This was my first EduCon experience and also my first observation of a 1×1 laptop school – and of a charter school within a public school system. It was easy to see the connection between the students’ ownership of learning and their supportive, technology-enhanced learning environment. (Although I didn’t see much interactive use of the SmartBoards;)

So, yes, I left with thoughts of how to “imitate” the SLA model in my own district…but also with concerns about how to build on the charter school movement without sucking dry our “regular” public schools.
Gail Desler´s last blog ..Reading by Numbers – One last AR rant

That said, I think it’s also wonderful to be able to simply enjoy the energy and specialness of the school. Simply seeing joyful learners, caring teachers in very dense, close quarters is very cool. I’ll do my share of analyzing and constructing but celebrating the successes of others, just like you’d do the same for your friends children, it’s good to do.

I thoroughly enjoyed my few hours on Thursday before the other attendees arrived. I count that as a real treat.

I think you both nailed it with your statements about WORKING TOGETHER, INTENTIONALITY, and VISION. SLA is indeed a unique school, and I”m blessed to have had so many different levels of exposure to the faculty and their work. We’ve had so many of our teachers here exposed to the good work there, but are they coming back here and doing “SLA’s” work? No. Why? Just as you noted the context is different in many ways, not the least of which is a K-12 independent school that has been around for 85 years in a very traditional college-prep culture.

SLA and the experience of EduCon (which is not just about SLA–think about the variety of conversations and facilitators) is about being able to be with people whose infectious spirit, fabulous vision, unity of purpose and work ethic, and downright just “good peopledness” are shared so generously. It feels like the kind of “good home” I’d want to be a part of, and hopefully that I am working alongside others here to create, in partnership with our parents…and our students. At the end of the day, the question we attendees should each ask ourselves is what kind of “good home” are we creating in each of our contexts for those who live there?

Thanks, Bud. Thanks, Chris. And, thanks to those who will attend this weekend.
Laura Deisley´s last blog ..Teaching through Technology: Frivolous or Fundamental

The whole purpose for the conference is to come together around ideas. And yes, there are some guiding principles that move the conference, and they are principles that inform SLA as well, but very deliberately, the conference isn’t about SLA. It’s about this whole community that exists around inquiry-driven modern (is that a better word than 21st Century, I dunno) learning.

I never quite know what to do when people talk about replicating SLA. There are so many ways I could imagine we could have done things differently… and I love finding places that share some guiding ideas as ours but have implemented them SO differently.

The point of inquiry-driven, project-based learning is that one-size doesn’t fit all kids. It’s true for schools too. What makes SLA work is that a group of teachers and students and parents came together around a vision and made — and continue to make — that vision real every day. The school evolves because of the people who care deeply about what goes on there. Every community should have the chance to figure out what they care about and to build schools that reflect and enhance their vision.
Chris Lehmann´s last blog ..Educon 2.2 – Looking Forward and Looking Back