I also want as many Aseems in my classes as possible. How do we make that part happen as well?

Kevin Honeycutt challenges me to be a better learner, teacher, and thinker. I am always interested in where his spiraling mind is going to go next. In this podcast, we discuss the future of professional development as well as the future of schools. The Last chapter of the podcast is dedicated to Kevin’s engaging idea of modeling schools after theater stages. Although the ideas are not fully ripe yet, they have a lot of potential. Please drop me or Kevin a line if you are interested in developing any of our discussion and debate into something more concrete. Also, listen to his podcast. It will challenge you too.

Show Notes:

• 00:00:00: Interview With Kevin Honeycutt

  Education Transformation Blog

• 00:00:45: Crafting The Envirnoment and Experience

  Kevin Honeycutt’s Page

• 00:07:32: Ideas for Changing Professional Development and Networks

  Podcast about Osawatomie

• 00:08:47: Kern Kelley’s Ideas
  The Tech Curve
• 00:09:47: Backchanneling

  The Ripe Environment

• 00:12:20: Learning by Doing

  Life Practice Model

• 00:15:59: The New Takeaways
• 00:18:47: The Essdack Model
  Essdack’s Website
• 00:21:31: The Theatre Model Of School

  Schools as Empty Stages Podcast

Rather than teaching other teachers how to use the tools, we need to set up the environment so that they will want to learn these tools on their own. We need to make it so it is hideously unattractive to use anything but these tools. Not out of pressure of loosing a job, but rather I want teachers to learn new things because they feel the pressure of being left behind. I want them to learn new things because they want to learn new things.

Can we create environments where the only option is connection?

Can we provide opportunities for all educators to see collaboration and continual learning as a central tenet of their work?

I am asking you. Let me know what you think of this “Caught Not Taught” idea, either by comment or at benwilkoff@gmail.com.

Show Notes:

• 00:00:00: Intro to Mike Seyfang InterviewThe Podcast Blog
• 00:01:40: G’day World as First PodcastG’day World Podcast
• 00:03:31: The Learndog FactorLearndog Web
• 00:06:08: The Deindustrialization of Education
  The Cluetrain Manifesto
• 00:09:03: The Bottoms Up MovementDepartment of Education in South Australia
• 00:10:40: Non-Profits for EducationEducation AU
• 00:12:58: Aggregating Live Bloggin at ConferencesDavid Warlick’s Hitchhikr
• 00:15:11: Teachers as Consultants
• 00:17:24: School 2.0 is Caught not TaughtPicture Credit
• 00:19:34: Reference to the first PodcastEducation Transformation #1
• 00:22:17: Framing using terms that people already knowFacebook RSS
• 00:26:02: Google Reader as blog management softwarehttp://digg.com/software/New_Google_Reader_trends

As it just so happens, even in the flattest of worlds, coincidences are still the stuff of magic. The confluence of events that I am referring to now is that I met up with a student from the Pleasantview Academy (in central Kansas) by simply going to my summer job working with kids on technology and literacy in Denver Public Housing. He just happened to be on a trip with his church to volunteer at the non-profit that I work for. It also happened that I was updating all of the computers that the kids were using, and Eric offered to help. He clearly was adept at working with computers, and I asked him where he had attained his skills. He said, “Well, I put together web pages. I’m doing the one for my school right now.”

I couldn’t pass this opportunity up, so I asked him which school he attended, and while he was playing with the kids in the park, I googled it. It is the exact same school that Kevin Honeycutt’s son goes to, a school of no more that 100 students. Clearly, this was providence. So, when he returned, I asked if he would mind being interviewed for this podcast. He not only accepted, but provided one of the most cogent examples of why authentic learning works. I think that much of his experience is aided by Kevin, but he has put in more effort toward his learning than nearly any other (almost) seventh grader I know.

He told me after the interview that in the past year he had written a proposal to get his new Macbook from his school, he had “played” with movie creation (and the proof is amazing), and was steadily learning more and more from the other kids and adults in his learning network. I did show him a few things that he wasn’t aware of like del.icio.us, jumpcut, and sPresent. Yet, with all of the skills he has amassed, I know he would have found them on his own anyway.

All I have to say is: “Look out world, here comes Eric Mullins and the Pleasantview Academy. Ignore him at your peril.”

Show Notes:

• 00:00:35: Pleasantview AcademyTheir Website
• 00:01:19: The Pleasantview Recording StudioCandid Kids Live
• 00:03:19: Essdack’s InfluenceEssdack Webpage
• 00:04:28: Learning Through Myspace
  Myspace
• 00:05:12: The F117 ProjectThe Project Webpage
• 00:09:51: The Drag and Drift ProjectDrag and Drift Webpage
• 00:10:38: Tools of a 7th GraderAIM
• 00:11:40: What is the future of education?

The one thing that I was the most surprised with in this interview is Paige’s revelation that many veteran teachers are actually easier to bring on board with School 2.0 because they have all of the classroom skills established. I was not at all expecting this to come from such a visionary because the conventional wisdom is that new teachers are the ones who will finally be able to reach the digital native students. I guess it only makes sense, however, that just as many veterans find their way to transformation because of their overwhelming need to find new ways of engaging their students, rather than spending so much time with classroom management issues like many new teachers need to do.

Below you will find the show notes for this podcast:

• 00:00:00: Introduction to EdTrans #1The EdTransBlog
• 00:00:39: Integration vs. Realization
• 00:02:05: The Partnership for 21st Century SkillsThe Partnership Websites
• 00:03:32: Redefining SchoolSpeak Up Data
• 00:05:35: Teacher Preparation 2.0
• 00:07:30: Visionary Leaders and Sea ChangesThe Cresthill LA Department Wiki
• 00:09:15: The Needs of Students Have Changed

If you have any other ideas about how to create Transformation within Teacher Education or comments about what Paige Kuni has said, please comment on this podcast or send me an e-mail at benwilkoff@gmail.com