Live Interactive Event Monday--Come Join the Discussion!

From http://futureofeducation.com, an invitation: 

Date: Monday, October 4, 2010

Time: 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern / 9pm GMT (international times here)

Duration: 2 hours

Location: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page.

Event and Recording Page:  http://www.learncentral.org/event/106358
Hashtag:  #elev8ed

The Future of Education Charting the Course of Teaching and Learning in a Networked World

A message to all members of The Future of Education

Between the NBC "Education Nation" Summit, Waiting for Superman, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million gift to Newark city schools, there has been a lot of media attention focused on the topic of education reform. Unfortunately, much of it has excluded actual educators, let alone students. Furthermore, and perhaps as a consequence, the dialog has become divisive, blaming, and ultimately counter-productive. FutureofEducation.com and Edutopia are collaborating this coming Monday on a two-hour live and interactive look at "Elevating the Education Reform Dialog"--an online discussion with special guests and specifically for educators,  to help move past the bashing and to engage in a constructive conversation about the best way forward.  Connection details are at the bottom of this post.  Confirmed speakers include:                              Julie Evans is the CEO of the national education nonprofit organization, Project Tomorrow (www.tomorrow.org) whose mission is to ensure that today's students are well prepared to become tomorrow's leaders, innovators and engaged citizens of the world. Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The author of eleven books and scores of articles, he lectures at education conferences and universities as well as to parent groups and corporations. Chris Lehmann is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, a progressive science and technology high school in Philadelphia, PA. The Science Leadership Academy is an inquiry-driven, project-based, 1:1 laptop school that is considered to be one of the pioneers of the School 2.0 movement nationally and internationally. Deborah Meier has spent more than three decades working in public education as a teacher, principal, writer, advocate, and ranks among the most acclaimed leaders of the school reform movement in the U.S. Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University and a historian of education. In addition, she is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.  She shares a blog called Bridging Differences with Deborah Meier, hosted by Education Week. She also blogs for Politico.com/arena and the Huffington Post. Will Richardson considers himself an "evangelist" for the use of Weblogs, RSS and related Internet technologies in classrooms and schools. Over the past six years he's had the chance to speak and work with thousands of educators from around the world on the merits of "The Read/Write Web." He was a classroom teacher for over 20 years who integrated these technologies into his curricula for over four years. Sir Ken Robinson, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources. He has worked with governments in Europe, Asia and the USA, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. Since 1982, Gary Stager, PhD, an internationally recognized educator, speaker and consultant, has helped learners of all ages on six continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual laboratories and vehicles for self-expression.

I'm on for ESBOCES Webinars in February

Cool.

ESBOCES in New York is setting up a cool year of professional development for their administrators and teachers, and I've been asked to belly up for a 4 week series of weekly webinars on the general topic of Leadership in education. Cool!

New! Model Schools Virtual Technology Leadership Series

Get inspired from the comfort of your own home! 

All administrators and interested teachers are invited to join us for this exciting and inspiring technology leadership series.  Participants will be given the opportunity to learn from and interface with technology subject matter experts.  This Leadership Series is designed to broaden your perspective on technology and its application to improving teaching and learning.   Each series will run once a week for four weeks and will feature a different technology expert. Weekly webcasts will be followed by additional on-line interaction (blogging, discussions, etc.) and will allow you the chance to interact with technology leaders from other districts as well.

Here's some info on my contributions to this innovative effort, and I'll post links for participation here once everything's set in virtual stone:

February 2, 9, 16 and March 2, 2011, from 8-9pm EST, facilitated by Elluminate

Scott Merrick--Innovative Leadership: a Contradiction in Terms?

An essential element of effective leadership is making sure our academic institutions improve and thrive. Or is it? For example, maintaining an ongoing plan for Professional Development can be well nigh impossible: What works one year may not work the next. What one school needs may not be what another needs. Are our schools and our school districts missing something important that may, if not "save the day," at least help in particular settings? This four-week set of hour long interactions will focus on several general topics through the perspectives its presenter has developed over the last decade of teaching, teacher training, volunteer work, and professional practice. The topics are at this writing subject to change, but they will likely include the following:

• The Read-Write Web and what that means for teaching practice, professional development, and personal satisfaction
• Personal Learning Networks, Professional Learning Networks, and the big question--"Why Bother?"
• 3Dimensional Immersive Environments--Sense of Presence at a Distance and Why You Want It
• Distance Education in K12--"Disantiquating" Schools and Schooling with Virtual Learning

Cool.