TeachMeet Nashville 2010 Delivers (#TMN10)

Wow! I have had an incredible last two days. It will take a little while to decompress and fully reflect on all I learned, but I can definitely say that TeachMeet Nashville 2010 (#TMN10) delivered the goods.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t start out by acknowledging Jason Bedell for all the time, energy, and expense he put into TeachMeet Nashville. The man had a dream to bring TeachMeet to Tennessee, and he was unflinching in his resolve to make it a spectacular event. To say it was a successful would simply be an understatement.

Being a social guy, one of the best parts of the conference was getting to meet so many members of my PLN (Personal Learning Network) in person. I loved meeting Steven Anderson, Nancy Blair, Melissa Smith, Shannon Miller, John Carver, Deron Durflinger, Michael Zimmer, Adam Taylor, Rhonda Roysden, and of course, Jason. These folks have been learning alongside me for awhile now, but getting to meet them reaffirmed my belief that relationships are still at the core of all learning. I also added several new people to my PLN while participating in TeachMeet while reconnecting with a few old friends (Monte Tatom & Clif Mims). I’m excited about the potential further learning that will sprout from these connections.

I could write for a long time about the many nuggets I gleaned at TeachMeet, but a few lessons automatically float to the top for me.

1. As an educator (and a parent), I must be passionate, courageous, and proactive about empowering children. I was inspired by the Van Meter Community Schools‘ story. John Carver is a passionate man, and he is assembling an incredible team to lead his district in overhauling the way they school. He and Deron Durflinger are visionaries who love learning and believe in kids, and they are intentionally empowering students to take control of their own learning and pursue their own passions. They along with Shannon Miller vividly demonstrated what is possible when leaders trust students enough to give them a real voice. I know Van Meter isn’t a utopia, and I’m sure they have Mondays there too, but it seems like a place where the given is a belief in the best in people–that students and teachers are good, capable, and trustworthy. They make decisions based on those beliefs, and their people are doing some cool (cewl) things within that school climate. In talking with John, Deron, Shannon, I observed a decidedly optimistic view of people and found it contagious.

Steven Anderson, too, drove this point home in his keynote Thursday afternoon. If you haven’t viewed it, I recommend you do so. But Steven placed an exclamation point on the event by challenging us that if we have a passion for kids and for learning then it’s time we stick our necks out and do something about it! (I just couldn’t end that without the proper punctuation.)

2. Good teaching is really about good questioning. I had a great conversation with Nancy Blair about the way certain tools impact instruction. During our talk, I started mouthing off a little about certain tools being way to teacher-centric to be useful for today’s student. Nancy was nice enough to let me rant for a second before explaining ways that those tools could be effective with good questioning. The problem is that we teachers don’t always ask the best questions. I know I’m guilty on that charge. I like answers–right answers, but as I pursue my own continuous learning I’m realizing there’s more value in a well-asked question than all the good answers combined.

3. Web 2.0, specifically social media and collaboration tools, has leveled the playing field and changed the game. This lesson was threaded throughout every session. The information I received and the way I was educated are headed toward obsolescence and approaching it quickly. Therefore, we must embrace change and lead the way. Whether it’s teaching responsible digital citizenship, promoting online collaboration, or equipping kids with tools and skills and allowing them to pursue their passions, teachers must become the master learners and learning facilitators that our children need to navigate the new world. Every child can now have direct access to the best teachers, authors, scientists, mathematicians, historians, artists, musicians, etc. It’s time we embraced all the possibilities this new game allows.

Needless to say, this isn’t all I gleaned from TeachMeet Nashville, but it’s what has continued to roll around between my ears for the past 72 hours. I’m deeply indebted to Jason, Bess, Melissa, and others who made TeachMeet possible. Thank you to all the presenters who traveled from all over, and thanks to my PLN who made the backchannel so much fun and provided some additional insight. I’m already anticipating the next TeachMeet Tennessee in my hometown of Memphis. I’m picturing edu-geeks with laptops scattered among plates of ribs and BBQ. Ah, heaven!

By the way, on my way home from Nashville, I recorded a think aloud about how to share the value of a PLN. I’d appreciate any thoughts you have. I’ve linked it here, and I’d appreciate any suggestions you have.

-Philip