I know where I’ll NOT be: at any of the following incredible conferences, all of which are booked for around June 25-30, 2009 or thereabouts. I’ll be (excitedly, I might add) celebrating the wedding of my sister-in-law in California. So I implore anyone who can to check out these conferences and head to one. Or head to 2, or even 3! Although I am an avid workshop-bee (buzzing from one workshop to the next when I go to conferences) it may indeed be somewhat difficult to buzz from one state or city to the next. Still, here they are, do look them up and consider going:
1. Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) annual conference in Albany, NY, June 25-28. Continues to be one of the best places to meet up with non-conventional educators from around the country and even the world. Keynotes from excellent speakers (Patch Adams and Deborah Meier are among the crew this year), workshops you can buzz to and from, and late night conversations with anyone and everyone. And young people are welcome and part of the organizing efforts. Also, don’t miss the North American Democratic Education Conference (NADEC) happening at the same site directly before the AERO conference, an experience specifically for those practicing democratic education.
2. Free People, Free Minds: Education Liberation’s conference June 25-28 in Austin, TX. I’ve been hearing about this exciting conference for a bunch of months now, and now that their website is up and running, I’m even more intrigued (and hope to go to their next conference). They merge the pedagogical approach of progressive, student-centered learning with a strong social justice bent and focus specifically on low-income youth and youth of color , something those of us working in non-conventional education need to consider if we are to gain traction and serve all young people. I look forward to hearing how this conference goes.
3. Personal Democracy Forum (PDF) in New York, NY, June 29-30. I attended this amazing conference last year, and it brought me fully into the world I was just starting to learn about on my own: technology, politics, advocacy, social networking, blogging, internet neutrality, and more. They bring the top thinkers and doers in this field, including Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com, Jeff Jarvis (I’m reading his new book, What Would Google Do?), Beth Noveck (now in the Obama administration working on technology policy), Joe Rospars of the 2008 Obama campaign, and many others. If you want to learn more about these timely and powerful topics, meet the thousand most “connected” people out there, or if you are involved with social movements or politics, this conference is a mind-blower.
If you are thinking of attending any of these conference, have any thoughts about them, or do attend them, I look forward to hearing from you. Also, know of other conferences and events coming up that others should know about? (I keep feeling that there is yet another conference that same week in June, but can’t seem to remember it. Anyone?)
Check out http://www.rougeforumconference.org coming up in May! I will be presenting along with folks from Clonlara and Ofira Roll, an AERO member and graduate of the Institute for Democratic Education’s teacher ed. program.
Isaac
Thanks for the reference, Isaac! The Rouge Forum people are great. I went to one of their meetings when I was in Ann Arbor, a bunch of years back. The conference looks great, so glad you and Ofira and Clonlara folks will be there. I also see Ann Arbor Open School on the list – let me know if you meet anyone from there. I did my student teaching there, and enjoyed the school, a long-time open school with some good stuff happening and good people.
Dana