If I could put in a few phrases what I took away from this year’s Educon experience it was this:
Stop complaining. Be the change. Love your students and do well by them. If that includes technology, so be it.
And it was those first two that stood out, for me at least. I heard variations on those themes more in the last two days than the first two Educons combined. Maybe it was because there were more people this year. Maybe because we’re finally getting tired of talking about change, about waiting for something or someone else to change. Or maybe because when you get into a room of people who are seriously reflecting on their own practice and their own schools, getting fired up and committed to action is just easier to do. I kept thinking during the sessions I attended that if I could start a school picking my teachers from those who were in the room, it could be a pretty amazing place.
But while most in attendance want to change the classrooms and the schools they work in, that vision of change is still amorphous. Jon Becker wrote about that fact pre Educon, and I hope he follows up with more thoughts post. I mean David Warlick and others were talking about creating a new story for education like four years ago and we still don’t seem to have a handle on it. It’s the tease of having the conference at SLA where you get to spend a couple days in a school that probably comes as close to what most of want our schools to be. All sorts of tweets along the lines of “I’d kill to work here” were popping up in the stream, as if SLA were out of reach at their own schools.
But do we all want an SLA? I know that I would want the culture of learning and the singular focus on kids, something that I don’t see very much in my travels. I mean I’m sure that SLA teachers have their complaints, but their good fortune is to work in a culture of teaching and learning that represents no new vision of schooling as much as it does leadership that can successfully navigate the current minefields that work against that vision. What I’m finding more and more as I visit schools that are getting more serious about “change” is that they have someone at the top who is willing to focus on the learning and not on the other crap. And you can pick these people out in a heartbeat; they are leaders AND learners, and they’re not ashamed to share the driving questions they have about their schools with those around them. They have a passion not for making AYP or top schools lists as much as they do supporting their teachers to be learners, allowing them to look at their own teaching as a deep learning experience and share that learning with others. I see those types of leaders very rarely. But more and more this year I heard, “so what?” I heard “you [teachers] have more power than you know.” I heard “It’s too important to wait for permission.” Create your own vision for change that you think is best for your students and implement it. Love the struggle. Love your kids. Lead. What choice do you have?
One of the things that makes Educon special is the structure: these really are conversations, not presentations. I don’t go to sessions to learn as much as I do to think, to contribute, because that’s where the best learning takes place. But I’m wondering if (and I hope to talk more about this later in the context of my own session) if next year we can call the sessions “conversations/actions” or some other phrase or term that captures that “be the change” idea. We’ve been talking about this stuff for so long; maybe 2010 can be the year we really start creating a clearer 2020 vision for our schools with more of a roadmap of how to get there.
Will,
When Christian put out his call for EduCon haiku, I mulled over what I could put out there that would capture the conference’s feel (“raw and seasoned ideas” “flowing like snow at the pane”) but also its promise. The last line “ideas made to stick” should have ended with a question had it truly marked my hope for us all. How sticky can we get? Instead of the the beauty of the idea/snowflakes falling all around us, how can we make the conditions where the ideas fall such that we get accumulation and not just a passing glimpse of beauty?
That’s what I’d like to see us do with EduCon next year. Maybe it’s an extra day for a crowd-sourced group to distill what the formal and informal conversations brought that was “sticky” and come out with formal and informal publishing (traditional as well as blogs) to frame some things that are actionable? A manifesto of sorts for the new year.
You know Horn argues that disruptive innovation will happen/is happening in education. The big question is that unlike business we cannot seem to circle around what success “is” in education. Don’t we need to get enough people to agree on what that is and then let the disruptive innovators (us) get to work creating models to do that? If we cannot agree on where we are going, I don’t see how we are going to do more than have pockets of beauty like SLA.
Will,
I think one of the valuable resources I picked up (from afar) was the “Field Guide to Change” that participants in Ben Hazzard’s session did, because it did start laying a path for change as part of the “conversation.” http://www.slideshare.net/bhazzard/field-guide-for-change-agents
I have to say that it felt like in your session the conversation was broaching on that subject as well. But I agree, in our conversations we get to the “now what?” but we need to figure out steps to go beyond that.
I think one of the things that really shines at SLA is that the school revolves around some mission statements and it really is at the heart of what they do. They know what they are about.
Maybe that is one starting point….helping our own places decide what they are about, and helping “spread” that sense of mission.
Leadership is such a critical part of it–and as you said the willingness to focus on the learning above all. It’s so easy to get distracted by test scores and issues and hall passes and whatever the daily flotsam and jetsum is, but if a leader can keep their eyes/their focus/their approach on “the learning” and how it’s good for kids, then that can transform an environment.
The other thing about SLA is really how empowered the students are. They feel like it is “their” school and they are part of “making it happen.” They realize their voices are a valued and equal part of the school, and it’s not a patriarchal system, but a collegial one.
Thanks again for streaming us into a couple of sessions. It enabled us offsite to participate in a more real way and it is appreciated 🙂
Fantastic reflection. There is simply no choice but for those that want change to lead change. The complaining is useless – fun to do with friends, but it’s actually quite harmful with administration because complainers get pegged as such and removed from any possible leadership circles.
Thanks for the comment, Justin. It still comes down to, however, what is that change? And is a million different forms of change the best change we can have? (Or something like that. ;0))
Hi Will!
Great post and a real motivator for me and where we are at as a district.
I love the fact that the statement “it is too important to ask/wait for permission…” is becoming more prevelant in discussions about school change.
I’m a big believer in “its better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission…” and have used that mantra to push the envelope with curriculum change in the classroom and what amazes me in doing that is that administrators and colleagues show up not to admonish me for going against the grain, but to find how they can do the same in their classrooms.
At a time where AYP, NCLB, and other “distractions” from true learning are trying to extinguish the fire that lives inside inspirational teachers who are working in districts who may have lost sight of the true meaning of learning, this post fans the flames inside of them and helps them realize that they are not alone and to keep fighting for what truly matters.
It was my first time attending educon “virtually”.
It sucked.
Zac Chase Skyped Bud Hunt and I in to co-present virtually in Elluminate. After only being able to pick up 20% of the words for the first 40 minutes, I finally had to kill the Skype connection and go into “text only” mode with “coarse grey” video enabled in Elluminate. It was no better than a 1993 CU See Mee experience I had on a dial-up connection and a Mac Powerbook 100.
It rubbed me really close and really raw. What I fear most is that many will dismiss it as an issue with Elluminate…or worse as an issue with the SLA students or staff at SLA we work incredibly hard…or Steve Hargadon who graciously made it happen through his connections with Elluminate.
The real issue has to do with the fact that the Internet is fundamentally broken. Neither you or I or SLA or Elluminate are allowed to buy the bandwidth necessary to do this right.
“Be the change.”
I want everybody to start asking the question “Why can’t I buy a 10Gb/s connection at my home or school?”
Don’t hold back iJon. ;0)
Is the Internet broken, or is it the school system that metes out the connection? If it’s the former, we’re all toast.
No, the Internet is broken. The US lags behind other countries in access and bandwidth.
That said, I have been observing that net access costs are increasing as I travel AND the quality of that access is the same or worse than in the past.
The demand for bandwidth might insatiable and cost-effective.
The good news is that while the Internet might be broken, planes, trains and automobiles work just fine. There is no substitute for face-to-face contact with colleagues, mentors and heroes. The best way to overcome issues of the Internet is to attend events like Educon in-person.
I hope one day we can have a discussion about the pedagogical compromises I observed when “conversation leaders” were trying to serve the local and remote audiences simultaneously.
The Internet is not broken. I’m using it right now. We may not have perfected it as a way to bring people in to sessions. We need to work on that and insuring that everyone has equal access.
But once again, Gary, you seem to want to move to an either/or position here. Show me where anyone is arguing that the Internet is a substitute for face to face. There were a number of folks who found the Internet to be of value this weekend because they couldn’t attend, iJon’s experience nonwithstanding. And you seem to be suggesting that since it wasn’t a perfect day for the Internet at SLA, well, let’s just abandon it.
You’re right, it’s harder to lead a conversation when there are virtual attendees as well as face to face ones. We can have that discussion any time you want. It’s one worth having, because from my point of view at least, the hurdles are worth working to overcome. Can we get to the point where the value add of the virtual conversation offsets the “pedagogical comprimises?” I think so, but not if we simply throw up our hands and walk away from it.
Thanks for sharing, as always. ;0)
This was my first Educon and a treat. I want to comment on the notion that “the value of virtual conversaton offsets the pedagogical compromises”. I think the the back channel conversations in many sessions were a distraction for those engaged in the face-to-face conversations, as well as for those sitting next to the digitally engaged (ie Twitter, chat, etc.). One session actually asked that we close our laptops and have one note take in our group or table. This changes the dynamics of the conversations dramatically. It was just less noisy, if that makes sense. Of course, I would still want the chance to participate remotely if I was not physically in attendance.
the audio in these online formats is key, even if there were no video, I’d be happy with good audio. As I listened this weekend, I kept wondering why there was not a wireless mic on the main speakers, or even a long cabled mic to improve the audio…? Would that not have helped the audio?
I LOVE your introductory takeaway comment, though I found myself reflecting on the latter half of it. Perhaps it’s a snapshot of where I am on all of this. I love technology and am firmly committed to working for that change. But that very commitment sometimes gets my eyes off the prize. It is about the student, the individual student in front of us every day, not the amorphous blob of “students”. It is our job to love that student and do well by her/him. And if that includes technology, so be it.
John,
While Will’s post wasn’t really about the tech, I do think it’s great that SLA is permitting us to participate remotely in the first place. I heard Chris mention something about buying better mics–
So maybe we could all pitch in and donate $$ towards microphones and be a part of the solution 😉
SLA is not a broadcast studio.
Maybe it should be.
Thank you SLA for generously providing a (real) space for us to congregate. 500 people can now return to their localities and share what they learned or are now wondering about.
Gary,
Btw, the mics that Chris mentioned he needed were for the panel discussion on Sunday. People in the back (of the real room) were commenting on Twitter that they couldn’t hear.
(I just happened to know that because I was watching remotely.)
Not even sure as this is a thread worth following because it distracts from Will’s point. But I for one, am grateful for the learning opportunity, whether it’s in person, long distance…
i love the idea of having “actions” instead of “conversations.” I quickly get tired of talking and listening and often find myself actually planning projects during conference sessions. I know we need both but I think creating something and talking about creating something are very different things. That is part of why I teach with web 2.0. At the end of a class discussion we have an actual document, or voice thread, or podcast! I’d love to hear more about how we can move to the action phase, Will! Keep us posted and thanks for getting us all more involved!
Can any of you spare a little information for a newbie? I see what Educon is but am wondering if this is a local event (I’m from the Philadelphia area) or does it take place in a different city each year? And if that’s the case, how far did people travel to visit SLA?
Monica … it is an SLA event. Does not move about the country … always at SLA, however there are some trying to emulate it in other places.
Will,
Thanks for your thoughts. I was there in person on Friday night and Saturday (first timer) and had to attend virtually on Sunday. I was both disappointed and impressed by attending. I was disappointed by the lack of talk about “actions” that took place in the sessions I attended. I really hoped to hear what people were actually doing in their classrooms/schools so I could work on making those changes in my classroom/school. Instead, like you, I heard a lot of conversation about making changes, something we all seem to know is necessary but seem unsure exactly what to do, what “actions” to take. I found this very frustrating and am not sure I will attend again.
I was impressed by the students of SLA. What an amazing group of students! I was impressed by the school culture that was in evidence everywhere I looked. I was impressed by Chris and his leadership. I would love to work with an administrator like that. The best session I attended was Chris’ Leadership 2.0 conversation. I agree with you that the challenge is leadership. My school has been all about making AYP as our primary goal for years. This year we have a new administration and the talk has turned to a focus on student learning and creating PLCs. Perhaps these are the beginnings of some of the actions we need to take to change the culture of our school.
Thanks again for your insights.
‘Stop complaining. Be the change. Love your students and do well by them. If that includes technology, so be it.’
What an excellent mantra for 2010 and beyond. You have captured the heart of effective education.
Fabulous reflection. “Be the Change”. I missed educon this year but attended last year and found the experience to be unique. Perhaps next year a special section or panel around “schools of the future” would be great. We all understand (or are beginning to understand) the powerful way technology impacts education. Harnessing the true power of these technologies rests with redesigning school from the ground up. What this looks like is still very very fuzzy. We need some brave souls to throw out some templates. Do a little visioning and have the courage to share some thoughts.
I like the article. I can use this in Denmark.
Thanks
Meds