Will Richardson

Speaker, consultant, writer, learner, parent

My Educon Moment

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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.

If You Are Going to EduCon 2.1…

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…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…

Shameless Ad for EduCon 2.1

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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.

David Jakes holding court at EduCon

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!

Educon 2.1–Call for Conversations

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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.