The final days of September have been marked by the start of daylight saving and the beginning of a well-deserved two-week break for New Zealand educators.
After a very tiring and taxing two terms this break will be a welcome relief for many who have been on the front-line of coping with the many stresses and challenges faced by learners and their families in this period of full and partial lockdown.
In this month's FutureMakers update you'll find a number of thoughts and resources that may be useful as you contemplate the changes required to build a resilient, future focused education system. Check these out...
ULearn 2020
For those looking for ways to 're-energise' professionally during this break I encourage you to check out this year's ULearn conference on 7-8 October. I'll be participating in some of the sessions, and so would love to have you join me there!
This year ULearn is being held completely online, with an exciting lineup of keynote speakers, activators, interactive breakout sessions and the chance to claim a badge in recognition of your participation. This year there are three on offer - the attendee badge, the presenter badge and a new one called the connector badge designed specifically to recognise those who are proactive in making connections and creating opportunities for others to do the same.
Time for re-invention?
In recent issues of this newsletter I've commented on the lessons learned during the period of school lockdown and noted the ways in which we might be re-thinking how we 'do school' into the future, rather than simply return to 'normal' (whatever that might be).
I recently wrote a post on the case for re-inventing what we are doing, based on a recent report from the Learning Policy Institute that provides a framework for guiding action. In my post I look at a number of the key issues that must be addressed in order to achieve more equitable outcomes for all learners.
I had the privilege of recording a podcast with Barbara Bray this month in which I share with her some of my background and the work I do before engaging in a deeper discussion around the things that are happening in education here in NZ and around the world.
There's a new documentary that's popular on Netflix at the moment called The Social Dilemma (see trailer above). It features the thoughts of a tech experts sounding the alarm on the use of social media platforms. This raises serious concerns for educators to consider as we see an increasing use of social platforms both within classrooms and by learners at home and elsewhere.
Here are some more of my recent blog posts from this month that you may find of interest...
Digital Learning - Six Reasons We're Failing
A look at some of the key reasons we don't seem to be making the progress we could be with how we are leveraging the potential of digital in education.
An introduction to the latest work from the OECD, with some practical suggestions on how you might use these scenarios with your learners, your staff and/or your community
World Teachers' Day (WTD) has been celebrated annually since 1994, and this year's celebrations are approaching fast. WTD provides the occasion to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, take stock of achievements, and draw attention to the voices of teachers, who are at the heart of efforts to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind.
This year's theme will examine teacher leadership under the slogan "Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future". To mark this event, UNESCO's Teacher Task Force, which ICDE is a proud member of, will be co-organising several events, officially launch a Knowledge Platform and publish a fact sheet and a policy paper on teacher leadership.
Here are some of the things I'll be involved with in the next month - you may wish to join me for the ones with a link!
6 October 2020 - Repeat of the Introducing Digital Fluency for Facilitators webinar - online workshop for PLD facilitators on behalf of the Ministry of Education (not an open session)
That's it for this month - thanks for subscribing to my site - I encourage you to pass the link to others in your network who you think may find it useful.
Working online with your staff
I have worked in the field of distance education for more than 25 years, and can provide a range of services to your school and staff online. If this is something that interests you please feel free to contact me atderek@futuremakers.nz.
