself, the experience of pursuing a university degree is marked by emotional ups and downs, stressful situations, and moments that can be overwhelming, which requires a constant ability to adapt. Despite this, the experience of a person with a chronic condition adds another layer of complexity: it is challenging to manage an unpredictable condition. Let’s start by conceptualizing chronic diseases.

In a previous article, I wondered how much we could reduce our social lives to purely virtual exchanges without them becoming unsatisfactory. I started from the extreme idea (perhaps fictitious, though one no longer knows) of someone who had no face-to-face relationships but could continue to live only through online relationships.

The Dead Internet Theory (DIT) originated more than 10 years ago in response to changes in the internet, especially the arrival of social networks, though at that time it had a conspiratorial tone. Currently, the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) has rebooted the theory, driven by the use of bots to generate content and the obsession with “likes.” Now, platforms prioritize participation and income metrics over authenticity, and they privilege monetization.

In today’s society, characterized by immediate access to information and rapid content circulation through digital media, communicating knowledge helps bring scientific, technological, and humanistic advances closer to citizens. Beyond translating specialized concepts into accessible language, outreach plays a strategic role in building more critical, informed, and participatory societies.

Children’s increasing access to digital devices has sparked widespread debate about the potential impact of screens on language development during early childhood. However, screen use and its relationship with the development of children’s language is a more complex issue than normally portrayed. Various studies, such as those by Madigan et al. (2020) and Nwachukwu et al.

As education began to change with the advent of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), significant efforts were made to ensure that technology use was beneficial (UNESCO, 2023). At first, the implementation of ICT was very technical (e.g., classes on turning on a PC and using Word), but it evolved as new methodological frameworks emerged in education. Notably, teaching has never been static.

Byung-Chul Han, the philosopher we should all read, says that the best form of political resistance in today’s world is to stay at home. He means staying away, as much as possible, from current forms of work, consumption, and communication, which only force us to a life of self-exploitation for the sake of performance. Well, I want to declare, now, that I am going further than Han: I am staying in my bed.

Thinking about education often calls to mind schools, universities, and classrooms. We often understand it as a process of transmitting knowledge or developing skills within a school context. However, it also implies learning to live together, interpreting the world, and relating to those who are different from us. In this full context, perhaps dog literacy also has a place in that consideration.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Durante el CIIE, los exfuncionarios analizaron las desigualdades educativas que se exacerbaron durante la crisis por COVID-19. ¿Cómo será la escuela cuando regresen todos los alumnos a las aulas? Exministros de América Latina piden que no se vuelva a la “vieja normalidad”.