Cohort+1+My+School+Will...


 * Session 2: Steve Hargadon (SH)
 * **Discussion**
 * "I know we'll be successful when we stop having (separate) tech conferences."
 * One possible vision: Hard to change existing system (e.g. Detroit car companies)
 * **Wish List (not for 2020 or 2050, but just for "in the future") for opening a brand new school**
 * **"My school will (have)..."**
 * give more choice/control to students
 * "Father of unschooling movement," John Hull (sp?)'s ideas used to be fringe, now becoming more accepted
 * offer validation of their study choices
 * grade levels become fuzzy
 * student mentoring/helping others
 * diverse interests/subject and age-independence
 * perhaps teachers being able to group how they want/need (despite age differences, different learning styles)
 * focus on concepts & skills - emphasis not on age-band
 * project-based class
 * integrates a variety of skills
 * "life-like pedagogy"
 * Guy in Brazil has an e-book on this...3 month projects
 * *If students have choice, they need to have choices that incorporate multiple elements b/c otherwise they may become too specialized
 * purposeful, useful projects
 * role of teacher
 * identify strengths/weaknesses of students; steer them in ways that will help them in world
 * funding
 * Parents have choices for $ used in education..."money follows the student" instead of government allocating $ 1st
 * take down the fences that education only seriously happens in buildings of school or college
 * (related to previous) flexible physical space
 * be more creative and open with designs of learning spaces
 * redefine what it means to be successful
 * intrinsic
 * school is a leader, not a follower in the definition of success
 * doing things well v. doing things
 * school can experiment
 * not worried about failing (hard, b/c failure is often defined by the funder)
 * privatized
 * attract teachers who like to teach
 * they should model thinking and learning
 * teachers paid well
 * attract engaged student
 * actively involved in global education & immediate community
 * perhaps in dialog with people from other schools
 * don't forget community-focus
 * don't forget about the schools that serve the 99% of people who can't go to the dream school
 * make sure each school has for each child a pencil, a book, and anything else they need that would help them
 * bring in people from a variety of career choices/trades (burger-flipper, lawyer, etc) to talk about what they do
 * create environment where schools are ready to reshape culture/the world instead of just live in it
 * school as part of market economy
 * Results driven, team learning, competition based (not necessarily paper/pencil based...but process learning)
 * minimize the effort on learning technology but maximize the effectiveness of learning (utilizing cost-benefit of using new technology)
 * effectively use technology and the internet to achieve the vision for school
 * purposely constructive v. thoughtless consumer
 * seamless integration
 * follows goals
 * administrators have to have a clear, core vision and can be able to model it (teachers & administrators as "__lead learners__")
 * end traditional school earlier (after 10th grade) and have students start 2 years of service, community projects, project-based learning, etc.
 * healthier community: better food, exercising
 * SH: Finland schools--may not be a stated purpose but may be a by-product of fewer school hours, etc.
 * transmitting local/cultural values
 * harder to do in school "w/o walls"
 * easier to do the more localized the decision-making process is for the school
 * bring the environment into schools
 * kids involved in growing food
 * help them understand food supply, energy, etc.
 * making parents part of the school
 * invite them into the classroom to share career experiences, help out with remedial reading, community
 * students working in arts, physical activity, etc.
 * (if you're going to use them....pleasant sounding bells!)
 * more fun: "rolling" chairs!
 * strong emphasis on reading/writing
 * use/teach from a variety of sources and types of writing
 * social consience -- have students reflect and be a microcosm of the real world; character development
 * NOTE**:
 * No one mentioned homework, time, testing, sports, filtering, equity, access/control, individualization, handheld devices, portfolios
 * Are we doing a good job of showing other schools that are doing a good job?
 * Very little of the list actually had little to do with technology...quite telling
 * Web 2.0 might help discussions of these things but not always help accomplish those goals