Imagining Conversations with Former Students

Have you ever bumped into former students and been surprised by what the students remember?

"Hey, I remember you! You taught me how to copy notes from the blackboard!"

"Remember when we did that algebra work, where we all filled in the spaces on that photocopy?!"

"Oh, and that time we read from the text book and answered the questions at the end of the section!"

In reality, these sample recollections are never celebrated. More commonly, the students with these memories are likely to pretend not to notice the teachers in question.

In preparing students for a future so difficult to predict, how is it that such activities still comprise a significant portion of a typical student's day?

The Classroom Matters

This weekend, I came across a The Fun Theory, a post at Mashable, that demonstrates how the environment significantly alters the way participants behave.



I look forward to the day when it will be the norm for classrooms to be arranged for discussion, rather than for teacher presentation. I anticipate the day when teachers regularly connect their learners with those in other classrooms; in other cities; and in other countries. I await the day when students can expect assessment of their learning to include performances that are beyond essays and exams.

If students walk into learning environments designed for interaction; with tools for meaningful collaboration; challenging future citizens to demonstrate their learning in engaging ways, then we will indeed be preparing our charges for a future of lifelong learning.

Though modern tools can be the catalyst to reforming our schools, significant changes to the classroom are beyond hardware & software. Whether or not we leverage emerging technologies, we can amplify the engagement of today's students by creating environments for interaction.

When you cross paths with your present students 10 years hence, how do you anticipate the conversation will begin?

Learning in Conversation

I'm not sure if it's true everywhere, but in many of the school offices I visit, students are treated like second class citizens... or worse. It was on my mind late last week, so I've blurted out my opinions in today's podcast. If the content strikes a nerve with you, I hope you'll take the time to add your comments to the conversation.

Learning in Sync

I'm a firm believer that conversations are one of the richest forms of professional development that teachers can engage in, and if the first hours of the new year are any indication, there will be many opportunities to participate in synchronous learning adventures with teachers both locally and globally.



A Few Examples in the last 24 Hours

Yesterday, Will Richardson invited the Twittersphere to expand a conversation that had its origin in Twitter. Visit the archived Illuminate session to see how the back-channel discussion was easily as rich and compelling as the audio commentary! It was one example of how an interactive web meeting might well trump any other form of P.D.

At exactly the same time, Steve Hargadon was hosting a Classroom 2.0 2008 Wrap-up and New Year's Party to highlight the new ideas, techniques, tools, books, and conversations around educational technology that made 2008 special. It serves as another rich example of how other educators were harnessing interactive, synchronous tools to share their learning with other interested educators.

Expanding the Audience

While many conferences and live presentations have been publicized via Twitter, the potential audience for these events goes far beyond the micro-blogging community. The Classroom 2.0 Calendar has a fairly rich menu of live online events, and I'm wondering if we might all leverage such a space to encourage others to join the discussion.

Do you know of other opportunities for teachers to 'learn in sync'?


Image Credit: Thanks to Wesley Fryer and Alec Couros for licensing their images for remixing. The resulting image that I created is similarly licensed with a Canadian 2.5 Noncommercial-Share Alike Creative Commons License

Seeds of a Revolution

I'm worried greatly for my 5 year old. As junior kindergarten winds down, he has but a scant 14 months of relative educational freedom before he becomes an 'educational prisoner', bound to a desk, in a four-walled room, with other grade 1 students.

Since long before his birth, I've been working as a change agent, leading educators to consider creative alternatives to traditional paper, pencil, and chalkboard education. Like-minded members of the edu-blogosphere who are similarly calling for change, are articulate, innovative, and professional, though widely scattered. How can this group of charismatic change agents come to act in a collectively?

Seed #1: A Vision for Coming Together
Clarence Fisher has posted an idea for creating an international organization of educators with a common purpose...

"If we begin to think of ourselves like this, as an organization, an international network of educators who are all pursuing the same basic goals (educational change to meet the demands of the twenty first century, the infusion of technology into teaching, openness and transparency, etc) we are a group that is at least several thousand people who just happen to be spread out across the globe."

In order to support 'the cause', Clarence proposes that this community could hire a writer- researcher- public relations person with responsibility for coordinating the group's communications, while supporting individuals in their efforts to innovate and educate. In support of this idea, he has created a 'tipping point' fund-raising project called "Reinventing Education"

Seed #2 Clarity of Purpose
Whether the revolution is about engaging modern tools for education, or about employing strategies for networked learning, or about 'learning to change', Sir Kenneth Robinson's presentation to educational leaders at the Apple Education Leadership Summit 2008, reminds us that 'creativity' is a critical component of any person's education. With the guarantee of an unpredictable future, any educational revolution must recognize the need to engage our creative minds. Video courtesy of Edutopia.org

Seed #3: Radicals as Visionaries
The most creative in the education community will always be seen as 'radicals', maybe even as 'rock stars', but I share discomfort with the evolving Edupunk meme as expressed by both Doug Belshaw and David Warlick. As highlighted by Stephen Downes, and others, these non-traditional, creative educators are working independently in their own personal struggles for change. These educators could play catalytic roles in the revolution, especially if they can be brought together under a common banner.

Seed #4: It Starts Small... but Universally
I'm not sure, but I suspect that conversations are the primary way that a revolution gains a foothold. Already, conversations about what the change should look like, are underway throughout the blogosphere, but to truly gain leverage in schools around the world, the discussions need to move offline... into staff rooms and classrooms.

Are there other 'seeds' we need to sow? How will you participate in the discussion? How can we engage other change agents? When and Where will we meet?

A few more ideas on this topic are shared on the Edupunk Episode of the Teacher 2.0 Podcast.

Photo Credit: "I'm Here for the Learning Revolution" was created by Bill Moseley, based on a button competition launched by Scott McLeod and Wesley Fryer. The design will be highlighted at NECC in San Antonio.