This year Powerful Learning Practice is hosting a new type of conference. At PLP Live – Inspire. Collaborate. Shift. participants will find:
* Inspiration from top names in education such as John Seely Brown, Suzie Boss, Darren Cambridge, Bruce Dixon, Will Richardson, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Jackie Gerstein, Jane Krauss, Renee Moore, and more.
*Active, creative collaboration with educators and educational leaders from across the globe to solve issues from the classroom to policy makers.
*Most important, shift: why we need it, how to make it happen in your own teaching, your classroom, your school, your local community, how becoming a connected educator accelerates the shift, and how to inspire others to ride the wave of change with you
*Plus a one-of-a-kind opportunity: Lunch ‘n’ learn with the speakers – ‘Mingle and munch’ in casual conversation with the keynote speakers and breakout session facilitators. Ask your questions. Share your ideas. Discuss the issues. See the agenda for complete details!
We’d like to introduce our keynote speakers, one by one, and so we’ve come up with six questions for each of them. These questions will give you a little peek into who they are, the message they’ll bring to the conference, and why you won’t want to miss meeting them at PLP Live!
Meet Renee Moore, PLP Live – Inspire. Collaborate. Shift. Keynote Speaker
Renee Moore, PLP Live Keynote Speaker
What do you see as the major shift needed in professional learning environments these days?
How we see ourselves and how we see our colleagues. Teachers need to view ourselves as self-directed professionals; not the hired help waiting to be told or controlled. We should view our colleagues not as competition (or worse), but as our competent peers and as our own teachers–not “what can I show everybody else how to do” but what can all of us learn together. This is especially relevant to how Black and minority educators are often viewed.
Why did you agree to be a keynote speaker at PLP Live 2012?
I am truly impressed with the work of PLP; I want to be with this unique group of educators. Such encounters always prove valuable to me in my immediate work and in the long-run. I want to hear what others think on these issues of connectedness and shift that are very important to me and many other educators of color. If you look at most conferences or workshops that have an ed-techish leaning, there are very few women and even fewer African American or Latino teachers.
Can you tell us a little bit about the core message that you will deliver at the conference?
My presentation blurb says: Free At Last? The Future of [Equal] Education
The “transformative growth of social media,” seemingly ubiquitous web access, the proliferation of mobile devices, expansion of open source education and connected learning……Surely, we are finally about to cross over into the promised land of educational equity for all. Or are we?
To this I would add, as promising and exciting as the future of education looks at this moment, we should not become so enamored with technological possibilities that we forget the very real human factors that stand in the way of educational equity, not just for high risk students, but also for their teachers. I believe that some of the railing against veteran teachers and their supposed resistance to change is a thinly covered racial attack that further marginalizes an already shrinking part of our educational force.
How would you describe your approach and/or belief when it comes to “engaging” an audience?
I’m a journalist by training, so I tend to approach engagement by asking important questions or helping uncover things that may not be apparent.
Tell us a little about what (or who) inspires you?
I am a woman of faith and my belief in God inspires everything I do. I am also inspired by the potential I see in my students, as well as the perseverance and accomplishments of my elders. I walk in the footsteps of Black teachers, students, and families who faced and overcame unimaginable obstacles. I have a precious responsibility not to let their work be forgotten or in vain.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
My own journey into connected learning began under the visionary work of Dixie Goswami and the Bread Loaf Teacher Network, which in many ways pioneered what we now consider innovative uses of social media to connect teachers and students in purposeful, self-directed learning. The work of BLTN deserves more study and recognition; there is so much to be learned there about the power of connected learning.
Last year, PLP had the pleasure of interviewing Renee Moore in-depth about her experience as a Mississippi Delta teacher. To read more about her switch from being a Detroit-based freelance journalist to earning her National Board Certification, being named a Milken Educator, 2001 Mississippi Teacher of the Year, Carnegie Scholar and the first K12 teacher to serve on the board of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching click here.
Where can participants find you online?
- TeachMoore (Blog)
- @TeachMoore (Twitter)
- Teaching 2030: What We Need To Do For Our Students and Our Public Schools Now and In the Future (Website for the book I co-authored)
Any final thoughts?
I’m very much looking forward to being in Philadelphia among a crowd of teacher and school leaders who see that we need to change our schools to meet the needs of all of today’s learners. We are colleagues and collaborators in this work, and I expect to learn as much as I “teach”!
Christen Dodd
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