Not only are the teams representing the State and the country, but many familiar NH-DI faces are helping make this event run. From appraisers that judge team solutions to running to social media team are also volunteering at the world’s largest event of its kind.

Updates about Team New Hampshire and Global Finals will be posted on social media sites including Facebook and Twitter, with details – even if you don’t have a Twitter of Facebook account,  HERE.

CHERRY HILL, N.J., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Hundreds of elementary, secondary and high schools from all over the world are sending teams to vie for honors in Destination Imagination’s Global Finals celebration of creativity May 23-26. DI officials today announced five major universities are playing an active role in Destination Imagination programs.

They are:

Michigan Tech

Philadelphia University

The University of Tennessee

The University of Virginia

Virginia Tech

Youth competing in Destination Imagination’s Global Finals last year said in a survey they believed DI helps them to “do better in school,” and almost half said they credited DI with helping them improve their grades.

Virginia Tech, Michigan Tech and the University of Tennessee all have interactive exhibits in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects, and the Global Finals celebration of creativity and critical thinking is being hosted on the University of Tennessee Campus in Knoxville again this year.

Philadelphia University will be the site of a special NASA space station uplink for DI students in June. NASA chose DI over six other applicants. “At Philadelphia University, we share DI’s philosophy with our Nexus Learning approach to education – active, collaborative, connected to the real world and infused with the liberal arts – and are proud to work together with DI to prepare the innovators of tomorrow,” declared D. R. Widder, Executive Director of Innovation.

The University of Virginia is involved in research into the positive impact of DI’s problem solving challenge programs on kids involved in Head Start. Researchers at UVA in 2011 published research concluding that youth who compete in DI’s challenges are better at critical thinking and using creativity and collaboration to solve open-ended problems than kids who are not involved in DI.

Virginia Tech, in addition to being an exhibitor, will present teams with AC4P (Actively Caring for People) wristbands. The initiative is to help team members understand and combat bullying, harassment and intimidation.

“These major universities will have the opportunity to interact with some of the most creative thinkers in the world,” said Chuck Cadle, CEO of Destination Imagination Inc., a global non-profit based in Cherry Hill, NJ. “The universities are able to showcase what they have to offer potential future students, and at the same time, attract kids who have the characteristics of future national leaders.”

New Hampshire Destination ImagiNation shares information on our Facebook pages and our Twitter pages (@NH_DI).

Three Things About Social Media

1. Social media is like meeting strangers at a BBQ. Some you will get to know, some you don’t want to know and most others will remain strangers. Just like meeting people for the first time, talking about yourself is not the way to make friends. Content is the currency in social media. Listen first, and see what you will or won’t say. Giving your location is never recommended. Think of this as a way to build a business network where adding valuable content to someone else’s day is the best way to gain a following.

2. Posting things on social media is posting things on the Internet, where they are fully public and potentially forever public as well as available on search engines.

3. Social Media provides more ideas per second than any other medium. Following smart, intelligent people that share your interests is valuable. Your conversations hopefully are mutually beneficial, and your focus is really dependent on your interest.

Listening To Social Media Without a Twitter or Facebook Account

The problem with not having a Twitter or Facebook account is you cannot filter out all the noise to consistently get the gems on Social Media.  The next section explains how to listen with an account, but here is how to listen WITHOUT an account. You can use the web addresses (URLs) below on most mobile devices as well.

1. TWEETGRID TWITTER SEARCH ON GLOBAL FINALS. Tweetgrid filters a lot of the activity on Twitter. Clicking HERE will bring you to a search specifically on Destination ImagiNation Global Finals content. WARNING: Some content may be spam, especially as we become more popular and there are no guarantees content is suitable for all viewers. [ Click Here for a version that also adds a NH tweet stream].

2.SEE WHAT DESTINATION IMAGINATION SHARES

• Facebook: http://facebook.com/DestinationImagiNation
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/IDODI
• Google+: http://gplus.to/IDODI 

3. SEE WHAT NH-DI SHARES 

• Facebook: http://facebook.com/NHICC
• Twitter:   http://twitter.com/NH_DI
• Google+:  http://gplus.to/NHICC

If You Have A Twitter and/or Facebook account, follow the accounts you are interested in by “Liking” the page on Facebook, or the “Follow” button on Twitter.

Below is the press release by Destination Imagination:

We have updated our logo as part of an ongoing evolution of our overall brand. The former logo was used for more than 11 years and represents two very different styles of thinking. The box is a symbol of developers—thinkers that prefer structure when exploring novel ideas, think inside the proverbial box, and enjoy conforming to existing expectations and procedures. The ball has come to be a symbol of explorers—thinkers that find structure limiting, think outside the proverbial box, and choose not to conform to existing expectations and procedures. The convergence of the two represents flexible thinkers who can move between both styles.

The new work emerged over the last year as we evaluated the brand though participant surveys, affiliate surveys and focus group testing. We extend our thanks to everyone who participated and helped along the way. Your feedback is appreciated.

In addition to the logo update, DI has restructured the organization’s brand architecture, simplified the messaging and created a more modern visual identity. We will unveil a series of enhancements to the website and print campaign in the fall. These changes will allow our organization to be more clearly understood and better compete in the educational market.

“The refreshed look of our brand identity and corresponding materials demonstrate to all of our customers that we’re a forward-thinking organization with a passion for teaching the creative process” said Chuck Cadle, CEO of Destination Imagination.

The new logo is more than just a visual update with a fresh look — it is the beginning of many great things to come for our organization.

[ Photos now posted from this event ]

Teams practiced their “think on their feet” skills with Instant Challeges, learned from other team members, alumni and NH-DI officials what to expect at the world’s largest problem-solving competition. Meanwhile, their parents and Team Manager facilitators learned what they needed to know. And after the meetings, some 40 gallons of ice cream met their fate with some 25 pounds of toppings in the NH-DI Spoil Your Dinner traditional send-off for the teams.

In all, 1,200+ teams will be at the University of Tennessee from May 23-26 to compete and learn from each other.

For more information contact:

Parents, Team Members learn what to expect at the World’s largest creativity competition event

Editor’s note: This is for credentialed media only.

New Hampshire student teams that have advanced to Destination ImagiNation Global Finals take a break from their fund-raising to meet each other, learn about competing at the world’s largest creative problem solving competition and spoil their dinner with ice cream on Friday night in Londonderry. Lots and lots of ice cream.

“Team New Hampshire” is made up of the 39 teams that have advanced through several levels of New Hampshire Destination ImagiNation competitions. Teams competed in challenges that tested their creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills. Each challenge is based in core school subjects with a focus that is based in science, technology, the arts, engineering, math or social learning.

In all, almost 300 teams competed for these precious 39 slots.

WHO:     Teams from around state who will represent New Hampshire to compete with virtually every state, Canadian province and 13 additional countries at Destination ImagiNation Global Finals from May 23-26 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Included are teams from Londonderry, Derry, Nashua, Windham.

WHAT:   They will learn from experienced team members, alumni and NH-DI board members what to expect when competing and visiting with the over 1,200 teams from around the world at Global Finals. Adults (parents and Team Managers) will be briefed separately.

Teams will also practice their “think-on-your-feet” Instant Challenge skills. These are designed to be visual for photos.

WHERE: Londonderry High School Café. (Directions: http://www.nh-di.org/2010/01/directions-londonderry-high-school/)

WHEN: Friday, May 4 from 5:45 to 7:45 PM.

Tentative time schedule

6-7 PM: Instant Challenge

7-7:30:   What to expect at Global Finals

7:30        ICE CREAM!

CONTACT: Wayne Kurtzman, wayne.kurtzman@nh-di.org

PRESS KIT: www.NH-DI.org/press

 About New Hampshire Destination ImagiNation

Destination ImagiNation® is a leading-edge non-profit organization dedicated to teaching participants the essential skills of creativity, teamwork, and problem solving. Every year, we reach 100,000 students (from pre-K through college) across the U.S. and in more than 30 countries.
There are over 1.3 million Destination ImagiNation alumni around the world including over 120,000 New Hampshire alumni.

NH-DI is administered by the 501(c)3 non-profit NHICC™: New Hampshire’s Incredible Creativity Connection. NHICC, celebrating 29th years of creative problem solving programs for New Hampshire students, will run Destination ImagiNation for over 2,000 students from well over 150 Granite State schools and community organizations. NHICC also operates Camp Gottalikachallenge, our 17 year old summer creativity camps.

Learn more about NHICC and New Hampshire Destination ImagiNation at NH-DI.org, or the international Destination ImagiNation at www.IDODI.org.

Goals of Destination ImagiNation:

• Foster creative and critical thinking.

• Learn and apply creative problem solving methods and tools.

• Develop teamwork, collaboration, and leadership skills.

• Nurture research and inquiry skills, involving both creative exploration and attention to detail.

• Enhance and apply written and verbal communication and presentation skills (both impromptu and sustained).

• Promote the recognition, use, and development of many and varied strengths and talents.

• Encourage competence in, enthusiasm for, and commitment to real-life problem solving.