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!
Kia ora Will!
Thanks for this. It might be a bit expensive but as it happens, I’ll be on holiday during the conference you advertise here. It all looks interesting and very exciting, and I’d love to be there.
One thing caught my attention about bullet 5.
“Learning can – and must – be networked.”
While I agree that this is a fine principle – and I believe that it is valid and right – there are many distance learners in my cohort who, for one reason or another, cannot yet be networked.
I’d like them to be, but the practicalities are that there are also many in that wide group (and throughout the world) who are living in isolated zones, where the Internet and like technologies are, as yet, inaccessible.
We have learners like these at TCS. They are categorised as ‘Isolation’. Some of these learners are not living in New Zealand.
I know, I know. It’s early days yet. And I agree that networking is precisely what these learners need.
We often have this debate at TCS when new resources are being planned and discussed:
Do we go all online?
Do we do a mix of print-base and online?
Do we do it all in print-base?
So you can appreciate that funds and strategy are real issues for us in serving hundreds of distance learners in this category.
Bridging-the-technological-gap will be with us for a good few years. During which time there will be created a new set of underpriviliged.
I cannot forget about these. They form part of my cohort of learners.
Catchya later
Catching up on my reader… I wish I was going to be able to make the trip to Philly for this conference. I yearn for the conversations that occur at EduCon. The funding is not there for me to do so… 🙁 I will attend virtually as available though. Have fun!