EduCon 2.2

SpeedGeek Learning: A platform for Disruptive Inspiration

When:

Session One: Saturday 10:00am–11:30am

Where:

Room 304

Who:

Ben Wilkoff

Affiliation: Douglas County School District

Conversational Focus/Audience:

All School Levels

Conversation Description:

Learning is the process of continual and disruptive innovation. We first teach students the disruptive innovation of reading, the process of asking great questions and making meaning. We teach the innovation of perspective as the lens through which we must ask questions of our history. And, we teach them context so that they will express, question and innovate for themselves. Somehow, though, we lose this innovative aspect of learning when students need it most. We get caught up in what cool tool will let us create a podcast from beginning to ending by pushing a few buttons to grab attention for a fleeting moment. Or, we strive for the mundane element of rote learning to satisfy the needs of a system that perpetuates itself. Enter SpeedGeek Learning, an idea that has challenged me to ask questions and seek answers that speak to the innovations of meaning, context and perspective.

Essentially, SpeedGeek Learning is about posing a single question that we all want the answer to. It is about challenging each individual to frame their answers within an ongoing conversation, to try and reach for a truth that eludes us in any other framework. The single question that I want to ask within this session is "What is your innovation in education, and why does it matter?" From this, I would like to define the most effective and groundbreaking innovations are coming from the circle of voices coming together for Educon.

The platform and protocol will take answers from anyone and spin them together with video, Etherpad, twitter backchannel, and chat. It is my sincerest hope that by the end of the session we will be able to find a language and community willing that challenges us to carry out the best of our innovations, especially extending our innovations into the lives of students.

Conversational Practice:

The conversation is the platform. I would like to use a SpeedGeek Learning session as the backchannel for the conversation around the discussion on the single question of "What is your innovation?" in schools, in your work, in your life. I will seed the discussion with submitted videos and then I would like to develop what the other educational innovations in the room are and archive them for continued collaboration via the platform and whatever else others would like to use. Best case scenario: I would like to solve a single problem within a single school by starting with a single disruptive idea.

Website:

http://www.speedgeeklearning.com/educon22/

Elluminate Rooms ( instructions for launching Elluminate )

Stream via Elluminate: Room 304 — Channel A

Comments

Dennis Richards said:

Very interesting developments, Ben. Fun, fun, fun. Speed Geek Learning (not sure where the name came from) presents and interesting twist on the notions of competition and conversation. My hunch is that the conversation will continue long after the session. "Be there or be square," he said to his friends and colleagues.

Permaink

Sat 23 Jan 2010 03:44:26 PM EST