It’s been a long time since I’ve actually attended a conference. There, I said it. I’ve been to many and presented at many recently. However, I read so much in my own time that I find it hard to be surprised at a conference. And, recently, I have been presenting so I’ve been too fatigued to actually attend. 

This year, though, I attended. 

I wonder how many others who present actually attend. Most, like me, gain their information from their own personal learning. However, it’s beneficial to not always be the one leading – to be the one following. I’m so used to leading that I find it difficult to follow and I find it difficult to sympathize – at times – with followers. But, following is necessary at times. To be a leader, you have to be a follower.

So before I sum up my highlights and learning challenges, I challenge all those stuck in the presenter circuit to attend. To take a break from leading to be a follower. I plan to do it more this year. It was refreshing even though the content was not unique. It’s the act of following that is important. 

To kick off TCEA 2016, I went to the opening session of the STEM Academy. Keynotes and opening sessions are usually a lot of talk and no action. In fact, many sessions are. And, attendance in my own sessions is up when it is a lot of talk and little action. We, like our students, are trained to be receptacles of information. This needs to change.

Cindy Morris led the keynote with a fast-paced, high energy talk. She gave us about 20 seconds to turn to a partner to talk. Though, in a large room, this is a reluctant task. Again, we are trained receptacles. I argue that more sessions need to be structured in a maker format – more around creation. 

That said, I left with a confirmation. It was not necessarily anything new, but it was confirmation of my beliefs. 

My favorite take-aways included: 

STEM Academy Opening Session: Using technology to engage students in problem solving

• Cindy Moss – @stemboss, Cindy_moss@discovery.com
• STEM is a culture, not a class
• It’s for ALL kids
• 70% of hs graduates wouldn’t qualify with lowest level of military b/c lack problem solving skills – says it’s a matter of national security
• Every 18 seconds, some student drops out of hs
• Banks hire 90% math majors & would hire 3 times as many if they could find them
• Stemconnector.org – sign up for Stem Daily
• 768,000 new stem jobs in Texas by 2018 – must get kids ready for this
• Change the equation – sign up for this email in organization
• 75% of all jobs will be 75% stem in a few years
• Many stem jobs you can get with little to no college jobs
• Graduating with a ton of debt does no one any good
• We need to be honest with kids about the job market
• Kids aren’t afraid of STEM – teachers are, but we need to help them not be
• Don’t pass on fears of math & science to kids
• Be a STEMINIST! – Girls should have opportunity to go into STEM
• Project STEM – by Duke university
• STEM is one of few industries where women make as much as men
• DOUBLE # of girls in STEM!!!!

• Students make decision to go in math & science by 6th grade
• You can’t be what you can’t see – why Google Cardboard is so great – show kids jobs they aren’t seeing
• STEM jobs are changing – 71% of jobs that need to be filled are in STEM, million jobs open in US because we can’t fill those jobs
• Behind music services is a whole bunch of statisticians – making at least 80,000/year
• Algorithms – developing these for companies – makes a lot of $$
• We need 80 hours of high quality, ongoing PD over two years – most fields have this
• We need 160 hours of high quality, ongoing PD over three years to change culture
• 4Cs – we need to teach these!!
• STEMformation Continuation – standards!
• We need these under a transdiscplinary theme – we don’t say we’re doing 2 hours of literacy, 2 hours of math, etc.
• FAIL – first attempt in learning
• Angry Birds creator – took 10,000 tries to get it!
• Reading like a scientist
• Give kids problems to solve & make them figure it out
• STEMtastic Staturday – play being a Stem person
• discoveryeducation.com/STEM – a whole lot of free resources – STEM Camp
• The more diverse the people solving the problem, the more robust the solution

The Making of a Makerspace

• Jason Harron – @jrharmon – jasonharron@utexas.edu
• Maker movement started around 20016 – with idea that we are all makers
• White House supports
• Bill passed by colleges & school educators calling for need in K-12 education
• 1200+ hacker/makerspaces around US
• The 4Cs are what we want- these are the qualities we want in all professions
• Tortillas/Cookies under laser printer to engrave thigns
• Montessori schools – hands on –
• Constructionism – different than constructivism – final product you can see, hear, touch – and learning is physical in world
• New UT building has 10,000 sq. ft. of maker spaces available
• ATX hackerspace – has full car lift
• TechShop
• Agencybydesign.org – design thinking principal – broke it down into four steps – maybe use this for maker class
• FabLearn conference – held Oct. 14-16 – need to attend! – buff.ly/1RGcyZI
• SX Create – Mar. 11-13 – Maker aspect of SXSWedu – don’t need SXSW wrist band & it’s free!!! At Palmer Events Center
• Go beyond banana piano
• Use Arduino to code teddy bears
• Drimmel tools – more child-safe, Skill also has tools for lighter materials with guards

Leading Innovative Change

• George Couros – @gcouros
• Innovation – invention or iteration – something totally new or a reiteration of something existing
• We expect innovation in everything outside of what we work in
• What innovation is and isn’t
• What is it actually changing vs. changing for changes sake
• Taking out candy of vending machines & replacing it with good stuff is not innovation
• Saying that kids will figure it out is not always right – not all are proficient so – do need an adult guidance and the longer you wait the more afraid you’ll get – “the suspense at the top is what freaks you out”
• Don’t fit people into job titles – find great people & give them titles
• Competitive collaboration
• We’re missing notion of competition – no one wants to be the weakest, but someone always is
• We push each other to get better, though
• We don’t want “mind your own business learning.” We want to ask – what is tech allowing us to do that we couldn’t do before – we must collaborate
• 5 elements of leadership
• Strength-based leadership
• Best people to teach this are these passionate educators – and have them go to places they love
• Powerful learning first, technology second
• Business vs. Education – don’t base what we use vs. what makes sense for business. For instance, don’t use Office 365 just because the IT dept. feels comfortable with it
• Ask – what is best for kids, how does this improve learning, if we were to do —-, what is the balance of risk vs. reward, is this serving the few or the majority.
• Power is about what you can control, freedom is about what you can unleash – our jobs as teachers is to get others to unleash
• Creating meaningful learning
• Teachers should be responsible for their own learning now
• To innovate, disrupt your routine
• How do yo move people from their point a to their point b
• How do you disrupt the routine of other
• Stop giving meanings with handouts – if they say they have to use paper, show them how to print
• Less is more – paradox of choice – TED talk to walk – a lot of people can’t make choices
• Literate – adaptive – trans-formative
• Focus on just a few and know them inside out
• Move to meaningful creation
• Embrace an open culture
• When kids leave school, they should be well-Googled – you need to develop your Google footprint
• We live in a world where everyone can have a voice – but how are we using it
• We are data-driven – but need to think about – what are we really good at and why
• I think, I question, I design, I create, I struggle, I collaborate, I try, I solve, I invent, I reflect, I LEARN
• You can’t ignore change-makers – they push human race forward. The crazy ones…

Final Recommendations:

• Registration is a challenge. You can purchase premium, basic, or exhibit only. Basic entitles you to sessions labeled as basic. You cannot get into any of the full-day academies. You also function on a first-come, first-serve basis, so you may be spending a lot of your time sitting on the floor, waiting in line. If you purchase premium, you can get into a lot of sessions. However, you are put into a pool and it’s also first come, first serve. This year, I went online immediately at the time that sessions opened up for registration, but due to technical difficulties on the conference’s website, I was unable to get into 80% of the sessions I wanted to attend. 
• Badges – way too expensive. This year, I presented a total of 6 times. I am happy presenting. However, it also means that I spend a lot of time rushing, and not a lot of time getting to attend sessions. Since presenters cannot attend as many sessions, there needs to be a discounted or free fare. In my hurry of presenting 5 times in one day, I lost my badge. I discovered that it would be $10 to replace it. Unfortunately, you have to have it in order to get into sessions. My suggestion – make it electronic. Send the badge code to phones so they can be scanned. This will save paper, hassle, and increase conference satisfaction.
• I love having so many presenters, but it can also be overwhelming and not all are created equal. I would love to have sessions more easily divided into tracts. 
• Less overlapping of academies. I presented in the Google Academy, but it was at the same time as the STEM academy so I could not attend many sessions. Perhaps one academy a day would help eliminate this.
• Keep on, keeping on. I love seeing the excitement in educators’ eyes the first time they attend TCEA. They are blown away with ideas. But, support for those ideas is critical. Perhaps a follow-through on workshops would help – plus, it would boost the conference’s image.