1. Change is in the Air
Big kudos to NAIS for its continuing work to challenge us, its members schools, to embrace change, and along with that challenge, to give us advice, encouragement, and tactics for doing so. As PatBassett is fond of saying, “if you are not a school of the future, you may not be a school in the future,” and I think he is right: Disruptive Change is coming, and coming on strongly, and we need to adapt to thrive. But with the distribution of Switch (which I have read and I like, and will review here soon), the publication of the new Change guide from Jim Tracy and NAIS, and the multiple sessions proclaiming a new era in learning, this was powerful and valuable: TIME to CHANGE schooling.
2. New Tech Network and Edutopia featured in general session
The morning general sessions disappointed; the afternoon general sessions rocked (though it was disappointing that the afternoon sessions seemed to have much fewer in attendance). Best was the Thursday afternoon session on Schools of the Future; I was enthralled by this conversation, and very delighted to see two of the most importance forces in educational reform today, New Tech Network and Edutopia, get this strong attention. (more…)