Lessons Learned: Singapore Polytechnic YCISL 2011

“This is just the beginning.” This is how I started the first meeting in the Stanford classroom for the group of YCISL students from Singapore Polytechnic. It was the beginning of their Stanford experience, of course, but it was also the beginning of the CSDGC YCISL program and they were a part of it. That point of time was also the beginning of their journey towards a greater appreciation of their creativity and potential for leadership through realizing innovation projects. This journey would continue, I insisted, past the workshop end through maintaining contact and actively expanding the network of YCISL alumni for future idea exchange and discussion.

Here are some of the LARGE lessons learned (for me) from this recent workshop program (June 12-25, date of arrival to date of departure):

(1) Conversation is a primary objective.

(2) Buried with creativity may also be personal ambition. Look for it.

(3) Sometimes, you let the moment speak to them.

Learning with Apple: Challenge Based Learning

http://edseminars.apple.com/event/3145/163631

Tuesday, November 30 2010 10:00AM to 11:30AMAdd to iCal

During this online session you will learn about Challenge Based Learning, an engaging multidisciplinary approach to teaching and learning that encourages students to leverage the technology they use in their daily lives to solve real-world problems.

Challenge Based Learning is collaborative and hands-on, asking students to work with other students, their teachers, and experts in their communities and around the world to develop deeper knowledge of the subjects students are studying, accept and solve challenges, take action, reflect on their impact, share the experience, and enter into a global discussion about important issues. During this online session you will learn about Challenge Based Learning, and hear from practitioners who have successfully implemented Challenge Based Learning.

This event is intended for both K12 and HiED faculty, site or department level administrators, curriculum directors, deans, department chairs, curriculum and instructional technology departments, and faculty and staff from career and technical education programs.

2010 Intel ISEF

Spent two days this week as a Grand Awards Judge in the Environmental Sciences area of the Intel ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) that was in San Jose, CA this year. It was my first Intel ISEF experience. The main theme of this event is “innovation”, and the finalist students and projects represented the current best. I am most impressed by the broad representation. However, I am left feeling that there is a lack of tools to assist the students to focus their energy and maximize the potential of their creativity. From problem definition to experimental design to data analysis and interpretation, and to managing the project, the students need clear guidance in these areas to help them focus their independent creative and critical thinking. For an event such as Intel ISEF, I believe an age-appropriate definition of “innovation” is also needed. Innovation for these students should be based on the elements (knowledge, tools)  in their “sandbox” and be a personal statement to their peers.

21st Annual National Service-Learning Conference

From browsing the Sir Ken Robinson web site, I came across a link to the National Service-Learning Conference, an event organized by the National Youth Leadership Council. The next session will be on March 24-27, 2010 in San Jose, California. The program guide lists, among other things, Ken Robinson as one of the keynote speakers, and several environmentally-themed events.