John Spencer , co-author of Empower and Launch, was the Monday keynote at the Minnesota Personalized Learning Summit. John also created "Pencil Chat" many years ago, and I've been in auw of his ideas and thinking. Spencer began with a "Disclaimer" that while many keynotes will only share the highlights, he is a teacher on a journey trying to figure things out, and behind the success there has been failure. No one has dysentery in Oregon! He began by a story of being nerdy and shy in 8th grade, and hiding out in the bathroom. During a History Day project, he didn't like the sound of his voice. His teacher, Mrs. Smoot said, "when you hide your voice, you rob the world of your creativity, and I'm not going to let you do that!" He presented to his class, then school, then regionally, then at the national conference, which changed his life! Every day he asks his kids, "What did you make today?" Making is magic, and make
Ideas and Tips on Digital Age Learning from Michael Walker. These thoughts and ideas may not represent the views of my employer.