TreeMeet Thursday 3

September 2009 6.45 PMTreehouse Project Regents Park – Outside BroadcastTranscript of a live streamed video broadcast using a laptop, sim dongle, high definitionWebCam and audio from a Treehouse in Regents Park Those present:Leon Cych – videographer, broadcaster and educational consultantDrew Buddie - TeacherBill Gibbon - Principal Consultant at Implementing Technology in LearningMerlin John- Freelance journalist who focuses on ICT in learningRichard Millwood – Researcher University of Bolton – consultant in Learning TechnologyJohn Davitt – Writer and DeveloperAnthony Evans – Primary ICT consultant in Redbridge North East LondonDave Smith – ICT consultant in Havering North East LondonAndy Broomfield – Freelance interaction DesignerDaren Forsyth – Founder http://140characters.co.uk/Will Golding – Events Organiser of the Regents Park TreeHouse arts projectThe videocast is archived at :http://twitcam.com/13h2Broadcast BEGINLeon Cych:

Welcome to the treehouse discussion – here we go, stick it down there (puts down webcam for broadcast) – alright off you go folks!

Drew Buddie:

I'd like thank everyone for coming along, to this really unique location and I'd like to thank, first of all, Will first of all, for allowing us to use this fantastic location , to be in a unique position of anhour before Regents Park closes to be sitting under, actually under a tree house, we're not on it because it's a little bit inclement. But thank you very much Will for allowing us to use thisexcellent location for our little discussion. Perhaps it might be useful to just briefly introduceourselves as we go round so those who are watching know who's here as well as those we've notmet before. So I'm Drew Buddie I'm an IT co-ordinator at a girls school in Hertfordshire.

Richard Millwood:

Richard Millwood and I do research at the University of Bolton and do consultancy in LearningTechnology.

Merlin John:

I'm Merlin John and I'm a freelance journalist and I focus on ICT in learning.

John Davitt:

I'm John Davitt – a writer and developer. I wanted to say thank you to Drew for having this idea

about bringing us down here tonight – it's a sort of important evening really because it's beyondTeachMeet; it's a very informal gathering just happening out of the ether like that – it seems quiteimportant.

Bill Gibbon:

I'm Bill Gibbon I'm a primary school teacher in my heart but I'm a principal consultant for implementing technology in learning.

Anthony Evans:

I'm Anthony Evans or Skinnyboyevans, I'm a primary ICT consultant in Redbridge North EastLondon.

Dave Smith:

I'm Dave Smith I'm ICT consultant from London borough of Havering next door to Anthony andI'm the wider version of him.Laughter...

Andy Broomfield:

I'm Anthony Broomfield and I'm a freelance interaction designer with a general interest oneducation.

Daren Forsyth:

I'm Darren Forsyth, I'm an insultant not a consultant. Ex-entrepreneur, corporate boy, and now justgoing around the world connecting different cool patterns with people and initiatives and allsorts....

Will Golding:

Hello I'm Will Golding, I help with this project, a whole programme of events and that's where I'llleave it...

Drew Buddie:

So what I thought we might discuss, going back to what John said about the fact that this is a little bit beyond TeachMeet, was, using as a loose theme, it needn't be anything rigid is about the futureof CPD give the fact that TeachMeet has made radical inroads into the way CPD has been deliveredto some people. Some people's experiences of CPD has never been as inspirational as it has beenover the past couple of years. So using that as a loose theme I just wondered maybe if, and anyonecan chip in, and I suggest we might have to do that given that there's so many of us, is what youthink is meant by CPD first of all? If anyone has thoughts on that?

Anthony Evans:

Perhaps it's two things Drew – it's the quite formal thing where you might go to a centre for acourse or a training session but it's also the informal thing which many of us here are used to :Twitter, Blogging, communicating by email – whatever...but for me that's the two things but for me

the informal is the most important that's actually where I learn most.

Dave Smith:

Absolutely, I agree with Anthony on that as well and I think one of the things that concerns me fromthe position I'm in is the number of people who don't turn up to the face to face events these daysand they're maybe looking for a more personalised event they can log into anytime anyplace. This isthe sort of TeachMeet – going to that event but also being able to go online and see that is more beneficial to people but it's certainly about providing a more personalised professional developmetn programme than we've had up to now which is the one size fits all really.

Drew Buddie:

Yes, I'm wondering how something like TeachMeet, and I think other people have been asking thisquestion recently is, how you validate what you do when you experience, because it really is goingalong in a twilight session like we've come along to this and what validation you can have to showyou've attended that you've actually learned from it as opposed to when you write on your CV thecourses you've attended. I wonder how many people actually write TeachMeet as one of the CPDthings they've attended? Do you think they have validity in that sort of way or is it too early days towrite that down on your CV?

Bill Gibbon:

I think if you look at the professionalism of teachers, the same as any others,that if you feel like youare doing a good job you are happy, if you feel like you are not doing a good job you want to goaway and do something about it. Quite often the thing that you want to go away and do isn't actuallyon offer. So being able to go to a TeachMeet and meeting with other people and just meetingcolleagues and learning from colleagues about what they do is often by far the best CPD that peopledo, it's actually learning from others about improving your own performance. The difficulty aboutgoing to events which are provided for you at a training centre often they have to be booked inadvance, the programme has to be there, and in order to get on it you have to fill in a twenty pageform which is a training analysis need and, you know, with the best will in the world, teachers don'twant to do that.

Richard Millwood:

I'm interested in why we're here you know? The reason I came is because a chap called Tony Parkinat SSAT said to me in a very strident voice a month or two ago, he said, “CPD in the UK is broken.”You know, so it wasn't just a dissatisfaction with the status quo it was saying well it's just gone to pot, it's failing, absolutely failing. Is that something that anybody else shares or is it just me? I findthat rang true to me but I'm not in a practitioner's position and I'm not confident.

Merlin John:

It seems generally that people, there's a dissatisfaction with things being done to you, so it's like if you are kid in school, you think something's been done to you or if you're a teacher with your CPDor whether you're in BSF and I think most people understand the power of engagement, and that,you know, that's the trick to pull isn't it really?

Dave Smith:

Absolutely, and you've got a widening audience these days as well. Who are our audience? Who are