My favorite conference of the year, Educon 2.2, is only a few weeks away, and I wanted to post my “conversation” here to see if there might be some…um…conversation about how to best make the, ah, conversation valuable at the conference. (NOTE: I had originally intended to lead a conversation on “Greening Education” but I’m switching this new topic in.) So if you have any thoughts about the topic or about how to add value to the live session (which will be streamed), please let me know.

Title: The “Decoupling” of Education and School: Where do We Begin?

What does this new design look like? What are the big questions regarding learning, teaching and schooling that we need to begin to address? How will the roles of elementary schools and high schools begin to evolve? How will we address the divide issues that these opportunities outside of school create? And how do we personally plan for these changes as learners, parents and teachers? If we agree, perhaps we can create a concrete list of starting points for these conversations to begin and continue in schools.

Just wanted to put in a mention of Gary Stager’s summer conference “Constructing Modern Knowledge” coming up this summer in New Hampshire. I’ve cribbed Gary’s description from Dave’s blog below.

This highly-affordable, immersive, minds-on institute is my attempt to create a space in which educators can explore a wide range of ways in which computers may be used to make the learning environment richer and more creative. My goal is not for participants to leave able to say, “I heard Macarthur Genius and small schools pioneer Deborah Meier,” but rather, “I spent time with Deborah Meier.”

We don’t predict the future, but explore the ways in which we may use computers and creativity software today to dramatically increase learning opportunities.

Last year’s participants worked on personally meaningful projects involving robotics, music composition, animation, digital imaging, computer programming, video editing, simulation building, kinetic sculpture, scientific modeling and much more. Best of all, they had plenty of time, resources and support for bringing projects to life.

This year’s amazing guest speakers include:

• Deborah Meier – Veteran educational innovator, author, small schools pioneer, blogger and first K-12 educator named a Macarthur Genius
• Herbert Kohl – A giant of progressive education and author of more than 40 acclaimed books about teaching and learning
• Lesa Snider King – Expert in digital imaging and photography, author of Photoshop CS4, the Missing Manual
• Brian Silverman – If you’ve used Logo, LogoWriter, MicroWorlds, programmable LEGO or Scratch, Brian had a hand in creating those
• Peter Reynolds – Award-winning illustrator, illustrator, animator, software developer and children’s book author

Our faculty includes myself, Dr. Cynthia Solomon (one of Logo’s 3 creators), Sylvia Martinez of Generation YES and John Stetson who IMHO is the world’s best teacher.

There will be a special reception held at the legendary FableVision Studios to kickoff the Big Night in the Big City (Boston)

Registrants will also receive free creativity software from Tech4Learning, LCSI, Inspiration and FableVision!

Manchester is easy to reach, affordable and there are discounts for teams of three or more registrants.

Check out http://constructingmodernknowledge.com for more information.

Constructing Modern Knowledge is sponsored by the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation (aalf.org) and The Constructivist Consortium. CEUs are available.

I love this conference more than any other for a variety of reasons, the conversations (instead of presentations), the level of understanding and “enlightenment” among the participants, the many friends who’ve I made over the years all in one place, the absence of vendors and agendas, and the emphasis on making the world of education a better one for our kids, to name just a few. But the absolute best part of this conference is being in a school where the teachers and the students and the leadership all share a common purpose and live learning every day. I know being in the moment here, still in the midst of these powerful interactions, colors my view a bit, and that some of the SLA edcrush will wear off as I head away in an hour or so. But I can honestly say that this is the one school that I know I would want my own kids to attend without reservation. Not to say there aren’t others that I don’t know about. But this is about as good as it gets right now. It’s all about kids learning, making them an important driver in the process, and supporting and celebrating their efforts at every turn.

And so this is my Educon moment, when in the middle of the stream of pictures and Tweets and blog posts and live video today, this Tweet from Kristen Hokanson ’bout knocked me over:

Whoa.

I wonder how many schools can even come close to understanding a) what that student is talking about and b) what a powerful description of a learning culture that is.

We’ve spent a lot of time these past couple of days talking about change and learning and kids and parents and schools and more. It’s been heady. In some ways, the conversation hasn’t changed that much from last year. I don’t get the sense we’re much closer to the goal or even identifying the goal or even figuring out whether there is only one goal or many. But the difference between Educon and all of the other places where these conversations happen is captured so simply in that Tweet.

Change is possible. It is real. It is happening here. It can happen and is happening elsewhere.

And most importantly, the conversations need to continue.

…which I hope you are, the session/facilitator lineup/schedule has been posted, and there are some great topics for conversation and some equally great people leading them. It’s the edu place to be on January 23-25.

If you are at all interested in joining the session I’m leading on “What Will Classroom Learning Look Like?” please be sure to note that this is not a presentation as much as it is a conversation around some ideas posted on this Google Notebook page. It would be helpful to peruse them beforehand if you think you might sit in, and if you have any other texts that might stimulate the discussion, please let me know. My plan is to simply give a 10 minute framing, break us up into small groups to discuss and then work our way back into a whole group conversation using some modified protocols that will hopefully create a vision that answers the question. If we have time, we’ll steer the conversation to the how do we get there part.

Here again is the session description:

Inspired by recent studies and reflections on the evolution of online social media and its uses by teens, we’ll spend some time attempting to paint a picture (in some broad strokes) around what effective classroom learning might look like in schools that have chosen to evolve their models. We’ll frame the conversation around the questions posed in the conclusion of the “Living and Learning with New Media” study released in November by the MacArthur Foundation. Those questions, as well as some other salient and relevant quotes are included on a Google Notebook page at http://tinyurl.com/educonlearning.

Now, I gotta register and get a hotel room…

So, I’ve been telling everyone I see to come to EduCon 2.1 in Philly next month. After reading Chris’s info below, please register, and let me know if you’d like to help frame my discussion on “What Will Classroom Learning Look Like?”

Registration is now open for EduCon 2.1, the second annual conference and conversation on education and innovation hosted by Philadelphia’s Science Leadership Academy in conjunction with The Franklin Institute. We will be convening January 23-25, 2009. During the conference, educators from around the world will descend upon Philly to teach, to think and to learn how to improve their own practices and inform the larger dialogue on education as well. Aaron Sorkin wrote, “Decisions are made by those who show up.” It is time to show up.

EduCon is built on the Axioms:

1) Our schools must be inquiry-driven, thoughtful and empowering for all members

2) Our schools must be about co-creating — together with our students — the 21st Century Citizen

3) Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.

4) Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate and collaborate

5) Learning can — and must — be networked.

Visit the EduCon wiki to learn about the conversation schedule. Aside from the conversations, Friday night will feature a panel discussion where deep thinkers from various non-academic strata investigate the question, “What is the purpose of school?” While the need for a new educational course is clear, the path to that shift is not as obvious. Sunday’s panel will highlight those divergent paths as educational leaders for varying pedagogies engage each other in an attempt to make the case for how we should approach our educational evolution.

EduCon will also feature a pre-conference event on January 22nd this year – Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge – with participants Dr. David Thornburg, Dr. Gary Stager and more.

The stage is set for an amazing conference. No vendors. No sponsors. Simply – ideas, inquiry and pedagogy.

Show up.

General conference registration is $150 and $100 for School District of Philadelphia employees and includes Friday admittance to SLA’s partner museum The Franklin Institute and The National Constitution Center. Pre-Conference registration is $100.

If you have any questions, please contact Chris Lehmann.

What Chris said: Show up!

Just back from New Zealand and still wondering what day it is, but I did want to make sure to post this before I got into one of the other 47 things on my list. The deadline for submissions is November 1, and if it’s anything like 2.0, this may be the best gathering of the year for those of us immersed in this conversation.

From Chris’s blog:

EduCon only happens when a community of educators come together to make it something special. With that in mind, we are announcing our Call for Conversations for EduCon 2.1 — January 23rd – 25th at Science Leadership Academy.

About EduCon 2.1:

EduCon 2.1 is both a conversation and a conference.
And it is not a technology conference. It is an education conference. It is, hopefully, an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.

The Guiding Principles of EduCon 2.1

1. Our schools must be inquiry-driven, thoughtful and empowering for all members
2. Our schools must be about co-creating — together with our students — the 21st Century Citizen
3. Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
4. Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate and collaborate
5. Learning can — and must — be networked.

We want people to share ideas, lead conversations, challenge each other and have conversations that can further our dreams of what schools can and should be. We want sessions that move past the traditional presentation style of conferences to create interactive and engaging moments of learning for all involved.

Please consider submitting a proposal. All proposals are due Nov. 1st. Feel free to examine last year’s sessions as a reference point.

Really hope to see you there.

Been trying to get my brain around last week’s NECC experience for a few days now, reading some of the other post mortems, thinking about what the lasting impressions are and will be for my own thinking and learning. For a variety of reasons, mostly personal, San Antonio was not a home run for me, not like last year in Atlanta when the energy and ideas seemed to be flowing more intently, more spontaneously. And before anyone starts throwing things at me, let me just say that was my experience; I’m sure that many, many others found this year’s event to be a celebration, perhaps a transformation in their thinking about teaching and learning and education. In that regard, I’m sincerely happy that more voices have been added to the chorus, and that more practitioners have entered the conversation. We need more voices. We need more good pedagogy and thinking.

I came to NECC in a bit of an edublogger funk, and that funk continues in some respects. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that’s not unusual. My interior monologue is fills with peaks and valleys, and right now, I’m once again struggling to define and focus where the best use of my time and thinking is. For the past two months, I have read very little from the education folder in my aggregator; simply, not much has been resonating. To be honest, very little in the last six months or so has felt new, a view that a couple of others at NECC seemed to share. I’ve been drawn to reading outside the usual suspects, thinking hard (once again) about the scope of this community and its reach. Thinking hard about change, about what is and isn’t changing, and how maddeningly slow it all seems.

The good news is that the level of passion among those that count themselves in this community is, in a word, amazing. It was evident from the conversations I eavesdropped on in the Blogger’s Cafe to the late night debates on the River Walk, to the back channel chats, the sessions on how to put the tools to good work, to the collective efforts to capture as much of NECC as possible for those who couldn’t attend. I don’t think it was possible to sit in on the sessions or walk by the Cafe and not simply admire the level of engagement of both long standing and relatively new participants in this conversation. All of us, whether evangelists or practitioners or even the naysayers, are deeply invested in trying to make sense of these giant shifts that are occurring, and that is all good.

And there was an international flavor to NECC this year that seemed stronger than in years’ past. (BTW, I don’t count the Canadian contingent as international, thought I know I should.) It was great to see folks from Australia and the UK and many, many other far flung spots around the globe. We need more of their perspectives as well, and that seems to be happening.

But for me, at least, at the end of the day, I’m still left wondering, “what’s really changed?” And, where will we be a year from now?

NECC is the echo chamber writ large and in living color; more than any other conference, it’s where we feel “big.” But the reality of it is, as Dean suggests, the powerful learning that most of us experience in these online communities is still little more than a blip on the radar screen. (I wonder what percentage of the 8 million+ educators in this country are aware of these shifts on a basic level.) And this is a tech conference. As I read through some of the back channel conversations, some were asking about presenting to school boards or parents or even town councils. Others were talking about getting out to non-edtech conferences. Some were, again, searching for that elusive tipping point that will get the conversation jump started outside the chamber.

And I think it’s time we get serious about all of that. No doubt, the vendor floor in Washington will be filled with “Web 2.0 in a Box” and “Safe Social Networking” and control, control, control. And I’m going to guess that, like this year, “Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts” will be “Hot Topics” as well as a few other new tools. And we’ll be talking once again about new standards and 21st Century Literacies and all of that. But while we as a community have no control over some of that, is that what we aspire to? Is that what we want the emphasis on NECC 09 to be, once again? Or do we want it to be more?

I hope it’s more. More about learning and figuring out what it means to be connected. More about what we can do to begin systemic change. More tangible, non-toolsy, results oriented thinking. More models that work, models that provide realistic options for educators to wrap their brains around.

More like what Chris Lehmann presented in his session, a session that since it had a “specific pedagogical focus” felt like it was “high stakes,” in an of itself a comment that should get us thinking. More like the conversations on leadership that Scott McLeod and Chris and others tried to have at EduBloggerCon on Saturday. More about ideas and connections.

And in general, without speaking for others, I again think I need to do more to try to get these ideas and these questions outside the walls of my learning community. I’m afraid we’re stalling because without some larger force or lever, these ideas have no where (or very limited routes) to go in a comprehensive discussion about what schools need to be and to do in response to the scale of change that is upon us. (That thinking is influenced heavily by Sir Ken Robinson’s latest presentation to the RSA, btw.) For me, at least, I think it’s time to start writing. (I know; I’ve said that before.)

Change on any level is not easy, and I’m not suggesting that there is one way to change or one thing that needs to be changed or that we all need to change in one particular way. It’s all incremental and personal, I know, but it’s also about doing what will create the most change, do the most good. I’ve been thinking about Lessig a lot and his attempt to attack the root cause of the smaller problems. I wonder what the root impediment for school change is? And, reffing Sir Ken again, we are at a moment where we all must change if we’re to sustain this existence. Along those lines, I’ve also, strangely, been thinking about all of the devoted carnivores that I hung around with last week in steak and barbecue land, thinking about how much healthier they would be and how much better off we’d all be if they and everyone else, for that matter, ate lower to the ground. But that is tough change as well.

Anyway, proposals for NECC ’09 are only a couple of months away…

I’ve been watching the flow of content coming out of Illinois, and it’s obvious we have officially jumped the shark (my bad use of phrase) reached a tipping point in terms of distributing ideas once held only in ballroom walls to the rest of the world. Wondering what future conference organizer is gonna get smart and only allow attendees who:

• Have their own Ustream channels and broadcast live facial reactions of attendees as the session is in progress

• Can Tweet out the best quotes, engage in lively back channel repartee, and live blog the session to their own sites at the same time

• Create a VoiceThread story of the presentation within 10 minutes of finish by incorporating photos taken during the session and uploaded to Flickr, adding voice over narration to contextualize the event, and soliciting video comments from virtual attendees

• Put together a wiki page for the session that collects dozens of various RSS feeds compiled from keyword and tag searches on the presenter’s name, the general topic, del.icio.us bookmarks, YouTube videos and more

• Create a Google Map that identifies where all of the virtual attendees live and helps them upload photos of themselves watching the UStreamed, Tweeted, VoiceThreaded, wikied presentation in progress.

• Conduct a live Skype call with other experts who challenge the ideas being presented and scream out provocative and borderline insulting questions

• Have their own conference space in Second Life where live video and audio of presentation is being streamed and where they have organized a post session social featuring virtual local microbrews and coffees

What am I missing?

(Photo “Multi Monitor Mahem” by totalAido.)

Technorati Tags: confernces, multitasking

There’s much to write about EduCon Day 1, but here are just some quick thoughts before heading over for the final sessions:

*Science Leadership Academy is a special place. There are tons of schools out there that have more technology, better facilities, etc., but I think we’d all be hard pressed to find a school that has a more positive, deeply connected culture than this school. You talk to the teachers here and they tell you they feel like the luckiest teachers in the city of Philadelphia. They are passionate and committed to the principles that they have developed together. When the students talk, they talk with empowered voices. They don’t just attend this school; they live this school when they are here and when they are not. This culture of caring and respect is sticky in their lives, and they too seem to sense the uniqueness of what’s happening here, at the school and at the conference. And then there is Chris, who is just one of those unique individuals who is smart enough, charismatic enough, caring enough and invested enough to pull it off. I don’t know about the rest, but he’s coming closer to hero status in my eyes, someone who embodies totally what educational leadership is all about and has no agenda, none, other than to do well by his students, his teachers and his community. And, by us.

*I sat in on Tom’s session that made the case that School 2.0 is not far afield from the principles set forth by the Coalition of Essential Schools. We didn’t even mention the word “technology” for the first 45 minutes, and I was struck by how problematic, in my mind at least, the whole “2.0″ piece is because of the obvious ties to technology. (Does that make sense?) As the second sentence in the description about this conference says, “This is not a technology conference.” But it is, because in large measure, technology is what is driving the conversation that schools must change. Tom talked about how in the 70s and 80s, we were discussing these same ideas, and now, after an interlude where school reform has been beaten down by NCLB and standardized assessments, there seems to be some heat building under that reform fire again. It is, I think, because of what is now possible in large measure to these tools. As Chris says often, “Technology is not additive; technology is transformative.” So the question becomes, how do we square great principles with great technology to make great schools as SLA? And the bigger question, the more frustrating question that many of us kept coming back to throughout the day, is does it scale? I asked Chris last night if Philadelphia is now looking at SLA as a continuing experiment or a model. Without hesitating he said “Oh, god, I hope it’s not a model.” Grrrr… I understand why not, but I think there are a lot of folks here who are looking for those concrete takeaways that help them get from where they are closer to here. And, that are at their core hoping the answer is that it’s just not possible to do without building from ground up.

*Finally, the one real head twister that I got yesterday was during Chris’s own session when he was talking about how his thinking is moving away from the “having kids publish globally to the world” product piece of all of this a “let’s focus on the process of community building and publishing within the walls” approach. (Not his quotes btw, just my attempts at paraphrase. You can always go to the videotape.) Using Moodle, SLA has established a vibrant, important ongoing discussion that extends not only what happens in the classroom but also deepens the sense of connectedness that these students and teachers feel. The culture of sharing and participation that is created within the local community is more important almost that making those connections outside. (I asked one of the students in my session about how connected he felt outside of the school, and his answer was all about his connections inside the school…interesting.) On some level, this is an “a ha” moment for me that I’m going to be writing more about at some point.

What a cool world it is when you can bring a couple hundred passionate educators together in a special place like this for two days of really rich conversation without ever printing up a flyer, buying an ad, creating a marketing piece or making a poster. In all of our conversations about Twitter and blogs and Second Life and whatever else, the pure power of network connections that can make face to face connections like this happen is never far from our minds, at least, certainly, not mine…

Technorati Tags: educon20, educon, learning, educaton, SLA

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Just in case anyone might be interested in watching my EduCon session. Would love to have those of you who attended drop some of your comments in here if you like.

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With an emphasis on “conversation.” For those who might be thinking of coming to my session on Saturday in Philadelphia, just know that I’m not planning on taking up too much of the time (10-15 mins or so) doing anything but contextualizing the rest of the discussion (the last 75 minutes or so), and that this will be an unconference session along the lines of what we did in Shanghai. The description reads

We’ll have a conversation about how best to leverage our own
understanding and practice of personal learning networks in ways that
can influence others’ professional practice and, ultimately, create
change in schools and classrooms.

It would be great if we could come out of the session with a “Strategy Wiki” that might serve as guide for those searching for a way to broaden the conversations at their own schools and districts. Or not.

And if you can’t be there in person, you can tune in and join the conversation (maybe even Skype in) at the EduCon UStream Channel 1 at 12:30 EST.

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Tomorrow at a gathering of independent school heads, tech directors and teachers just outside Philadelphia, I will have the distinct pleasure of presenting with Karl Fisch and Anne Smith of Arapahoe High School. It’s billed as  “21st Century Education: 20/20 Vision for Schools” and we’re planning on making it a global event, bringing in students and educators via Skype video to tell their stories live and in living color. In essence, we want them to walk away understanding the power of connections that can reach far beyond the classroom.

To help in that effort, we’ve created a wiki page that we’d love your contribution to. Just leave your name, your place in the world, your blog if you have one, and one link or resource or piece of advice that you feel will help these folks get their brains around some of the challenges and questions and opportunities we face right now. I’ll be tweeting this tonight and tomorrow morning, and we’ll share it with them at the workshop.

Thanks in advance.

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Just a reminder that the first ever EduCon 2.0 will be happening in Philadelphia at Chris Lehmann‘s Science Leadership Academy in two weeks starting on Friday, January 25th with a tour of the school and the Franklin Institute and running all day Saturday and Sunday with a wide ranging list of conversations. As Chris says:

EduCon 2.0 is both a conversation and a conference. And it is not a technology conference. It is an education conference. It is a School 2.0 conference. It is, hopefully innovation conference where we want to come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.

Last I heard, registrations were nearing a couple of hundred, which means this is going to be an awesome opportunity to wrap our collective brains around some of the most important questions facing us as educators (and to carry those conversations late into the Philadelphia night.) For me, I’m going to get to cross a few more names of my blogging life list, people like Konrad Glogowski and Arthus Erea and I’m sure a few others, to see a lot of good friends who have been on this journey for many years, and to meet and talk to potential new friends and connections in my network.

Really hope to see you there. (Oh…and don’t forget to bring your own refillable water bottles…)

Technorati Tags: educon20, sla, education, learning

I’m just reposting this from Chris’s blog and urging everyone to think about spending a weekend in January in Philly on the cheap engaging in what promises to be some important conversations about what schools can and must become…

“From January 25-27, we’re going to attempt something really quite exciting at SLA. We’re going to host EduCon 2.0.

About EduCon 2.0

EduCon 2.0 is both a conversation and a conference.

And it is not a technology conference. It is an education conference. It is a School 2.0 conference. It is, hopefully, an innovation conference where we want to come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. We are looking for people to present ideas, facilitate conversations, and share best practice.

The Axioms / Guiding Principles of EduCon 2.0:
1) Our schools must be inquiry-driven, thoughtful and empowering for all members.
2) Our schools must be about co-creating — together with our students — the 21st Century Citizen
3) Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
4) Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate and collaborate
5) Learning can — and must — be networked

We are now making our call for conversations — these are the sessions where people present ideas, lead conversations, engage with people and find a way to update the conference-style presentation in a way that is more interactive, more progressive and — hopefully — takes advantage of all of the ways we’ve found to engage a wider audience.

Proposals are due Nov 1st. Please consider creating a conversation.

(Feel free to link to this post and/or to the conference wiki!)”

Technorati Tags: educon2.0, learning, education

Just a reminder…

“Breaking free of traditional conferences, the upcoming K-12 Online Conference: Playing with Boundaries (October 15-19th & October 22-26th) provides educators with an engaging, ongoing learning experience without time constraints. The K12 Online Conference is a unique professional development opportunity for teachers to engage with ideas and technologies that are having a real impact on 21st century classrooms.

The entire conference will be delivered as downloadable digital media via the Internet with over 40 sessions presented in four strands: Classroom 2.0, New Tools, Professional Learning Networks, and Obstacles to Opportunities. The conference launches with a keynote address on October 8th from respected blogger and author David Warlick and concludes with a global 24 hour live event, As Night Falls.

For more information, please visit http://www.k12onlineconference.org.”

See you there!

Technorati Tags: k12online, k12online2008, teaching, learning