Earlier this month, I flew out to Boston to attend the inaugural Connected Learning Summit. I was on a mission to see the plethora of work happening out in the Connected Learning field; to refine my understanding of what the term actually meant; and to hear ideas that would further inspire my own work at LEAP Innovations.
The three-day conference at MIT Media Lab was a great impetus to expand my thinking around the elements required to create meaningful learning experiences for students. As an added bonus, I also expanded my vocabulary (“Trojan Mouse,” “translanguaging”) and my stomach (highlights include Neptune Oyster and Bob’s Italian).
Here are my key takeaways from the Summit:
- Place the learner and her/his story at the center of the work. The first session I went to was a panel showcasing different projects around Intergenerational Learning that was happening across the country. Several projects contained elements of story making and telling: one program based at a library involved creating a space for families to create a story together, while another equipped learners with cameras to capture the stories of what they saw and share back with the community. By empowering learners to tell stories about what they’re interested in, we can cultivate opportunities for children and teens to find meaning in their own learning and to differentiate “learning” from “studying.” At the core of this is the hope that when one finds enjoyment in learning from a young age, she or he will want to continue learning regardless of setting, age, or situation. Focusing on the individual, rather than on “things that need to be learned” (i.e. coding, physical activity), sets the groundwork for a lifelong learning experience that is relevant, meaningful, and sustainable.
- Resource constraints are real, but there’s still hope. I learned about a community that helped parents be involved in their children’s learning by providing taxis to transport families to schools for parent-teacher workshops. Infrastructure (or rather, lack thereof) was mentioned again and again as a potential roadblock at the start of projects — and yet, the work continued. At an open mic for questions, an audience member stated frustration at the lack of educator tools and resources for the Connected Learning work, and someone immediately suggested CLinTE as an existing support network. It’s important to recognize that resource constraints loom, and yet so many people in the field have chosen to tackle this challenge through solutions and workarounds. The proactivity, the grit, the passion that drives the work forward was an incredible reminder to never give up in my own work.
- Technology was made for humans (emphasis on humans). After my first two days at the conference, I was suddenly struck that I hadn’t heard the word “edtech” at all — despite a clear presence of games, software, and tools that all supported learning. I wondered (and would still love to hear thoughts on this!) whether there was an intentional decision to avoid the word edtech and, if so, why. Regardless of intentionality, the absence of the term actually helped me to focus more on the learners and the outcomes envisioned by the presenters for their learners; it helped to reframe the conference as one centered around the human learning experience. At a session I went to about computer science literacy, the presenter made a comment: “Code is for humans.” It seems so obvious, since humans are the ones writing and editing code…and yet we so frequently associate code with computers, as if we’re working to feed some insatiable machine hunger. Similarly, technology is for humans; thoughtful implementation can occur only if we truly understand why, how, and even if a learner needs the tool.
I could probably write another five paragraphs about the nuggets of wisdom I took away from the conference, including Michelle King’s inspiring keynote about the four levels of listening and the idea of creating a beloved community that activates generosity, wonder, joy, forgiveness, and abundance. Mimi Ito also shared the latest Connected Learning framework (which you can watch here) during a keynote panel, illustrating the elements that can help to create attainable opportunities for all types of learners out there.
I’m thankful for what I learned during my time out at the Connected Learning Summit (added bonus — seeing the awesome MIT Media Lab). Thank you to the organizing committee for creating a refreshing and inspiring experience!