Captured video: Phillip Adams at Education.au conference

Is Web2.0 new? Relatively. Is the Web new? Is TCP/IP new? Are computers new? Is technology-augmented learning new? On the short bus ride home, all I could answer is “no”. The demands on the next generation is new. The generation that is going to replace the Baby-boomers and Generation-X are entering into an environment and community where pure “knowledge” or rote learning can easily be outclassed by anyone with a mobile phone to “google” an answer. Childhood Obesity is a furphy. It’s about Childhood Apathy.

It isn’t about teachers, curriculum, pedagogy, centralised testing, digital divides, politicians or departments. Formal learning about individual teachers and how they engage with their students. Engaging teachers leave a long emotional memory that has long term impact. Learning Mentor Apathy Breeds Childhood Apathy.

As the token layman at the conference, I kept quiet and listened and learnt. The challenges for parents and teachers is very similar for managers of small teams: engaging the minds of people is no easy task.

Phillip Adams was the keynote, famous speaker. His feelings in relation to the dotage of mass-media and the rising of unmediated media is interesting; and the impact the web and immediate communication have on the oncoming generation seems in tune with the current mood of the internet.

James Farmer: post-punk deconstructionist (iconoclastic education, incorporated subversion) using web2; or more importantly, using more advanced web technologies in and out of the classroom. In a multi-dimensional, non-mediated media this seems the current norm.

Annika Small: the future learner, future learning of the environment. FutureLab in UK. Not quite sure where this presentation was on about; showing off Xerox Parc or MIT Labs-like videos of learning scenarios in the UK. Any of these could have been created with pure paper technology and an enthusiastic teacher.

Whilst in these highly abstracted circles, one should be extremely careful not to project your personal life into a debate as important as education. As a parent of a teen age student, and not here to sell “stuff” to anyone. Just to listen, absorb — and surprisingly learn. Immersed into a world of instant-ness. Liam has created a digital learning environment based on strung-together tools. Creating content, and collaborating with his classmates to get work done.

The wisdom of enthusiastic teachers is long remembered, lessons from rote teachers is soon forgotten. Digital technology will rarely augment a boring, non-engaging teacher. This concept is touched on by Judy O’Connell, a blogger at today’s conference and represented by Al Upton and Immanuel College’s Kevin Richardson.

A brave and far-sighted Education Minister is going to have a difficult time moving the collective wisdom of rote learning, exams, competitive effort and incremental results into personalised learning and flexible measurement. I wish them well. All children have a latent thirst for learning; and unlocking this should not be constrained by short sighted populism

A good day out, and an excellent way to end the first week of doing something.