Greetings from California!
What a year it has been! The impacts of the pandemic across our global societies have been severe, with educators, and indeed students and parents facing unprecedented educational challenges. I can’t speak to what’s happening in your countries, but on a positive note, in the United States we have observed some promising developments emerging from the chaos, related to the ways that COVID has enabled the normally slow-moving enterprise of education to break from the status quo. Freed from the rationale of “we always do it this way,” we have seen many school districts reconsidering priorities, and figuring out ways to be more strategic. As we moved from those first months of COVID, when just surviving remote teaching and learning was the goal, to early and courageous explorations of what could work better, we see a nation full of teachers, schools, and districts trying out different ways of moving forward. The path has been strewn with challenges —as most quests for innovation are—but there are glimmers of hope and even opportunity.
The same is true for our need to innovate the ways we learn together in ISDDE. While we initially thought the decision to postpone the Fall 2020 in-person ISDDE conference in Nottingham, UK would result in a one-year conference hiatus, and we’d see each other in Fall 2021, it has seemed clear that we need to rethink our ways of engaging.
We are excited to announce an upcoming ISDDE Virtual Conference on Wednesday March 24, 2021. This conference, hosted by teams of ISDDE members from Australia, the UK, and the US, will involve three consecutive 3-hour phases of programming, each with its own flavor, all unfolding across a single day. At least two of the three conference phases will be easily accessible to you, whether you are living in the Far East, Europe/Africa, or the Americas. Depending on your interests and time zone, you may choose to attend just one of those 3-hour phases of the conference, or more. And there will be ways of catching up with content you wished you could attend but couldn’t make the times work. Make sure to read the article in this newsletter that describes the learning opportunities in this first-ever ISDDE Virtual Conference; and stay tuned for the regular updates.
Be sure to also not miss information in this newsletter about this year’s ISDDE prize for excellence in STEM design (“The Eddie”) as well as information about a pause in the yearly reconstitution of the membership of the ISDDE Executive Committee, in order to implement a plan to reach out to a broader diversity of individuals who can help shape ISDDE moving forward.
This is also the time for me to hand over the ISDDE mantle to Chair-Elect Chris Schunn. Thanks to all for your support! I’ll still be in the mix for another year fulfilling my duties as Past-Chair.
Here is wishing you a safe next few months. Looking forward to seeing folks at the March Virtual Conference. Until then, stay healthy (and stay home)!
Jacquey
Jacqueline Barber, Chair 2019-20
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