Catalytic Converter Sessions

#creat_ED will be an unconference - the content, programme and outcomes defined by those that join us on June 21st at The Barbican.

There will be some support for the day,  including some amazing speakers, but specifically by those able  to turn hot air into action, who we are calling "Catalytic Converters".  Some of whom have already signed up to lead sessions in the afternoon on the day. Please add your session here and help make bright ideas float.

We have had quite a few people who asking for more information about the afternoon sessions, and how they will work. Given that we are providing a context for action, here is how we think it will work.

Firstly, as Lizzie @enliven-ed suggested: 'inspire/provoke/create' just means what it says, ie: "speaking from practice, offering some kind of a challenge and then allowing people to do something"

The reason for it is to make the sessions active and practical beyond the session. No passive listening, or..."that was interesting but ...I cannot do anything with it". 

We want people to be inspired to do their own thing. It might be to work with you, take your idea on in their context; but most likely it might be to do something utterly different in outcome, but based on the steps you took. It is those parallels we are hoping to make across tech, the creative industries and education.

This is an unconference. It is worth noting though that the  "do something" phase might be something other than you expect. Expect the unexpected  and unplanned outcomes. The excitement and energy of the participants is what we want to enable, so expect to see people get an 'AHA!' moment, and look distracted.... No one has to stay for your session, and people might move about, or go off to start work. 

We think most sessions will be around 40mins - but we hope that by the end of the session most of the attendees have broken off to put the ideas into action.

+Fred Garnett , and a mini team of expert facilitators, will be helping to gather themes to tell a broader story about the day, and helping keep things moving. 

So,  get a ticket and sign up for a session for our very special day at The Barbican on 21st of June. Let your friends know, and tell us about the people that inspire you.

‘Stop talking, start doing’ – create_Ed at the Barbican

Guest post by Tony Parkin
Disruptive Nostalgist & Independent Educational Consultant

Like many others, I was bitterly disappointed to get the news in January that the eagerly-anticipated Learning Without Frontiers, scheduled for June 17-21 at The Barbican, was cancelled (or at least 'delayed' and moved far, far East of London... somewhere in Asia). 

Hands up, and time to declare an interest. I have been to all the LWF events, and their precursors as Handheld Learning, etc. I have even been on committees that helped steer some of them, delivered workshop sessions and judged student competitions.

It is well-known I am an advocate and general fan of Graham Brown-Martin, the founder and guiding light behind Learning Without Frontiers. Or rather, who WAS the guiding light before the suits took over the asylum – you know, those greyer suits with the strait-jackets? It was the suits in January who decided that the Barbican LWF event was out of the question, apparently because their business-based be-suited chums were not as yet showering sufficient corporate dollars in support.

Graham himself was quick to follow this announcement out of the LWF door. Self-propelled, as any man of principle would be.  But Graham is clearly still contractually bound where LWF is concerned, and is now busy launching his own exciting new venture, Education Design Labs (EDLabs). So the  main outstanding problem is a large, potentially exciting and creative gap in June where Learning Without Frontiers at The Barbican used to be…

Eylan Ezekiel (@eylanezekiel) was equally fed up at the LWF announcement, and had a good old rant about the loss on twitter and on his blog. This caught the attention of a bunch of like-minded mavericks and creatives, including @annapedroza. 

While some of us merely whinged, some of the dispossessed got creative. Anna and Eylan got going, and lo, #creat_ED was born. And, thanks to helpful support from The Barbican, it will be at the same place and at the same time as LWF, for the undoubted benefit of those who had already made their arrangements to be in London. Brilliant!

Contractually, of course, it is entirely separate from and different to Learning Without Frontiers, but it hopes to satisfy part of the LWF-shaped craving that other conferences can’t and won’t reach. For one thing, it isn’t a conference, but an unconference. Which in itself can excite the sort of creative debates and discussions that conferences frequently inhibit. Though, frankly, if it’s eloquent discursions and witty sophistry you seek that weekend, you could always head over to Wellington for the ‘Festival of Education’. 

I’m sure there will be erudite angels dancing on pinheads down there, but I am not sure how truly festive it will be? Great minds think alike, and fools Seldon differ (Ed: Groans). A lot will be said, and eloquently, and much will be excellent, but, when all is said and done, I doubt much will be done?

Now creat_ED, on the other hand, promises to be about DOING, not TALKING. As with LWF, it is the mixture of the creatives, the doers, alongside the educationalists, technologists and academics, that can turn an event from a talking shop to a really productive festival. With an enhanced focus on outputs, not on inputs. Anyone who has attended events like MozillaFest will understand what I mean - the emphasis is on the crowd-sourcing, sharing and creating, rather than the sitting and listening.

The event has already attracted some well-known creatives to help lead the day’s activities. The Maker movement is currently exciting educators everywhere. Who better to explain what is going on than Alice Taylor and Jo Roach, two of the co-founders of Makie Lab, producing the first 3D printed game-enabled toys. Alice will be known to many educators from her time at Channel 4 Education, where her team’s online and original digital thinking totally transformed what the world of education expected from their television companies, and won lots of well-deserved awards too.

Also on hand will be Stevyn Colgyn, currently employed as a QI elf, a job title not often noted down the Jobcentre, and one I know many would kill for – though I believe the QI elves are somewhat less belligerent than Legolas and his mates.  

And wearing the top hat, as master of ceremonies, there will be Fred Garnett, probably the least Bectan of all that organisation’s ex-employees. And mercifully better known for his thoughtful facilitative anarchy at academic events and his life-long passion and erudition on all things Beatle-related.

Why am I going? To be honest, I don’t know… and that is exactly WHY I am going. If it was that predictable, I probably wouldn’t be interested in being there. 

But as LWF showed, if you bring together the right anarchic and creative bunch of people into a shared space, some great things can happen. And I know that creat_ED has already managed to attract enough interesting people for me to have a great time. OK, there may be bits that don’t hit my button, but with multiple strands of activity and so many of the right people there, there is bound to be something that fires me up.  And talking of the ticket money, the price of this unconference is significantly less expensive than LWF would have been. It is easy to register via the site through Eventbrite. And at £40 a pop it’s cheaper than taking my kids out for a pizza, and sure to be infinitely more exciting. (Note: I will NOT be starving my kids to pay for the ticket – it was not meant as a literal alternative. ;)

Links

Creat_ED : http://createduk.blogspot.co.uk/p/welcome.html

To Register for creat_ED : http://createduk.blogspot.co.uk/p/sign-up.html

Eylan’s original blog-post : http://www.ezekiels.co.uk/eylan/frontiers-without-learning/

Education Design Labs / EDLabs: http://edlabs.co.uk/ (coming soon)

Tony Parkin: uk.linkedin.com/in/tonyparkin/

Makie Lab: http://www.makielab.com/

Alice Taylor  & Jo Roach: http://www.makielab.com/who-we-are/

Stevyn Colgyn : http://colganology.blogspot.co.uk

Fred Garnet: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/fred-garnett/0/287/459

Why we’re doing it

Why?

Creat_ED has been conceived in response to the news that the annual Learning Without Frontiers (LWF) conference, which was scheduled for June 2013, had been cancelled.

LWF occupied a distinct space where educators could meet in dialogue with technologists, scientists and creatives. Members of the LWF community believe it’s important to preserve this space, and are organising Creat/ED on a voluntary basis.  

Creat_ED is a testimony to the work of Graham Brown Martin who carved out this space and built an amazing community (which continues to grow).

Creat_ED is inspired by LWF, but it’s an unconference, no-frills event where active participation is key. We invite everyone to take responsibility for co-creating the event and it’s outcomes.

Hope to see you there!