Adapting to Change, Loss, and Possibilities: Virtual Collaborative Learning (and Doing) With ShapingEDU

Suzanne Lipsett, a writer I very much admired, insisted at the beginning of Surviving a Writer’s Life that what we do with our experiences—i.e., write about them—is as important as having those experiences in the first place.

Living and then sharing our lived experiences through storytelling is at the heart of the communities I most adore. I see it in my continuing interactions with colleagues in the #etmooc and #lrnchat communities. I consistently look forward to it within the context of the biweekly gatherings of Maurice Coleman’s T is for Training podcast community. It’s what keeps me connected to Jonathan Nalder’s FutureWe community. And it is an idea that resurfaced for me earlier this week—and, of course made me immediately want to write about it—when members of one of those communities (ShapingEDU) released a free online “Toolkit for Producing Collaborative Events to Shape the Future,” the third in a continuing series of online publications that celebrate what we accomplish together by documenting those successes.

Formally (and playfully) titled ASU [Arizona State University] ShapingED-YOU!, the ASU ShapingEDU toolkit follows the pattern employed in the earlier online resources: Stakeholder Inclusion Framework, an online inclusivity and access resource jointly produced with the Penn State CoAction Learning Lab to help those involved in the technology planning process, and a second ShapingEDU/CoAction Learning Lab collaborative resource, Building Effective Communities of Practice, which included contributions from more than 20 co-authors drawn from the ShapingEDU community and working together—often asynchronously—online. The publications, like the community itself, are dynamic examples of the commitment to playfulness and collaboration that runs through and nourishes this community of “dreamers, doers, and drivers shaping the future of learning in the Digital Age.”

More importantly, the publications and the ongoing work produced through ShapingEDU are tremendous, positive examples of how some communities entered this social-distancing/sheltering-in-place/pandemic-plagued world creatively and positively and continue to thrive in spite of the tremendous challenges and tragedies we face every day. Thriving because of the commitment to positive action. To creativity. To playfulness. To collaboration. And to looking forward to creating a new and better future without ignoring a far-from-perfect past and present.

A glance at the table of contents for ASU ShapingED-YOU! sets the tenor for what awaits you. The publication begins with an introduction to this “value-led,” “action-oriented,” “community-driven” community’s work, and then focuses on two of the community’s most engaging, productive gatherings: the annual “unconference” which began as a yearly face-to-face working session to dream and drive and do before switching, in the middle of the 2020 unconference, to an online working session/virtual conference, and the newly-established online Learning(Hu)Man weeklong campy summer camp for teacher-trainer-learners exploring concrete possibilities for shaping the future of learning.

And that’s where the entire endeavor becomes tremendously, wonderfully, twistingly “meta” in the sense that the events themselves become examples of how creative blended communities can and are thriving as much because of the challenges they face as because of their commitment to exploring and addressing those challenges. Using both events as case studies, the writers of the toolkit begin with four “top tips”: “Identify your North Stars” in terms of what those guiding stars are for your event; “Foster Interaction” by creating “spaces and mechanisms for community members to connect”—connections are the center of the ShapingEDU universe; “Set Everyone up for Success” by setting expectations and making every possible effort to “empower the community with resources, templates, support systems and clear instructions”; and “Tell Your Story…though focused emails, social media, and multimedia” along with graphic facilitation as “a co-creation tool.”

The case study centered around the unconferences takes us engagingly through the process of setting the stage through interactive exercises before the events even begin: community members submitting questions/suggestions, community members being invited to serve as event participants/designers/facilitators—and much more. The importance of fostering high levels of face-to-face and/or online interactions that are meaningful to participants and conducive to achieving the concrete goals the gatherings are designed to pursue. And the need to end the gatherings with a significant, community-developed catalyzing action (e.g., a communique that serves as a roadmap for continuing collaboration) that offers everyone a clear view of how the event fits into the community’s long-term, results-oriented work.

Moving into the theme of “community camp” as a way to energize changemakers and catalyze action, the Learning(Hu)Man virtual summer camp becomes another inspiring story for any teacher-trainer-learner seeking ways to creatively foster productive, positive learning experiences within the learning communities we serve. The combination of tips, photos, screenshots, and descriptions provides a concise roadmap that can easily be adapted for use by a variety of educator-trainer-learning activists.

And, in the spirt of collaboration and resource-sharing that is at the heart of this publication, it concludes with an invitation to contact ShapingEDU community members for further information and opportunities for collaboration—which is, when you think about it, the greatest gift of all to anyone struggling to survive and thrive in a rapidly-changing topsy-turvy pandemic-driven world.

–N.B.: 1) This is the twenty-second in a series of reflections inspired by coronavirus/ shelter-in-place experiences. 2) Paul is serving as one of three Storytellers in Residence for ShapingEDU (July 2020-June 2021), which includes producing articles for the ShapingEDU blog.

Changing the World With Maurice Coleman (Part 2 of 2)

This is the second part of a two-part interview conducted with Maurice Coleman, Creator/Executive Producer/Host for the long-running T is for Training biweekly podcast, for my book Change the World Using Social Media (Rowman & Littlefield; to be published in 2019). The interview was conducted online using a shared Google Doc, and has been lightly edited.

 

Maurice Coleman, ALA 2018 Annual Conference

You clearly have strong, positive thoughts about the state of training-teaching-learning-doing in libraries. How does your continual fostering of the community of learning at the heart of T is for Training pay off for you and those you serve in your own library, community, and larger community of learning that extends through the American Library Association, Library Information & Technology Association division, and other parts of your learning environment?

Because of the show and conversations related to it, I am better at my job than I would be without it. The show is my training, continuing education, and master class. I know more about various aspects of my profession than sometimes I want to remember that I know. Also, I can bounce new ideas or steal great ones from the folks who appear on the show. In fact, just today, someone was looking at my office door where I have the “future literacies” graphic [from Jonathan Nalder’s FutureWe project] affixed and thought it an interesting concept. I would have been able to sort of explain the concept about various skills needed in the future, but just the graphic and conversation with our friend in Australia [Nalder] was insightful and incredible and that would not have happened without the T is for Training network in general and Paul Signorelli in particular.

What a wonderful expression of the global nature of the community you’ve fostered through T is for Training—and how the collaborative nature of that community connects a project like Jonathan’s with what you are doing here in the United States.

Let’s shift gears and go under the hood a bit for the benefit of those who don’t know how to start. What led to your decision to use TalkShoe as the platform for the podcast?

Because the show that inspired T is for Training, Uncontrolled Vocabulary, used it and it allowed folks to participate without using a computer—with just a phone call. Now is it way easier to participate on the show in front of a computer? Yes—but I have had folks just call from their car and still be able to actively participate in the show, which is a bonus. Also, it does all of the recording generating work and all of the work sending it to iTunes in the background, so I don’t have to worry about it. At this point, I am too lazy to move, unless there was—knock wood—some catastrophe at TalkShoe—then I would be hosed. I should probably download all the episodes……Hmm….[editor’s note: the hypothetical catastrophe actually occurred shortly after this interview was completed in spring 2018; T is for Training episodes recorded before 2015 disappeared from the TalkShoe server.]

Yes, please; was just going to ask about your current back-up for the archives, but already see the answer.

On a related topic (in terms of setting up): what would you recommend in terms of equipment and setting for the recordings of a podcast?

I record live episodes via a phone connection, so if you can, use a headset. It is way more comfortable than holding a phone up to your head for an hour. That goes even for a non-cell call.  Try to find someplace with few disturbances to set up to start the show. If you use TalkShoe or some other similar service, you may or may not have an open chat to monitor, and will need to have a computer set up to do so.

If you are recording the podcast, then editing the podcast, then putting it somewhere for folks to find, you can do it for not-too-much money. Even basic smart phones can record and create a sound file you can upload somewhere for someone to find it.

When I do that method of recording for future use, I use a computer with Audacity to capture and edit the sound recording, and use a microphone, by the Blue corporation, called a Snowball. You can also use the Blue Yeti. They are both good microphones for around 100 or so dollars and plug directly into your computer to create your recording. I know other podcasters use Apple-based products to record and edit their podcasts. I encourage you out there to ask your favorite podcaster, “Hey, what do you use to record your show?” and they can tell you their set-up.

Any other advice for anyone considering the use of podcasting to help foster positive social change?

Be honest, real. Start small and start with what you have—most importantly, your good friends and colleagues. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and hang on for the ride.

N.B. — Paul is currently writing Change the World Using Social Media, scheduled for publication by Rowman & Littlefield in 2020. This is the seventeenth in a continuing series of excerpts from and interviews for the manuscript in progress.

EntreEd Forum 2018: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Workforce Today (Pt. 1 of 3)

Anyone arriving here in Pittsburgh with the mistaken impression that the pejorative term Rust Belt remains an appropriate description (as I did yesterday) is quickly going to receive a much-needed, extremely positive update—particularly after attending the first day of the 2018 EntreEd Forum. And we’re likely to be spreading the word to teacher-trainer-learners everywhere that Pittsburgh and EntreEd (the National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education), an organization dedicated to “providing [entrepreneurship] advocacy, leadership, networking, technical assistance, and resources nationally for students and teachers,” are well worth emulating as we seek innovative learning models preparing our youngest learners for the quickly evolving work environments they will soon be occupying.

Fresh off a flight from San Francisco late yesterday afternoon, I was with EntreEd colleagues for a reception in Pittsburgh’s architecturally rich urban landscape for initial conversations about how teachers, learners, and representatives of a variety of organizations are collaborating to address concerns similar to what I’ve seen Jonathan Nalder and others from FutureWe address—including the overarching challenge of helping students develop the skills they will need for the next decade or two to thrive in an environment where nearly half the jobs currently existing may disappear. One answer, integral to the work EntreEd and Forum attendees are doing, is to recognize the growing importance of entrepreneurship  and to help learners develop entrepreneurial skills early and throughout their years in school.

Sublimation Creations students showing their wares to Forum keynote speaker Gregg Berr

The efforts and results are encouraging. Dozens of Pennsylvania students were onsite this morning to participate in a student entrepreneurship showcase—an opportunity for them to show Forum participants what they are doing through entrepreneurship-based curriculum in school and library makerspaces and fab labs (fabrication laboratories). The Productive Panthers from the Austin Area School District, for example, were discussing, displaying, and selling scented soy wax melts they designed and produced with school equipment including 3D printers in the school library. Students from the Bellwood-Antis School District displayed products they produced through their school-based Sublimation Creations business.

Talking with them and students involved in several other wonderful entrepreneurial endeavors shows a depth and level of sophistication that those long out of school may not even suspect exists. Ranging in age from elementary school to high-school level, they eloquently—and enthusiastically—described how the embedding of entrepreneurial education and project-based learning is preparing them to thrive in the workforces they expect to enter. They acknowledged the importance of learning how to start a business; design, create, fabricate, and market products; and develop the communication skills needed to sell those products—skills clearly and impressively on display as teachers from throughout the Appalachian region became those students’ customers during the showcase.

Collaboration was a theme—if not the theme—never far from the surface during  the showcase; a  keynote address on entrepreneurship in learning by Gregg Behr, executive director of The Grable Foundation and co-chair of the Remake Learning Council; and during afternoon EntreCamp sessions designed to provide opportunities for Forum participants to share success stories and resources with their peers so those stories could be adapted and implemented back at home within their own communities. Collaboration was clearly a factor in the success of the Productive Panthers and Sublimation Creations efforts since both benefitted from support from the San Diego-based Real World Scholars program.  Collaboration between Real World Scholars and The Grable Foundation was also obvious to anyone who noticed, on the Real World Scholars website, that the Foundation is one of RWS’s sponsors. And the obvious collaboration between the students and their teachers remains a very encouraging example of what is right in today’s world of education—as opposed to the often-justified complaints so often voiced by those concerned by the disconnect that exists between school and work.

Behr’s engaging keynote address was filled with examples of the spirit of collaboration. Pittsburgh, he told audience members, is gaining a reputation as Kidsburgh for being a great place to be a kid and to raise kids. Remake Learning is helping “ignite engaging, relevant, and equitable learning practices in support of young people navigating rapid social and technological change” (a description I pulled from Remake Learning’s website while Behr was describing the organization’s work). Elizabeth Forward High School’s FABLab was another example he cited of first-rate education in action—an assertion supported by the work of FABLab students who participated in the showcase. And his mention of The Labs at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, supported by Remake Learning, sent me to the library’s website to see the introductory comment: “Teens learn best when their learning is connected to their passions, desires and curiosities.”

“The entrepreneurial mindset needs to be cultivated…it’s not a one-and-done endeavor,” one EntreCamp colleague said as the first day of the Forum was drawing to a close.

It’s inspiring to be here with so many first-rate educators committed to fostering that mindset—and important that we remember that each of us has a role to play in cultivating that mindset, among the learners we serve, to the benefit of the communities in which we work, live, and play.

N.B. — This is the first of three posts inspired by attendance at the 2018 EntreEd Forum near Pittsburgh. Next: EveryLibrary, Entrepreneurship, and Makerspaces