Tuesday, August 05, 2008

International Conference on Teaching and Learning with Technology: Day 1

The unveiling of IT Masterplan 3

Sir Ken describes a holistic learning matrix

Mitch Resnick on technology, education and creativity

Can't help gushing, but what a rush Day 1 has been. Apart from watching our new Boss unveil our industry's latest IT Masterplan, we also had two illustrious keynote speakers, Sir Ken Robinson, of the ouch-inducing "schools kill creativity" TED address; and Mitch Resnick of the Lifelong Kindergarten, among other things he's doing for MIT.

Inviting these two critics of education systems that have seen little change since the Industrial Revolution tells those of us at implementation level to prepare for a new revolution in education. With the technology that's available to us now, there exists the potential for a tremendous explosion of new ideas and new means of expressing them, but we have to let go of the purely economic, purely functional, assembly line approach to education in order for it to happen. We're moving into an era of teaching and managing creativity, and it's happening right here, right now.

While it might be a tool to achieve "results", we can no longer use fear to drive our kids like we used to. They've got to be happy to come to school and learn whatever it is they are learning. If we say they can only be happy when they receive their Certificates, it's too late because by then they have become "set for life", literally. Learning in this way is only a means to an end, but paradoxically it also puts an end to their means. I'm just saying.

Personally, I've never been so turned on by events like this one; but today I'm accumulated half a small notebook of scribbled thoughts and ideas. I need some quiet to reflect and figure out possible implementation strategies and I'd love for some sensible person to help harness my wild imagination and make it real and workable. Dunno who yet, so I'll just leave it open and see what (or who) Providence turns up.

Anyway, for my personal reference, the following links are John Connell's informal transcripts of some of the key proceedings from yesterday and today:

iCTLT '08: Education 2.0
iCTLT '08: Sir Ken's Keynote

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