#Whatisschool Thursday March 16, 7 PM EDT

Turning Students Into Global Digital Citizens

For the first time in history nearly half the world’s population is under the age of 26.  While that might not seem significant to you to future governments, economies and the environment this shift can have far reaching implications.  Why?  Because only some segments of the population are keeping pace with the rapid technological development transforming our world.  How people collaborate, invent and work together in the future will have a profound effect on future generations.

Carl Sagan once defined an ideal citizenry as people “...with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.”  Change that to define the ideal global digital citizen and you might add ethical connection and contribution, the ability to leverage technology on a global scale, and fostering community through compassion.  And since students today have a duo existence both in the technological world being created and the physical world we reside in, the ability to be a global digital citizen is crucial.

So how can we ensure that there is balance and that ALL students grow up with the opportunity to use their talents to shape the future?  Who will make the rules that govern how technology is used and how reality is blended?  Will it be for the common good or the enrichment of an elite few?

Join me Laura Hill (@candylandcaper) and Craig Kemp (@mrkempnz) March 16, 7PM EDT as #whatisschool explores ways to educate students to be Global Digital Citizens.

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Questions #whatisschool March 16, 2017

1) How can we use technology to connect students with community on the local and global scale?

2) What roles can we create in the classroom to foster skills like project and digital management to build student’s capabilities?

3) How can we use technology to help students form their own critical, ethical questions and research solutions to real world problems?

4) How can we assist students in building Student Learning Networks (SNLs) that allow them to assess and realize their ideas?

5) What strategies can we use to help students become independent, collaborative learners?

6) How can we use our roles as educators, parents and leaders to work with students to build our global digital skills together?

Chat times for around the world are:

Thursday 4pm Pacific Time

Thursday 6pm Central Time

Thursday 7pm EDT

Thursday 11pm GMT

Friday 7am Singapore/WA (Perth) Time

Friday 9am AEST

Please Support The Arts www.laurahillbooks.com

#whatisschool “Exploring Genius Time in Schools"

What is School? “Exploring Genius Time in Schools"

Thursday April 6, 2017 7PM EDT

From Craig Kemp,

#whatisschool continuously inspires me – every week I come away with new ideas, new connections, and new learning! I am excited to be back again this week with the amazing Laura Hill.

This week we are looking at Genius time / Genius hour in schools and we will be discussing what it looks like, how people fit it in, the benefits of utilizing this concept and sharing resources of successes and failures in doing so.

We wanted to give you a pre-chat video this week that supports our topic. We love Derek Sivers and this video entitled “Obvious to you. Amazing to others”, sums up a lot of the work that we do in Genius time and we want you to use it as inspiration to bring your ideas to our chat this week.

Join #whatisschool this week to talk about Genius Time and its role in schools.

Remember that our chat times for around the world are: (updated 30 March 2017)

• Thursday 4pm Pacific Time
• Thursday 6pm Central Time
• Thursday 7pm ET 
• Thursday 11pm GMT
• Friday 12am CET
• Friday 7am Singapore/WA (Perth) Time
• Friday 9am AEDT
• Friday 11am NZT

Make sure you put this week’s chat in your diary and if you are not already signed up to our ‘Remind’ notifications – click here. We will send you an email or a FREE SMS just before our chat begins 

Join the conversation on Thursday 6 April 7pm ET (Thursday 11pm GMT, Friday 9am AEDT, 11am NZT, 7am Singapore) as we discuss What Is School? #whatisschool 

Questions #whatisschool, April 6, 2017 7PM EDT

1) In your day to day work, what is obvious to you but amazing to others?

2) How do you inspire students & staff to share their ‘obvious’?

3) What does Genius time/hour look like in your school?

4) How do you integrate Genius Time into your already packed timetable?

5) What are the benefits and what are some examples of student work during Genius time?

6) What is your ONE piece of advice for someone about to start Genius time?

#Whatisschool Archive March 9, 2017

#Whatisschool, Thursday March 9, 6 PM EST

Learning Through Shared Experience

Get Students Talking About Their Experiences.

"Many students learn new material by connecting it to what they already know. If a teacher gets a sense of that knowledge base (which often grows out of and rests on experience) it’s a lot easier to make good connections between what students know and what they need to learn." says Dr Mary Ellen Weimer, editor of The Teaching Professor and TheTeachingProfessor.com

And she's right.

Connecting education with real world experiences is a powerful step in learning and applying skills especially in modern teaching arenas that incorporate multiple pedagogies as well as strategies to that include technology and the exploration of an ever shrinking and diverse world.

But both teachers and students can be uncomfortable with shared learning experiences.  While some don't want to participate, others may feel their experiences are simply irrelevant to the lesson therefore making their input invalid. Still others may be intimidated by the enthusiasm of their peers and fear diving in lest they be judged by their mistakes or express a viewpoint that is unpopular.

So how can teachers and students harness the power of shared experience to create deeper understanding and enhance learning?

Join me Laura Hill (@candylandcaper) and Mark Weston (@shiftparadigm) Thursday March 9, 6PM EST as #whatisschool explores modern and not so modern teaching strategies that get students talking and elevates learning through participation in shared experience.

Questions #whatisschool Thursday, March 9 6PM EST

1)How can teachers and students use mobile technology to share learning experiences?

2)How can self initiated and self directed education be used to enrich student learning and the sharing of experiences?

3)How can virtual and online learning transform the classroom in a global collaboration hub?

4)How can STEAM and STEM be used to augment environmental learning experiences and student collaboration?

5)How can outdoor teaching be used as a forum for shared experience  enhancing learning and student attitudes?

6)How can shared experience create tolerance of cultural diversity, foster empathy and understanding among students?

Please visit www.laurahillbooks.com

#Whatisschool February 2, 2017 6PM EST 

 Immersive Education with @candylandcaper
 www.whatisschool.org

Aaron Walsh, founder of IEd

Few would deny that the revolution in technology has effected the way that we educate, many in fact would argue that it is driving the future of education as well as the skill-sets our students will need to compete and create in a quickly changing global economy flush with products and services that were unheard of and maybe only dreamed of by authors of science fiction a few short years ago. 

Aaron Walsh, an educator and the founder of Boston based iEdacademy, is credited with coining the term “immersive education.” A driving force in a global initiative to provide resources to teachers including immersive education materials, standards and measuring tools, his projects include IED and the Immersive Education Initiative Summit, his efforts have been backed by the Federation of American Scientists, content providers like NBC and even the United States Government. 

"As educators, we know that people learn best by doing," he says. "When students are doing something rather than reading or learning about it, they learn better. Immersive environments help students retain more information and speed up their learning. There's an enhancement in the way they learn."

Immersive learning focuses on the use of technology to enhance the learning process, a popular trend in futurist education.  At last year's IMMERSIVE COLORADO, the summit created by Walsh and co-sponsored by the U.S. Government, speakers addressed the personal, cultural and educational impact of immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), 360° VR video, spherical panoramic photography, 3D printing, telepresence, virtual worlds, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, immersive teaching and immersive learning systems, and fully immersive environments such as caves, domes and planetariums.  Sessions on MineCraft, scavenger hunts, planetariums, cultural arts performances, Pokémon Go, 3D printing, gaming, and VRE are just an example of some of the sessions attendees participated in with the ambition of taking away ideas they can employ in the classroom that will capture the attention of students.

Immersive scenarios are defined as those that involve "authentic activities" that simulate the real world but that also engage students in real-life problems and events using technology and environment to bridge the conceptual with the concrete-- giving students a virtual laboratory in which to work out real-world problems.  And while immersive technology may seem out of reach with content providers, scientists and educators jumping on board providing content and tools, immersive learning is an aspect of the future of education that cannot be ignored.

So how can educators, whether employing rich educational technology or making creative, collaborative environments in the classroom use the concept of immersive education to enhance learning?

Join me @candylandcaper and @mrkempnz for #whatisschool this Thursday, February 2 6PM EST as we explore the possibilities of immersive education and the impact it will have on the future of education.  

Questions #Whatisschool, Thursday February 2, 2017 6PM EST

1) How have you created immersive environments using teaching methods like field trips, role-play, collaboration, PBL, shared experiences?

2) How could you use technology to enhance your favorite lesson and provide a richer learning experience for students?

3) How can you use authentic audiences, either local or global, to create an immersive learning experience?

4 )Imagine a “dream” environment for immersive learning, what is it like?  What technology or teaching methods would you use?

5) Where do you see the greatest opportunity to use immersive learning strategies in your class, how would you accomplish this?
6) If any technology or methodology were available what real-world problem would you have students solve? 

Join Us!

#Whatisschool February 2, 2017 6PM EST 

 Immersive Education with @candylandcaper @mrkempnz
 www.whatisschool.org