A very big part of what keeps me trying to support classroom change in a region of the world that is sooo…… slow to adopt change is my network. Being linked to others in places that are moving ahead and sharing stories, good and bad, with them is a great way to feel that I am not the only one hitting my head against the wall to try to get schools to do more than buying a few EWBs or laptops and saying that they are now embracing 21st Century Learning.

I had a nice opportunity to give something back to a member of my network, George Haines of Sts. Philip and James School in New York last evening when George asked me to speak to his staff via Skype.  Although it was a lot of one-way with me doing most of the talk and covering the points on a slideshare presentation below, it was also a time to get a bit of a feel for colleagues in other parts of the world coming up against the same restrictions of mandated testing and packed curricular that I have blogged about in the past.

Like George, I am optimistic about the future. There is just too much going on around embedding 21st Century Learning into schools to think that well resourced, “internationally minded” schools can go on thinking that they can give it just a passing glance.