Birds of a Feather Presentation...ISTE 2015

Thought to share the presentation for this afternoon.  Looking forward to conversation...what happens after 1:1?  Trust me, the fun is just beginning.

I am fascinated by narrow views of technology in education and would like to pull back our lens to the broader visioning school leaders should be practicing in the 21^st century.  Ole Jensen (Discourse Analysis and Sociospatial Transformation Processes. School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape) argues any planning process as a consideration of the “relationship between the material practices and the symbolic meaning that social agents attach to their spatial environments…” For me, this means that the tension between material practices (the day to day doings of a school) and the symbolism we attach (the sacred cows) effects how we arrange our environments.  Unfortunately, most 1:1 planning and implementation only looks at the technology infrastructure.  What about all the other material and symbolic meanings of “school”.  I’d like to discuss how considering the Physical, Virtual and Cultural elements of our schools how this broader lens might make 1:1 implementations more valuable for all learners.

The catch in bringing K-12 education into the 21^st century can partially be attributed to how many of us still attach our own experiences to “school” – sitting in rows, teacher at the front handing out content, students sitting passively.  But do we adults let our own symbolism influence how the space functions for a young visitor?  Do we realty embrace innovations that allow us to move beyond our four walls?  Will we be ready for the changes 1:1 will bring to school culture and what might those be?

http://www.slideshare.net/lamastej/birds-of-a-feather-presentation-beyond-1-to-1