Comments on: So traditional!!! EARCOS 2008 http://struth.edublogs.org/2008/11/02/so-traditional-earcos-2008/ Struan has something to say... Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:09:04 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: annelies http://struth.edublogs.org/2008/11/02/so-traditional-earcos-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-28 annelies Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:09:04 +0000 http://struth.edublogs.org/2008/11/02/so-traditional-earcos-2008/#comment-28 Before we can move forward with new ideas for "conferences" (is that really the best title for these gatherings?) we need to have clarity of purpose. Why are there 200+ leaders here at Kota Kinabalu this week? What are they looking for? Inspiration? Networking? Learning? Once we more fully understand the needs of our leaders, then we may be able to create an appropriate response. Lots to think about- who will think with me? Before we can move forward with new ideas for “conferences” (is that really the best title for these gatherings?) we need to have clarity of purpose. Why are there 200+ leaders here at Kota Kinabalu this week? What are they looking for? Inspiration? Networking? Learning? Once we more fully understand the needs of our leaders, then we may be able to create an appropriate response. Lots to think about- who will think with me?

]]> By: Jeff Utecht http://struth.edublogs.org/2008/11/02/so-traditional-earcos-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-27 Jeff Utecht Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:08:28 +0000 http://struth.edublogs.org/2008/11/02/so-traditional-earcos-2008/#comment-27 Ah....traditions. Three things: 1. This is the way conferences are. This is how the look, feel, smell. It's what we know and people would be upset if we change them....so we don't. (Play to lowest common denominator) 2. We know it's broke, who's job is it to fix it? We complain, but do we act? 3. History.....plays such a big role. This is what admin want in a conference. How much money could EARCOS save if they did not feed us every night? What if we had no history? History is powerful, and very hard to over come. At Learning 2.008 I want the whole conference to be an unconference, but we can't because others believe it would be too radical of a change for people. Me, I see it as only gettng the people to come to the conference that I truly want to learn from. I want only the radicals. Traditions.....how do we over come them? History.......how do we move on from it? At some point an administrator needs to stand up and say "This is our school....either be with us or get out of our way." Only then will we be able to move forward. But we won't, because we're educators, we are nice people, and we don't want to upset or make people feel like they don't have the skills anymore. So instead, we put the chairs in rows, we put a person on the stage, and we talk.....because that is very comfortable. We are educators, we are suppose to know it all! ;) Hope day two continues your thinking, keep pushing, it's how change happens. Ah….traditions.

Three things:

1. This is the way conferences are. This is how the look, feel, smell. It’s what we know and people would be upset if we change them….so we don’t. (Play to lowest common denominator)

2. We know it’s broke, who’s job is it to fix it? We complain, but do we act?

3. History…..plays such a big role. This is what admin want in a conference. How much money could EARCOS save if they did not feed us every night? What if we had no history? History is powerful, and very hard to over come.

At Learning 2.008 I want the whole conference to be an unconference, but we can’t because others believe it would be too radical of a change for people. Me, I see it as only gettng the people to come to the conference that I truly want to learn from. I want only the radicals.

Traditions…..how do we over come them? History…….how do we move on from it?

At some point an administrator needs to stand up and say “This is our school….either be with us or get out of our way.”

Only then will we be able to move forward. But we won’t, because we’re educators, we are nice people, and we don’t want to upset or make people feel like they don’t have the skills anymore. So instead, we put the chairs in rows, we put a person on the stage, and we talk…..because that is very comfortable. We are educators, we are suppose to know it all!

;)

Hope day two continues your thinking, keep pushing, it’s how change happens.

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