Shaping+the+Future+of+Learning,+Chicago+2009

Highlights of the ADVANCED conference Shaping the Future of Learning. The keynote speaker, Dr. Yong Zhou, of Michigan State University talked so much about innovation, thinking creatively, realizing that the world is becoming more connected and faster paced, and therefore demanding of newer and different skills sets. In fact, he talked about Daniel Pink's //A Whole New Mind// and suggested that this is one of the most significant and important books to be published in recent years, and that really, schools should be considering the six aptitudes discussion by Pink rather than the so called "21st Century Skills" that have received so much attention.

In nearly every session at the conference, the concepts of efficiency, communication, collaboration, and creativity were essential themes. Several sessions I attended focused on efficiency, communication, and innovation within the school as a whole--not just in the classroom. One session demonstrated the use of a ning in order to facilitate communication among the faculty and even as a venue to conduct professional development. A pre-conference workshop focused on "the future" and left the participants with the idea that planning for the future is really planning for the unknown, and thus being flexible, rather than guessing correctly, is the best way to ensure success in the future. There was much emphasis at this conference on the notion that meeting time needs to be used for discussions about teaching, curriculum, vision, etc., rather than logistics and policies that could easily be detailed via email instead. Another constant theme was the idea that technology can make what we do more fun! This reminded me again of the themes of Pink's book, where he talks about design, play, symphony, etc--in many ways, I think what he is getting at, and what some of these presenters were getting at, is that we must constantly be seeking new ways of doing old things.

[|Shaping the Future of Learning Conference Program]