Trends, Tools and Tactics for 21st Century Learning (keynote by Kevin Honeycutt)

By Wesley Fryer On June 12, 2008 · · 3 Comments

These are my notes from the keynote address by Kevin Honeycutt, titled “Trends, Tools and Tactics for 21st Century Learning” on June 12, 2008, in Wichita, Kansas, at the summer educational technology conference sponsored by ESSDACK (Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas.) MY OWN THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ARE IN ALL CAPS. KEVIN IS LETTING ME AUDIO RECORD THIS SESSION AND I WILL POST LATER AS A PODCAST HERE. KEVIN IS A PHENOMENAL TEACHER, AN ARTIST, AN AMAZINGLY SKILLED STORYTELLER, AND AN INSPIRATIONAL SCHOOL CHANGE LEADER. WOW. WHAT A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO HEAR HIM SPEAK AND SHARE HIS MESSAGE WITH TEACHERS HERE IN CENTRAL KANSAS! KEVIN’S WEBSITE IS: kevinhoneycutt.org

Mike Cook’s advance comments:

Goal is to leave the conference with at least 1 thing that is going to improve learning for your kids
– if you can also leave with ideas to lighten the load on your teachers, that is great too
– focus on improving learning is our key focus

THEY ARE USING A VERY CLEVER IDEA FOR PRIZES, EACH PARTICIPANT HAS A BAGGIE OF BASEBALL PLAYING CARDS (BASEBALL IS THE CONFERENCE THEME: “THE FUTURE AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE” – YOGI BERRA) AND EACH ONE HAS AN ESSDACK STAFF MEMBER ON IT. AFTER EACH PRESENTATION SESSION YOU GET 2 NEW CARDS. THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THE COMPLETE “TEAM” FROM ESSDACK BY THE END OF THE CONFERENCE. GOOD IDEA, AND GREAT TO HAVE THE VISUAL “PLAYING CARDS” TO GET TO KNOW ESSDCACK STAFF MEMBERS AND THEIR ROLES.

Kevin’s keynote address:

I collect antiques and love old stuff, but I also like new stuff
– I love my iPhone, it challenged my marriage
– the book is an information conveyance like the iPhone, they do the same thing but differently
– picture of a book with an iPhone

Theme by Yogi Berra: “The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be”
– the brain learns in stories

How do you want to spend your heart beats? – Wesley Fryer (ACTUALLY CREDIT FOR THIS GOES TO WILLIAM (BILL) CASEBEER AND WILLIAM H. RHODES)

We learn through stories

We don’t choose our family, it chooses us
– looking for goodwill, school clothes shopping
– story of going into the Goodwill box through the slot
– people judge you on what you look like, and that is not fair
– story

This whole business of school is about relationships: connecting with kids and making them superstars

I grew up in a mobile home
– mobile homes are finger food for tornadoes

our dreams are based on our experiences
– trailer with skirting
–

HOw are you going to win me?
– the relationship is key

Want to find the best teacher in a building?
– often the one who is in trouble
– the one who is not afraid to get snot on them

when the human brain is on survival mode, it has a hard time learning
– the only way to help a child like that learn is to build a relationship and create a safe space

Intelligence is relative
– in Tennessee they said “That Yankee is sma-hert”
– then we moved to Pennsylvania where I was NOT smart (math teacher

in math if you miss 1 key concept which other things build on, you can have a defining moment

When we moved back to Kansas I was average again

I want to thank the Angels who were the teachers
– the ones who made the connections with us
– examples: recess aide, teacher

you never know when you are making a difference

first Honeycutt to graduate from college
– I was a teacher always helping other kids, and my own kids were always waiting
– story of the Honeycutt treehouse
– made one fast, son said “Dad that’s a deer stand”
– men need structure and limits
– went to Inman lumber and wrote a check for $1000

kids we teach today are living in a different world
– they are playing on digital playgrounds we didn’t play on
– we’ve got to get there so they are not alone
– Pomona High school we got computers first in 1984, we got two

the twitch generation
– kids can do more with two thumbs than many of us can do
– cell phone in hand, can take a picture and put it on myspace in 30 seconds
– what are the rules?

we have to talk to kids about these issues when they are very young

story of Atari vs. XBox
– old school
–

what are we willing to learn to connect with these kids?
– with all the digital things going on, how are we going to capture their attention
– video: Team Hoyt: Dick and Rick Hoyt

THIS IS SUCH A POWERFUL VIDEO, PARTICULARLY SET TO THE MUSIC… WOW. I LOVE HOW KEVIN HAS SITUATED THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF TEACHERS NEEDING TO FORGE MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS.

take you to the finish line
– the son graduates
– people believed in him

research now in Second Life, quadriplegics can manipulate an avatar in SL
– can they work in that environment?

We want to grow good brains
-freedom and context
– allow kids’ brains the luxury of free-association and help foster, promote and grow richer neural networks

do many of our students know things but not know how to do things with the things they know
– we need to go for messy learning
– it can’t always be predictable
– we DON’T want forests without branches

Michael Gelb “Discover Your Own Genius”

Another video… student diagnosed with autism who is team manager for his high school basketball team

I collect “conversational lubricants”
– inspire teachers

How can we create chances to shine?
– Google Sketchup
– is the project kids are creating helping prepare them for their future?
– story of students figuring it out

you ever seen a kid “launch?”
– kids can grab this and go with it
– don’t try to learn it

Ginger will not “helicopter” for students (do the assignment for students)

change the world moment
– learning is free
– I work with schools who have nothing
– can you still do something
– UC Berkeley just put a lot of their curriculum on YouTube free
– learning is free, but you have to pay for the diploma

YouTube viral video of Charlie biting
– taking your teachers on a YouTube treasure hunt
– let them giggle and have fun

1- go find something funny

2- go find something personally rewarding that you can learn from

3- go find something that would be beneficial for your teaching

story of learning the guitar
– a yard sale guitar with no strings attached
– I taught myself to play the guitar
– kicked out of a music store for “thoughtlifting” guitar

student creates a video for “Long train running by The Doobie Brothers”

Guitar lessons for my kid?
– my role came when my son got a guitar
– playing stairway to heaven learning from a guy on YouTube
– who is this kid? Eddie Van Halen’s son?

son said: Dad it’s not personal. I can rewind this as many times as I want and he doe

we can help our kids become rock stars
– go to these sessions and learn the what, we can hook you up with

you work on the “why?”

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