Silver Lining for Learning

Simulations can be a powerful tool for learning, and we focus on simulations for educators. This is our first of two episodes on simulations. In this week’s episode, Dr. Sara Dexter, Associate Professor at the University of Virginia, and Ken Spero, CEO of SchoolSims. Creating and curating virtual environments that emulate the real world with particular learning goals and journey paths that allow learners to discover valuable insights can instigate an experiential learning experience. Check out the episode page on the SLL website for the simulation learning resources provided by our guest speakers. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

The hosts of Silver Lining for Learning gather to reflect on the conversations that we have had with our guests over the past few weeks and look forward to the future of the series. With topics that include learning adaptations during the pandemic, augmented and immersive learning technologies, as well as developmental psychology, the conversation is engaging and insightful. Tune in! Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

In this episode, we feature student guests from three widely spaced geographic location: Beijing, Hawaii, and Sydney. Shen Shuowen and Guo Xingyan are 12th graders from the Dalton Academy at the Affiliated School of Peking University, Beijing, China. Ivanni Jamin is a 12th grader from Hawai’i Preparatory Academy in Kameula, Hawaii, USA. Paranjay Jadhav and Ellie Sifis are two students from Lindfield Learning Village in Sydney, Australia. We asked students, “What can we do to help students learn better?” Students reflect upon their how people learn, their intellectual interests, and education as field. You will be delighted by the maturity of their responses, the deep insights and sophisticated reflection, as well as their passion for learning.   Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Joined by not one but three highly accomplished pioneers in the K-12 educational technology space who are all affiliated to ISTE. We discuss all about what ISTE attempted to inspire - creation of solutions & connections that improve opportunities for all learners by delivering: practical guidance, evidence-based professional learning, virtual networks and thought provoking events & the IST Standards. Join us for this thought-provoking session where we learn about recent activities and initiatives of ISTE that are impacting students and teachers from across the United States. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Nina Lim share her personal experience of distance teaching first grade students in California and Seoul. She describes what instruction looked like during remote learning for her elementary school students. She compares the differences and similarities between remote instruction in US and South Korea. Chee-Kit Looi will describe how, in Singapore, the actual practices of online learning brought more awareness about how inequality begins at home. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

We are joined by two authors of a great book called Writers in the Secret Garden: Fanfiction, Youth, and New Forms of Mentoring provides an in-depth examination of the novel ways young people support and learn from each other through participation in online fanfiction communities.The two authors, Cecilia Aragon and Katie Davies, both from the University of Washington, studied fanfiction writers and consider how distributed mentoring could improve not only other online learning platforms but also formal writing instruction in schools. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

The hosts of Silver Lining for Learning gathered to reflect on the conversations that we have had with our guests over the past few weeks and look forward to the future. They discuss how COVID-19 impacted how so many students think about their next few years, how teachers may leave teaching and amongst other things, how silver learning lining can evolve. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Our guest this week is Dr. Shawn Loescher, an active practitioner in educational innovation and school system redesign. As CEO of Urban Discovery Schools, he discusses the school as well as the COVID-19 crisis response. He talks about design thinking, about structure vs flexibility in the school system as well as how they think about assessments at the school. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Italy was one of the countries to be hit early and hard by the Coronavirus. Partial lockdown began late February, expanding to the entire country within 2 weeks. This Saturday on Silver Lining for Learning, we will hear first-hand from Dr. Nicoletta Di Blas and Dr. Tommaso Agasisti from the Politecnico di Milano about how their institutions and the system overall responded to the crisis, from both the point of K12 educators and school leaders. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Our guest Dr. Kim discusses what does asking not just a good question, but a great or better question entail. He shares his work with SMILE (Stanford Mobile Inquiry-based Learning Environment). And how it is time for students to generate and evaluate great questions and find firm footing on the path toward inquiry-driven learning, instead of being sedated with a fact-driven route 101. We talk about mobile learning, collaborative technology, online learning, youth literacy, creating engaging environments for disadvantaged youth, learning ecologies, MOOCs, and much more. Take a look at this follow-up blog post: https://silverliningforlearning.org/episode-8-as-a-sketch-note-thanks-meenu-pillai/ Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org