Sunday, August 7, 2016

2016 Global MindED Conference

After receiving a scholarship for registration and a grant from the Micron Foundation to fund the travel, I attended the Global MindED Conference for the first time.  This conference was unique in that attendees included high school students, K-12 educators, higher education, and businesses.  Topic tracks included K-12, STEM, Health, Higher Education, Global Work Skills, Students, Technology, and Policy.

During the two day conference, I had big picture and classroom level takeaways.

Big Picture:

  • There is no STEM pipeline, but rather individual STEM castles with moats around each.
  • Education should help bring out students' innate strengths.
  • Today's students are more risk averse.
  • Host a school-wide Innovation Week.
  • Use 6 Good Life Habitats for the school's character traits.
  • No one is exempt from having a brilliant mind.
  • Grit/gumption - resilience, perseverance, determination, resourcefulness
  • Grow other students and teachers.
  • How do you define educational excellence?
    • Capacities to be independent
  • Value the diversity of students
    • Different talents (human potential)
    • Different motivations (where does the passion come from)
    • Different opportunities
  • Do you provide different opportunities, spend time nurturing, teach or coach?
  • We need the different passions in our communities.
  • Find a way to help students see themselves in STEM careers and doing it.


Classroom Level:

  • Consider long-term projects across grade levels.
  • Kerbal Space Program and Learning Blade are good ways to integrate gaming and learning.
  • Capacities to build in students - communication, teaming, and collaboration.
  • Implement dense instructional units
    • standards
    • technology
    • problem-based learning (Buck Institute for resources)
  • Assess novelty/creativity, efficiency, and accuracy of engineered solutions, not just whether or not it works.
  • Have expert guest speakers as hook at the beginning of projects or as resources throughout the project (virtually or in-person).
  • How do I come across to my students?
  • Be a self advocate.
  • Take risks as a professional.


2017 Global MindED Conference - June 22-23
Scholarship applications for educators
http://www.globalminded.org/

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