Live Blogging this morning's Keynote Panel

I am packing, tweaking my presentations for tomorrow at noon and 1:30, IMing with John Pederson and figuring out how I'm going to check out at 7 and be at a breakfast meeting at 7.


Wifi was nonexistent in the morning keynote, but I took these notes and what to share them with you. It was phenomenal!


A lot of discussion of going global and the need for creativity and innovation. Outstanding teacher and leader awards. They are recognizing Carole Colburn - Howell public schools in Howell, Michigan. Does a lot of community service with her students -- project skill (they do the "thank you speeches" on video -- they are edited and very good -- this a great idea.)

What it would be like to be a senior citizen in today's world. Culminating event was to have local senior citizens into the classroom. Her students serve as their mentors. (Great idea -- have the grandparents organization -- teach the grandparents!)

Charlene Chausis

2007 Outstanding Leader -- Job is professional development -- to lead faculty and staff in technology -- she gets them there. Work with teachers in summer school -- live from Ancient greece -- podcasts as if they were recording from 1756 BC -- showcased if it was good enough -- they wanted to work and do it so much -- get kids so excited about that sort of project. Wrote scripts to start with -- but when they knew that they had an audience and that it was authentic they got very excited.

ISTE has info need if you are trying to build the technology plan at your school. They are using the New NETS for students.

These two women are amazing.

Great idea --- lifelong learning - senior citizens come in and the students mentor them.

Need to book Charlene and Carole for W"OW2

Keynote - Futurist Andrew Zolli - Lead discussions about the emerging creative class and what they demand of schools - what they offer society. How education and cultivate creativity and innovation worldwide.

If you put your e-mail in front of educators they will e-mail you during your presentation. Great images.

Electronic bath duck -- funny. One use only.

What it takes to unlock the creative potential that lies within all of us.

Great group of people - educator on edge, analyst, creative director - new innovative ideas, artist and choreographer reinventing modern dance. Each one make a 2-3 minute thought starter for all of us. Who they are and what their backgrounds are.

Mary Cullinane - Philadelphia School of the Future Project - a lot of research on what it take sto build

Dr. Francis Pedro - how countries do competitively around the world in the realm of education. Onling research in relation to learning.

Michael McCaulie- creative solutions for organizations, Oprah, Target

Elizabeth Streb - choreographer -- won McCarthur genius award in 1997. Ongoing passion for science and physics only choreographer physicist in the world.

Mary Cullinane

Past 4 years -- what if a company like microsoft wanted to create the school of the future, what would it look like. Experts to help think about that question. Sept 2006 was the attempt, not an answer -- fundamentally questioning the norm. How can we create an environment that can have "artists of learning"

  1. Learning First, technology later (not even 2nd)
  2. Really focus on the concept and power of language. The ways we can use language to create a creative environment -- are we modeling and doing that. The principal is called the chief learner not the principal.
  3. Be comfortable not knowing

These are the three principles that guide the school of the future. The opportunity for creativity in the age of accountability. How can they exist together?

Dr. Francis Pedro

From France

Main questions asking the innovation potential for countries.

  • How innovative are countries? (The 30 richest countries in the world.)
    • Can we compare the innovation potential.
    • Use of educational technology as a window of opportunity.
    • Two dots for each coutnrie -- blue dot the % of 15 year old that use a computer connected to the Internet on a regular basis at their home -- In the US it above 80% but Canada -- 90%
    • Percentage of the same people who use the computer connected to the Internet while at high school -- Only just above 25% for kids who use computers at school frequently -- do not use educational technology at school is very low for 15 year olds.
  • Does it really matter to use a computer
    • Every 3 years to study competities math, science -- found it is extremely important to have access to a computer. Green bars show the percentage of scores that people who have a computer at home have over those who do not have access to a computer.
    • How much is associated with having a computer in the school. It is highly correlated -- 70 percentage points -- US -- you will see that we are in the top list -- in our case -- having a computer at school really pays a lot -- 70 points -- computer in high school pays a lot.
  • What is more important?
    • School or home?
    • If we compare -- math scores -- the more computers used in schools math doesn't mean they are getting better.
    • Home use is highly correlated with math scored. Why?
  • Francesc.Pedro@oecd.org

Michael McCaulie (sp of name?)

Seek out your cathedrals. You have the potential to have a very positive impact on the public. So, always think of that higher purpose. You can have a positive impact. It becomes much more important then. You are having a positive impact. Higher purpose.

Intangiables that we have to sell and produce --have to have a deep faith in the concept in the technology and the team.

Elizabeth Streb

Pay attention to what you notice and what you are interested in -- action and movement -- how make and put her life around movement. Humans could fly -- believed in an impossible silly thing -- how long do you have to stay in the air -- she could fly and that we could if we wanted to. -- Invented a place in New York called Slam -- Where to peple want to go to . Alchemy that allows them to go there.

We find our place in the jumping joyous jumping of life.

Invited a bunch of contraptions -- draw and script out what might be possible. Embrace failure and not knowing -- if you link up with the right structural engineer you can fily -

Ask seeminly unanswerable questions -- break the rules -- get two bodies to occupy the same space at the same time - name a move you are unilling to do -- move so fast you stand still. What is space what is time/ I'm going to fall up -- spend four days to figure out how to do that. Overhead view -- Cement blogs swinging over head. On some level it was a true story.

Richoche -- such cool things -- link to the video -- what is methodology and how can we learn. How can we agree to not know. Discovery is a process of having a good clean question an d

www.strebusa.org - So cool!

The questions -- from Andrew Zotti

The nature of place.

Mary - create a place in which failure was an option -- kids and educators feel safe to fail -- that was one of the hardest things to create because all of the pressures we have for that word not to be uttered.

2nd element - the concept of ad hoc gathering places -- we need to create spaces -- God forbid kids gather -- we want to create places that kids can gather -- focused a lot in the building where kids can gather and socialize -- they are really not there for algebra -- they are there to be with one another.

Elizabeth - physical place -- Question the difference between public and private - chose a space -- chose a big garage -- all great genres like chemistry explosions and rock roll invented -- people who do things who mess stuff up. Extreme movement gathers people together and has the potential for transformative change. Work at the same time -- circus people - flying trapese -- dancers -- 200 kids a week -- mix up in the most perfect thing you could imagine. Popcorn and cotton candy important.

Michael - Applied arts can be a very dirty business, you have to get your hands dirty and fall down. Conference rooms aren't so creative -- garage is a wonderful metaphor for the creative process.

To get people creative in business -- you can be anywhere and the flow state happens -- take people out, bring outsiders in, bring in a singer. Mix it up a little bit. I will take people up and bring new people in. Fall down, act stupid, make mistakes to get them comfortable -- eVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT.

Elizabeth -- Allow complete sovereignty -- they can do whatever they want. When kids come together - scream and play as they want and then class begins. She doesn't have a petri dish like we have.

Francis - Fundamentals of creativity -

Innovation in different sectors including education - health, science, biotech -- theory -- the theory of the four ?

Result of the action 4 pumps for educational innovation

  1. Our ability to include doers and users in the process of germinating innovation. We should enlarge our concept of users of educational innovation and include learners in that process.
  2. Our ability to network
  3. Modularity -- Being part of the system but acting autonomously.
  4. Technology - Something that is unique -- we miss the connection between educaitonal technology, science, and research. Teachers see themselves as artisans. What is the place we assign to research?

We have the ability to act autonomously and allow innovation (which doesn't describe education.)

Zotti -- Everyone is talking about risk and empowerment of the individual and courage.

Mary - Challenge that they saw -- could you imagine our public schools if innovation was swimming downstream how much faster we could go. Except in our schools, these types of thinking we are constantly swimming upstream -- when you do you get very very tired. Create an environment where lessened some of the bureaucratic requirements but still do in a framework where others feel that they could do that too. Microsoft didn't give money but gave human capital and gave people. Trying to live within the constraints but push the edge.

Michael - Big brands and big corporations thirsting for innovation -- if schools would adopt that mindset.

Type of the project that -- F2F marketing -- new trend -- traditional ad spending goes down -- interface with the public. National tour with target stores -- rennovating their pharmacies -- health and wellness centers.

Mile 20 -- Rocky Theme blaring from his car and finished the race -- a concert experience at mile 20 for every marathon runner at mile 20 in every country a long tunnel that blares motivational music -- the rocky theme that marathon runners run through-- most motivational experience staged it in LA -- 22,000 runners -- When staged it -- it became a heroes welcome -- most of all the paraplegics -- weren't prepared for it -- it was joyful -- Amazing -- targeting paraplegic runners -- he had no legs -- pumped is way through 26 miles on a skateboard. Everyone is spellbound - the most inspirational thing -- amazing inspiration -- Rocky Them -- amazing -- experiencing -- have a profound impact. You're not doing a promotion you are making a mark on someone's life. WE have that opportunity every single DAY -- So amazing -- put it everywhere in marathons.

Francis - Understanding of the brain

We think learning is mostly about educating our brains but it isn't -- a series of reports - invites us to read -- demystify some of the myths that we have. When do you start learning foreign languages. Should be elemetary education -- research that foreign languages as soon as possible. Need to start very young! As many languages as possible.

The idea that some educational systems especially new ones people are seeing the need to separate girls from boys think that brains work differently. No evidence based on research on that -- we have to research a bit more if we are going to separate things -- that is not a difference in brain.

Zotti - Cognitive neuroscience -- His graduate work in that. Phenomenal experiment that was done -- babies don't know where they are born and the myriad of languages that we speak have different structures and different sounds and not all languages - English b and p -- small differences -- Thai -- have 5 letters between b and p - microphones on babies -- babies cannot tell you that they can hear the differences. Exposed to new sounds their heart rates go up and they relax -- babies can hear the differences. Besides the time the research subjects 7 years lost 80% of the ability to hear the difference. And by 12 lost all of the difference. Decided to call this ability to respond the "hyper sensitive sucking reflex" - scientific data supports that children should hear it at a young age.

Mary - Microsoft

Individuals are self critical and it is expected. How can I get better?

Had time to think. Encouraged to think -- got their own office, had gathering spaces. Thinking and doing something were the same thing -- it is not that way in education.

Elizabeth Asked -- were they private or open source offices? Mary Said - definitely not. Laughed hilariously and gave a high five.

Mary - "bills office is just like mine except there was smarter stuff going on in it" -- they all have the same type of office.

A resource -- book tool that you wish everyone know-

Michael - whole new Mind by Daniel Pink, Dream Society. Excellent.

Francis - Go to www.oecd.org - Next week report understanding the Brain -- new insights what science says about emotions, language, and learning



tag: , , , , , , , ,

Popular Posts