Today saw the first convergence session of the Teachers As Designers EVO Session

We were using the Adobe Connect Room kindly lent to us by our sponsor LTSIG.  The highlight of the session was an interview with our guest speaker, Ryan Cardwell.

The convergence session was well attended, with participants from China, Europe, South and North America. The session was recorded, and you can find the recording here.

After a few technological hiccups, the convergence session started with everyone introducing themselves and saying where they were from.  Ania then gave an overview of how the first week of the Teachers as Designers session had gone.  A discussion ensued about the importance of feedback and repetition.  Tulle offered the opinion that Repetion is the mother of skill! whilst Joe agreed, adding that is like Stepping back and looking with a new lense.

A couple of points were raised about the e-portfolios in Canvas, in particular about the privacy and sharing aspect.  This is something that the moderators are going to look into further and we will share our findings with everyone through Canvas.

The session then continued with our guest speaker Ryan.  He spoke about his context in Beijing, and a few people were surprised by how big of an impact the air quality had in the classroom.  Ryan also spoke about his influences, and recommended this TED talk by Kiran Sethi as well as speaking about her school, the Riverside School.  Ryan gave some examples of his experience with Design for Change as well as introducing the concept of FIDS (Feel; Imagine; Do; Share).

A brief Q&A session followed, with Ryan being asked in more detail about Design for Change and the different age groups that it would work with (4 upwards being the general consensus).

The Convergence Session concluded with some final comments about the activities in the second week of the Teachers As Designers EVO Session.

 

Looking forward to seeing you all at the second Convergence Session next Sunday 24th January (13:00 GMT) but until then, we’ll see you in the discussions!

First Convergence Session: A Summary
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3 thoughts on “First Convergence Session: A Summary

  • 17/01/2016 at 10:59 pm
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    It was a great session and it was particularly good to listen to Ryan’s story and see the participants interacting with each other. What really appealed to me was the idea of students as co-designers or actual designers. I think this could be a powerful teaching tool. I also wondered about the evaluation being inextricably linked with the design cycle – this way we can be more in control of any potential mistakes and mistakes happen and I guess we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about them. In fact, they often provide the best lessons.
    “If I haven’t made three good mistakes in a week, then I’m not worth anything. You only learn from mistakes.” (David Bowie, 12th November 1977)

    Looking forward to the next convergence session!

    Reply
  • 19/01/2016 at 3:00 am
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    What an inspiring way of learning! Contagious indeed. It challenges me to overcome fears and abandon myself to my empowering my students… if not us, who? if not now, when?… really bold!

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    • 19/01/2016 at 11:06 am
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      I’m glad to hear how positive you feel!See you in Canvas!

      Reply

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