Darren's BLC12 Home Page » Learning is ... » Storyfinding » Why is She Smiling?
Building Learning Communities Conference
Boston, Massachusetts July 18-20, 2012
Below you will find descriptions of each of the presentations I gave this year at Alan November's Building Learning Communities Conference. There is a page on the wiki devoted to each presentation where you can find an archive of the slides and some additional content.
Bio
Darren’s unique skill set – an in-depth knowledge of pedagogy, leading edge technology skills and boundless creativity make him a strong change agent in 21st century education. His relaxed confident manner puts participants at ease as he leads them through relevant discussions of how the appropriate application of technology in the day-to-day classroom setting can enhance student learning. Attendees leave eager to apply these ideas in their own classrooms. His leadership and vision in the field of educational technology are known world-wide through his work as one of the founding conveners of the K12 Online Conference and his professional blog – A Difference.
Contact info:
You can find Darren online in a variety of places...
email: dkuropatwa {at} gmail {dot} com
twitter: dkuropatwa
slideshare: dkuropatwa
delicious: dkuropatwa
flickr: dkuropatwa
diigo: dkuropatwa
posterous: I'm Thinking
YouTube: dtkuropatwa
instagram: dkuropatwa
(very infrequent) podcast: always beta
blog: A Difference
Wednesday, July 18 @ 4:00pm
Learning is ...
How would you complete that sentence? Think visually.
In this hands on session participants will mash up their ideas with powerful images, painlessly share them with the group and spend the lion's share of our time together thinking deeply and discussing our shared vision for what real learning looks like in our classrooms. We'll touch on ideas of ethical and responsible use of technology, creative commons and some thoughts about visual design. We will model a simple process teachers and administrators can take back to their schools to engage their colleagues in meaningful discussions that culminate with creating a core set of shared values. Ideally these core values will inform the conversations administrators and teachers have about their professional growth. Teachers can also use the same process with their students to foster deep discussions around the content they are learning in their classes.
If time permits, we'll also discuss how these ideas can be shared globally. (You'll need a flickr account, get it before BLC12, and access to your email for that. NB: You do NOT need to do this to participate.)
Bring your own laptop.
Thursday, July 19 @ 10:20am
Storyfinding
In a word or two you remember the whole story: glass slipper, sour grapes, cold porridge. You remember more than the facts (a step mother & two step sisters, an absent father, a godmother) you remember the relationships and deeper connections between the characters (nasty step mom & sisters, warm but lonely friendships with the animals in the house, a dream of a better life).
The challenge for teachers and students is not to find problems but to find stories. Powerful narratives, in a word or two, bring to mind a wealth of ideas and relationships; more than just facts. How can we find the stories that make our teaching sticky? How do we help kids find, and more importantly tell, the stories that make their learning sticky?
We’ll look at some strong examples and send you on your way with a toolkit of ideas and practices to make teaching & learning sticky in your class.
Friday, July 20 @ 11:45am
Why is she smiling?
What happens when bullies use social media?
What happens when a kid, bully or bullied, shoots a video and posts it to YouTube? (The answers aren’t all bad.)
And why is she smiling?
A conversation with educators about cultivating empathy in our students to combat bullying in and out of school in an increasingly digital environment. Participants will leave with a wealth of powerful visual material and discussion starters they can use in their schools with their students. We’ll share ideas to effectively lead these sort of difficult conversations and share resources we can easily access anywhere any time.
[While it’s not required to attend the session it would be a good idea to have a twitter account before arriving at BLC12.]