What a bummer! I’m thinking the school as an institution has to change before students will the see the relevance of changing – obviously including the parents. We need to find was to educate the wider school community so that we can begin to institutionalize these changes for the students. The board, the parents, the upper-level admin all play a huge role in determining where we as a school place our values. We need to see them valuing global communication, global collaboration, inquiry, and learning how to unlearn so that we can always be learning.

Thanks for this great post. Brings back some fond memories.
I attended the session with the Geek Squad members and came away a little disappointed. They had a fairly negative view of a lot of their classmates and confirmed a lot of the “Isn’t it the nature of teenagers to want to be doing something different than what they’re told?” comment above. They are also very shaped by the end point of secondary school. i.e. their teachers and parents are saying that good grades on Chemistry, Math and Lit papers will get them to an Ivy League institution so let’s make sure we know the first 20 elements of the periodic table, how to factorise a polynomial and plot it on a curve (freehand) and be able to quote lines of Proust verbatim and we will show that we have the makings of a great education.
Looks like it is we teachers who are concerned about making them engage with the wider world, they have lots of other higher priorities.
If we really want to shift schools we have to show that 21st century learning produces outcomes that go way beyond admission to Ivy League Institutes.
Some of the students commenting on http://students2oh.org/ show that we can change thinking but it is not easy.
Let’s keep up the fight.
Cheers

How interesting that you noticed some of the same things I did from afar! You really were at the conference – and that is so impressive, considering that so few events were live streamed. You definitely made excellent use of your network!

I totally agree about needing to be “wowed” and I think (maybe) there are different expectations for adults, but I’m not sure why there should be. On the other hand, why would an adult spend so much time and energy to get to a conference and then not at least try to pay attention.

It is confusing for me, because I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have a laptop open, I guess I just expect that if you do have it open you’re engaging with the content on a deeper level, not using it to multitask. But, hey, maybe my expectations are too high (it wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened!).

However, smiles, though the keynotes were mainly male driven……women did have a vital presence at this conference. Both you and Chrissy’s presentations and unconferences were well-prepared, delivered wonderfully, and caused people not only to talk about it but also to start implementing right away. And I know there were many other women presenters too!!!

I especially appreciated your comment about the student and the questions he asked. That, in itself, should make people stop in their tracks and say “WHOA”….where are we really going with this. And not only with students, but with teachers too. Often times I feel we are zooming down the train track of tech in an express locomotive and the people we are dealing with drove up in their horse and buggies. And we expect them to see the “wonderfulness” of the ride we are one — and forget that they are on a ride to, and comfortable so far with how they are journeying on it.

Finally, in regards to the playing games etc while in a session, smiles, isn’t that what frustrates us the most about our students as well (at times!?!) It amazes me how we, as adults, expect to be wowed too. And if you don’t wow me, then I will find another distraction until the next opportunity for a wow……in this case, perhaps playing games, checking email, or even back channeling. Personally, I don’t turn on my computer during sessions, because I don’t – I can’t – be distracted during sessions. Sure, the extension ideas are great, but if I came to hear Kim Cofino speak — I don’t want (fill in any name here) interpreting for me what Kim is actually saying. (but that is my preference!!)

Good blog post, Kim.
I thank you for your honesty and your openness to share.
Perhaps next year, YOU will be on the planning committee!!

Jen

Good point about the doodling! I hadn’t thought about it that way, but that makes total sense to me. I totally agree about not having the keynoters on at the same time as the “regular people,” I guess I just wish there had been 6 sessions for keynoters so it would be physically possible to see all of them speak. I guess that would mean 3 less unconference sessions, but when you bring such excellent speakers to the other side of the planet, I guess I think it’s worth it!