Up, Up and Away!

In his 1883 book “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” Friedrich Nietzsche identified the “Übermensch” – translated contemporarily as “superman” – who could transcend the constrictive Victorian Age and the less-than-human Industrial Revolution through an ability to be flexible and adaptive to the challenges of human existence. While Nietzsche paints this picture with broad historical strokes, “Übermensch” resonated with the promise of the impending twentieth century.

More than a century later, Nietzsche’s “Übermensch” is being invoked in making the case for education reform. But does what spoke to Nietzsche 100+ years ago serve us well today? Here’s why I believe referencing “Superman” in 2010 is inappropriate:

- The Industrial Age is over. Much like Dickensian descriptions of filthy cities and Sinclairian accountings of unhealthy factories, the “Übermensch” concept belongs to another era.

- This is the Information Age, and our greatest self-imposed constraint is holding onto an Industrial-Aged view of the world. In doing so, we limit ourselves in reaching our twenty-first century potential, much like the Victorians to whom Nietzsche reacted a century ago.

- The very notion of reforming education (or anything for that matter) is constrictive and outdated. This is an era of transformation – of complete change in fundamental structures.

- In the Information Age imagination and creativity are unbound by the limitations of physical reality.

- Twenty-first century cyber-citizens aren’t waiting for anything, let alone a super-human rescue. They are writing their own stories, making their own connections, and creating new relationships and understandings that enrich existence.

The twenty-first century is not the age of superman, but of everyman…..it’s not about loosening our bonds on earth but pushing the limits of cyberspace. It is a journey we are currently making, so it is difficult to gauge our progress and success. Still, if everyone joined us on the journey, it would feel much more inclusive and much less contentious. Educators: don’t allow anyone to stand on the ground as you make that running leap into cyberspace. Grab them under your arm and take them with you. No one is going to stand by and idly criticize once the see the view from up here. Up….up….and away!

Thanks for a great Symposium!

Enjoy the archive of sessions at http://crste.org/globalsymposium2010.html an be looking for future announcements on upcoming CRSTE initiatives. We couldn't have done it without you!

CRSTE Next Steps Presentation 5 PM EDT Today

Today at 5 PM, come view the presentation on CRSTE next steps at http://goo.gl/CoBv

Unfortunately, Jeff Horwitz's "Global Collaborations in an Elementary Classroom" has been cancelled, and it gives us an excellent opportunity to announce what lies ahead!

Please join us!

What kind of Presenters does CRSTE look for?

Earlier this week a first-time presenter nervously shared that she was not a guru or expert just before she began her presentation. Mu response? "The world has enough gurus and experts! We are looking for leader-practitioners!"

In fact, this morning t 11, Sophie Idromenos is another such presenter. An active participant at the CyberConference and an avid attendee here a the Symposium, she approached CRSTE about the possibility of presenting. Needless to say, she is exactly what we are looking for: committed educator leader-practitioners looking to make a difference.

CRSTE is not in existence to promote the status quo. We are looking to push the envelope on thinking about education now and in the future. Yes we include headliners and altruistic vendors who wish to participate, but we live to celebrate leader-practitioners! Thank you to Sophie and all of our presenters this week for your contributions to making the 2010 Global Symposium a success!

Come join us for the final day Sunday!

There's lots to experience....lots to learn....lots to share! Be a part of it today!

Sunday October 24, 2010 at the CRSTE Global Symposium

Here is our line-up for the final day of the Global Symposium - what a day it will be - please join us!

Asynchronous Sessions!

21st Century - A New Dawn - Harry Tetteh http://harrykt.blogspot.com
Harry has posted a fabulous blog entry on the challenges of transforming education in Ghana, and it’s startlingly similar to the challenges you face in your classrooms.

How to Lead as an Agent of Change: 21st Century Skills in Motion - Christina Parsons Bentheim http://k12agentsofchange.pbworks.com/
Christina has setup a fabulous environment of resources and discussion examining the challenges and opportunities for leadership in education today.

CRSTE Teacher Tools Wiki - Allison Kipta http://crstetools.wikispaces.com
Allison offers the chance to try new tech tools in a safe, supportive environment where you learn and share what you learn with Symposium colleagues.

Live Sessions!

10:00 AM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
ACTA: Implications for Online Collaboration - Chris McKenzie
ACTA has several features that raise significant potential concerns for innovation and the free flow of information on the Internet. Learn more about what ACTA may mean for online collaboration and information sharing!

11:00 AM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
Bringing Together the World of Unlimited Possibilities - Sophie Idromenos
Engage your students by allowing them to create games and more using the free cross platform application called Scratch Including the design of educational games.

1:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
KEYNOTE: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology - Karen Cator
Participants will become familiar with the U.S. national education technology plan and the recommendations and actions articulated in the implementation strategy.

3:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
Fabrication Systems: Engaging Elementary & Middle School Students in Meaningful, Creative Construction - Willy Kjellstrom and Erika Carson
The purpose of this session is to introduce an emergent technology, fabrication systems, in the context of existing science, technology, and mathematics curricula.

5:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
CRSTE Next Steps
Come learn what CRSTE has in store for you over the next six months!
This session will be recorded for those who cannot attend live.

7:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
Global Collaboration: Flattening Classrooms - Julie Lindsay
Join Julie Lindsay of Beijing International School as she shares Flat Classroom pedagogy, including simple steps to get started and opportunities to connect globally.

9:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
Using Tablet PCs to Revolutionize the Classroom - Robert Baker
This session will share the ways Tablet PCs provide paradigm-shifting freedom and flexibility to focus on student learning at the Cincinnati Country Day School.


Want to attend a session? Just go to http://goo.gl/CoBv at the start of the session and login using your first and last name!

Questions? Comments? Email us at pd@crste.org

Stop at http://crste.org/globalsymposium2010.html daily for announcements, updates and archived sessions!

Live tweets during sessions at http://twitter.com/crstechirps

Saturday October 23, 2010 at the CRSTE Global Symposium

Here is our line-up for Saturday at the Global Symposium - what a day it will be - please join us!

Asynchronous Sessions!

21st Century - A New Dawn - Harry Tetteh http://harrykt.blogspot.com
Harry has posted a fabulous blog entry on the challenges of transforming education in Ghana, and it’s startlingly similar to the challenges you face in your classrooms.

How to Lead as an Agent of Change: 21st Century Skills in Motion - Christina Parsons Bentheim http://k12agentsofchange.pbworks.com/
Christina has setup a fabulous environment of resources and discussion examining the challenges and opportunities for leadership in education today.

CRSTE Teacher Tools Wiki - Allison Kipta http://crstetools.wikispaces.com
Allison offers the chance to try new tech tools in a safe, supportive environment where you learn and share what you learn with Symposium colleagues.

Live Sessions!

11:00 AM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
Modeling Leadership: Walking the Walk - Chris O'Neal
Explore examples of modeling by leadership, using several popular Web 2.0 tools in such a way that makes sense for administrative tasks, yet models appropriate instructional use.

1:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
Integrating Technology for Active Life-long Learning (IT4ALL) - Dr. Nellie Deutsch and Dr. Ludmila Smirnova
In this presentation, the authors will share how they collaboratively established a community of online learners at Integrating Technology For Active Life Long Learning.

3:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
Using Web Conferencing to Enrich Learning and Connect Globally - Kim Caise
Join well-known online educator Kim Caise as she shares strategies to integrate web conferencing into instruction and connect with other classrooms globally.

5:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
CRSTE Symposium Chat
Come join us for an informal discussion about the Symposium, CRSTE and next steps in promoting 21st century education. It's a unique opportunity to participate in a live exchange.

7:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
Infusing Technology into 8th Grade Science - Doretha Grier (Doretha is a CRSTE Kathy Schrock Digital Pioneer)
The online session is designed to give teachers a view of how educators create and use blogs and Google Docs to engage middle school science students in a 8th grade earth science classroom.

9:00 PM EDT at http://goo.gl/CoBv
KEYNOTE: Thinking of Schools as Self-Organizing Systems and ICT as Drivers of Change - Mark Weston
In this thought provoking session, we will explore an action plan for ending techno-critique and increasing the impact of technology on teaching, learning, and student achievement.


Want to attend a session? Just go to http://goo.gl/CoBv at the start of the session and login using your first and last name!

Questions? Comments? Email us at pd@crste.org

Stop at http://crste.org/globalsymposium2010.html daily for announcements, updates and archived sessions!

Live tweets during sessions at http://twitter.com/crstechirps

Andre Costa de Sousa of Mashon Announces Fundraising Initiative for Schools at his Symposium Session!

At Andre Costa de Sousa's presentation this evening he announced the rollout of a new MashOn fundraising tool for schools and education-related organizations that will go live in Spring 2011! This new program will set up an official school online store and supply the ecommerce backend and merchandising overhead with no up front cost to schools. School supplies, story books, greeting cards, hats, t-shirts, sports memorabilia, technology device skins, you name it - if you can imagine it MashOn can have it created and sold for you. Schools receive a portion of each sale - with no up front costs this means pure profit - the more volume schools can create for sales the more profit they earn!

This is the preliminary public announcement made for this initiative. If you are interested in exploring the possibilities for your education organization, please contact Andre directly at andre@mashon.com or (310) 943-8606.

This is a philanthropic initiative to support schools. You will not receive any pressure or sales pitch in contacting Andre or his staff, and CRSTE is receiving no compensation for promoting this initiative. We are all about making things happen for schools!

You can watch the full presentation of Andre's Symposium Session at http://crste.org/globalsymposium2010.html.

CRSTE Symposium Chat Tomorrow 5 PM

The 5:00 PM session for Saturday, October 23 has been cancelled, and in its place we will hold a CRSTE Symposium chat.

Come join us for an informal discussion about the Symposium, CRSTE and next steps in promoting 21st century education. It's a unique opportunity to participate in a live exchange without the constraints of a formal presentation.

We will begin promptly at 5:00 PM US EDT on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at http://bit.ly/9OgFdD

Please join us!