I attended the keynote and the first two session at EduCon 2.0. The third session I spent in the Cafe Ustreaming the different sessions. Below are some notes and comments from the two sessions.

Session 1: Notes
Influence without Authority: Finding the Common Ground to Frame Innovation and Change
Kevin Jarrett and Sylvia Marthinez

This session focused on the Future Search process to help bring about change. The process is researched based.

In order for change to occur you need courage, skill, a process, passion and a need for real change.
We need to change because the platform is burning, our schools need to do something soon, they are in trouble

The key to successful change is to getting the whole system in the room.
Everyone one needs to explore the whole before trying to fix any part. The group needs to put the goals and common ground front and center. The group needs to find a common reality as each stake holder can have a vastly different view of the needs and wants of the school. We do not all have the same perceptions. (In all things the focus should be on student learning – my thought)
The process works inviting self-mamagement and responsibility

Linking back the the morning keynote, you need to know what’s in the box, before you go out of the box,
know what works – build on the solid part of the framework. Then define what is not working and why not.

Make sure you have kids the whole process

The conversation….

• Can the tools of collaboration and communications be used to facilitate change – be part of the process of change?
• People – need to talk face to face… and continue later online – keeps the conversation moving forward different ways to communicate, levels the playing field so there are more options to participate
• People need buy in
• Need to have conversations, need to share information, need patience and persistence
• Need to invite those who have the power to make change to the conversation

Session 2: Notes
Tearing Down the Walls – Practicing What We Preach
David Jakes (Vinnie Vrotny was to participate virtually but was a no show)

We are looking for a preferred future
How permeable do you want the classroom to be?
What to you want it to be, how do you get there?

We broke up into groups to talk over these questions. my group came up with the following ideas.

Collaboration and communication needs to occur within and without the school, we need to talk to the teacher and the student down the hall not just across the country and around the world
It needs to be content and context related
Students and teachers need the ability to connect when needed and as guided by the learning process

David gives a brief biology lesson leading into the next activity using newsprint and colored pens. The nerve running from the ear to the brain has about 18,000 fibers (Dial up) and the nerve from the eye to the brain has about 1,000,000 fibers (broadbrand). Maybe we should be using a ton more visual aids?
More biology – research shows that are eyes and mind responds differently to color.
Red: alert, high priority, caution
Yellow: most visible color
Green: renew
Blue: trust

We then returned to our groups to identify the four main obstacle to our preferred future.
In my group we came up with;
Red: Teacher adoption and integration
Yellow: Access to technology
Green: money for computers, bandwidth
Blue: Safety, teaching kids and teachers to be safe also trusting the kids and technology

Other ideas on how to move things forward.
developing as a professional – instead as professional development
keep the word technology out of it…. do not offer training on specific tools
instead address a need, learn how to use tools in context of the learning needs

Four solutions

• Stakeholder – involve the whole community, understanding the process and getting support
• Semantics – focus on the learning not the technology
• Students – focus on students, turn over the learning to the student , teachers need to relinquish control
• Structure – the learning culture where risk taking is embraced and expected, collaboration and shared learning is the norm, not just teachers driving the learning – transparency of learning by honoring and respecting the process.

Now it getting ready for the Philly cheese steak dinner and some more good conversations.

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