Education Think Tank hosted by @DellEdu today

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#DoMoreEdu Twitter hashtag

So, it was a great experience to be at a roundtable with many people I know and respect from the education world. I felt conspicuous as one of the few teachers in the room (and from an independent school no less). I also felt like a rabble-rouser, as I stated early-ish that in my opinion technology is really about engineering and robotics and programming, whereas much of what we were discussing was social media usage and new media literacies. (Just last week, I presented about this at PNAIS, citing Henry Jenkins‘s new media literacy skills…)

However, everyone in the room understood that students need access to a plethora of devices and online resources, teachers need to be enabled to promote sound technology integration, and school leaders need to offer opportunities for collaboration and effective professional development while marketing their best practices/successes for a wider audience. Below are the topics touched upon today:

•  How can technology serve to transform teaching and learning? When we say “educational transformation”, what does that mean and how do we get there?
•  How do we increase access to technology and make it a priority in Districts to maximize learning?  Are 1:1 environments attainable?  If so how? Where does equity fit in?
• What does personalized learning look like and how can it be established? How do we move Districts, educators, and other stakeholders to embrace this concept both in and out of school?
• What is, or should be, the role of social media in education/the classroom and how can it be utilized for professional development?
• How do we engage school leaders in a conversation about the important role of technology and social media in education?  How do administrators support innovation in the age of accountability?
  

At the risk of leaving anyone out, present around the table today were: @NMHS_Principal (moderator), @tomwhitby, @InnovativeEdu, @adambellow, @Edu_Traveler (a parent at @The_School), @kenroyal, @drbpchinni, @erikendress, @timeoutdad, @agarry22, @kishizuka, @kjarrett, @MichLampinen, @teach2connect, @snowwhiteatdell, @paulallison, @susanmcp1 , @PMicheleGlaze, and @SpecialKRB (me).