Next Vista Inspiring Videos

The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion and writing prompts. For more information about how to use the variety of materials on our free site, you are welcome to contact us.

Click on the title or image to get the video and full prompts.

Fall ’24 NVIV Videos and Prompts

The Worth of a Walk – What is your reason for doing what you do?

Cycles of Success – What does it mean to be mobilized?

The Next Question – How do you train yourself to think about possibilities rather than barriers?

Being Driven by Artistic Possibilities – What happens when you combine what you love with the work you do?

Just a Little Better – What can you do to improve someone's situation just a little?

Recovering What is Lost – Do you ever rearrange your words?

Building Elsewhere – What might it take to build on the moon?

Where We Find Joy – What do we know about those around us?

Spring ’24 NVIV Videos and Prompts

What Goes Around – What makes something beneficial?

Crowded Community – What is the relationship between personal space and community?

Seeing Poverty – If you were to list what everyone needs to have certain basics to live, what would be on your list?

Watching Space through Time – How do places you know change over time?

Mosquito Misery – What questions do you have about eradicating a species?

A Straw Opinion – What do you think art can do to bring about change?

What Weighs Us Down – Can changing gravity change how we think about ourselves?

From Trickle to Cascade – Can working with others help build positive experiences?

Creativity from Constraints – How do constraints prompt constructive creativity?

Setting Music in Motion – What catches your attention, and what does that say about you?

Diving into Details – Are you a person who thinks to look for details others might miss?

Remembering the Forgotten – What might one do to bring back someone who has been forgotten?

Valuing What’s Used – Are there things in your home or school that get thrown away, but might still have value?

The Power of Yes – Which voice inside you do you listen to?

Audience and Expectations – What is the relationship between our expectations of an experience and the impact the experience has on us?

Sometimes an Island – Would you want to live in a place that's an island part of each day? What would make that attractive?

Drumming Up an Audience – What does it mean to drum up an audience?

Food and Culture – What can you learn about a country's culture by seeing how its people work with food?

Why Fly – What would make a jet suit useful, and how might you convince someone else of that?

Fall ’23 NVIV Videos and Prompts

Enjoying the Present – When do we know a gift is a gift?

Time, Lines, and Two Lists – Can a timelapse and a couple of lists help you learn about drawing and things other than drawing?

Changes in Views – How do you help your audience change their views when you interpret a story?

Experiencing Words – When do words move beyond mere information and into the realm of poetry?

Natural Joy – How can associations strengthen a message?

Inspired and Inspiring Running – What do you need to turn a deficit into a strength?

Taking Glass to the Next Level – What inspires you to take something in a new direction?

What Makes Us Human – What makes technology seem human?

The Language of Accessibility – What's a challenge that you haven't thought you could overcome?

Lessons from Ice – What can you learn from a place far, far away?

Living the Long Game – What might it cost to work on something that may take years to accomplish? How might you think of the risk and the reward?

Capturing Plastic – When you see a challenge, do you imagine ways to deal with it?

Promoting Your Place – How would you promote your place in a video?

Light and Growth – What might you get when you combine art, innovation, and agriculture?

A Good Argument – When others think differently than you do, how do you work to understand their perspective?

How We Show Up – We think of showing up prepared for tests or sports, but how about showing up prepared interpersonally?

Spring ’23 NVIV Videos and Prompts

What We Don’t See – How can what we don't know prompt us to be kind?

Love and Sacrifice – What do you do when those you love need help?

The Joy of Discovery – How do you make learning amazing?

The Angles of Art – When does how art is made change how we see things?

Learning from an Elder – Some people can explain how they see the world, and some tell the stories of those who do.

Third Thumb Research – What might your brain do if you added another thumb to your hand? How would you tell the story of what you learned?

Seeing Challenges Within – How do you think of challenges in different settings?

Letting an Idea Take Off – Would you want a car that could fly?

Light and Ruins – How many different ways are there to tell the stories of history that you can think of?

A Fed Bear – When do the things we think are nice hurt others?

Sensing a Sand Crisis – Could we run out of sand?

Kickstarting a Business – If you were to start a business, what would you choose as its focus?

Doughing Good – Why might making a difference make us better?

The Stories of Heroes – Heroes inspire us. How do you share stories of your heroes?

Symbols and Walking – If you could choose to walk a really long way, would you? Why?

Access to the Right Tool – Is there a missing piece that, if you had, you could launch something big?

The Silent Dance – A performance in which the dancers can't hear the music, and the musicians can't see the dancers or conductor, can still be a model of excellence.

Dancing with Trash – How might one combine trash and dance?

Standing Up to Injustice – What does it mean to stand up for your beliefs?

What People Need – Could a vertical farm make a difference in your community?

Reasons and Assumptions – How can we figure out where our assumptions and others' reasons do and don't match?

Fall ’22 NVIV Videos and Prompts

Enjoying a Challenge – Have you been part of a team that brought joy to others through challenges?

Calling Cows – What is it that attracts us to others?

Sweet Time – Do you spend time on what is most important to you? Should you?

Places and Creative Processes – How might we exercise our creativity muscles?

A Lot of Love – How might different people see a story?

Valuing a Memory – What connects us to our memories?

Believing in Others – What does it mean to look past something?

Expanding the Audience – What are creative ways to share a message? How do you talk with others about the things you care about?

Halfway between a Drone and a Plane – Have you ever looked at things in a totally different way?

One Thing Leads to Another – If you build a successful subway system, what might happen as a result?

Boats, Not Cars – What makes your town different?

Songs of Learning – What drives you to want to learn something?

The Nature of Design – Can you build a better train by studying birds? Or create a better paint by thinking about shark skin?

3D-Printing Homes – What does a home cost? What if there were a radically different way to build one?

Connections Crossing Cultures – What are the little ways we can bring joy to others? Would spending a little time talking to someone make a difference?

Crazy Cool Costumes – Can a Halloween costume teach us something about turning a challenge into an advantage?

Animals as Teachers – There are so many forms of life. What have people in your community learned from them?

Spoons and Opportunities – Why can't you eat your spoon? Would that be a good idea?

Doing with Data – What's the barrier that keeps you from an important success?

Being Outdoors – What are the restrictions of being in prison? What can you learn from prisoners?

Spring ’22 NVIV Videos and Prompts

Seeking a Scientist – What makes a scientist a scientist? Can 12-year-olds be scientists?

Filling a Need – What can you do that would be a big help to someone else? What might you learn about yourself by being someone who helps others?

The Art of Life – When you think of being devoted to something, what comes to mind? Do you know someone who has spent many decades devoted to something?

Designing Domes as Homes – Could you build your own home and have it last for centuries?

Taking Seizures in Stride – What gets in the way of living your life as you hope to?

A Reindeer Career – Do jobs have life spans?

Floods and Floating Schools – How can schools adapt to help students?

Taking Flight – Is there something that you hope for, but which seems impossible?

The Rules of the Game – Have you ever invented a game? Have you ever played a game invented by a computer?

A Lego Arm – What does it mean to be "normal"?

Weird Workouts – Would avoiding a dirty diaper help you exercise more?

Calling a Cave Home – What might living in a cave look like today?

The Way of the Warrior – Can one still become a samurai today?

Effective Design – What does it take to get a wild dog to be comfortable with you?

Seeing Through Another’s Eyes – If you knew what another person was dealing with, would it affect how you respond to them?

A Massive Mural – How can a massive image convey something personal?

Celebrating Street Food – Have you ever eaten street food?

Thinking Through Thankfulness – What does it mean to trace a trail of thanks?

A Farmer’s Son – Have you ever been intimidated by the people around you? What did you do about it?

If Everyone Is a Pilot – Which is more fascinating, the vehicle, or the story of the vehicle?

Gorgeous Gondolas – What is a symbol of your community, and who is responsible for that symbol?

A Triple Win – What is the extra possibility in addressing more than one problem in one project?

Risk and Reward – What risks are worth taking?

Fall ’21 NVIV Videos and Prompts

Build Your Strength – Why do you do the things you do? How do you pursue your goals?

Music, Nature, Art, and Cell Phone Company Commercials – How might two people see the same thing differently?

Acting on Your Heart – Has there been a moment when you knew you needed to act in order to do something important - right then and there?

A Pound(ing) of Mochi – Might the difference between wonderful and dangerous be a matter of trust?

Moments of Crazy Insight – What generates a moment of intellectual or artistic surprise for you?

A Mountain and a Board – What happens when you decide to make a change to something you like?

Art and Imagining Self – What does a costume allow you to imagine? What can art mean for how we think of ourselves?

The Power of the Paperfuge – What's possible when you ask, "What if?"

Let the Robot Drive – What does it take to get a car to drive by itself? What does it mean to totally rethink something?

A Blind Cyclist’s Superpower – What do you assume about someone who cannot see?

It Just Arrives – Have you ever received an unexpected gift? What does it mean to have a gift?

An Illusion for Good – What if people ignore something they are supposed to pay attention to? Could an optical illusion help?

Cleaning the Ocean – How do you feel when someone doesn't like an idea of yours? Is there power in criticism?

Major Change – What is it like to watch a major change happen?

Letting Ideas Take Flight – What allows you to get excited about ideas? Can drones launch your enthusiasm for brainstorming?

Challenges and Strengths – Is there something about you that you wish you could change to be more like everyone else?

What Communities Celebrate – What festival or event tells something of the story of your community?

Smart and Not So Smart – What gets in the way of making a smart decision? What does it mean to be smart?

Forcing Focus – Could a device strapped to your head help you focus better in class? If so, how would you want it to be used?

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