Reflecting Pools

I enjoy attending a good conference. Last year I attended ISTE’s NECC in Atlanta in June, 2007, as well as three years of Georgia’s GaETC the last three Novembers. I learned a lot, and I was inspired by the sheer energy and ideas surrounding me.

Although I love the face to face experience, attending an asynchronous, online conference has definite advantages, such as no fees (if it’s the right conference), no travel time, flexibility in scheduling, and the ability to sit in my own cozy chair with the temperature set just right.

I just attended David Warlick’s preconference keynote address, Inventing the New Boundaries, from the 2007 K12 Online Conference. Scrolling down to the links, I had a choice between the video version, which took so long to upload that my computer kept hibernating and breaking the link, and the audio only version.

I admit that I’m more of a visual learner than just audio, but I’ve heard Mr. Warlick several times and was ready for his style. Besides, time is precious, so I opted for audio and had to listen carefully.

Warlick’s use of metaphor and analogy brought to life the different world that today’s students are growing up in and preparing for–all filled with change and a distinct lack of predictability. Our job isn’t to convey information like our teachers did. Today’s youth have the access and the skills to locate information and create just about anything! They do need our guidance in learning how to evaluate, organize, and use all of that information meaningfully, and they need to learn how to teach themselves–safely, for a lifetime of changes.

The challenge was offered. Do we want only the kids that we want to teach, or do we teach the kids that we actually have as they can best learn? Do we expect them to learn as we did with doling of info from texts and lectures, or do we realize that information really is independent of time and place now? Do we, the immigrants, understand how to negotiate the digital world which is filled with our native speaking students? Can we be brave enough to relinquish the dread and learn with them?

Warlick ended with the challenge to think each day where you want to be in 10 years (physical fitness, understanding and wisdom, skills) and then do what you need to do today to get there.

Well, if my 7th graders can learn from I Pods, I guess I can curl up in my jammies and attend an online conference!

Filed under: Learning K12 2.0 and tagged David Warlick, GaETC, K12 Online Conferences, NECC, online conference