"The FIDS framework cultivates the I CAN mindset that allows children to believe they are not helpless, that change is possible and they can drive it. It develops the 21st century skills and creative confidence in people empowering them to use their creative agency to design innovative solutions." http://designthinkingguide.dfcworld.com/

"DESIGN FOR CHANGE is the largest global movement designed to give children an opportunity to express their own ideas for a better world and put them into action. Children and adults learn through the Design for Change Challenge that "I Can" are the two most powerful words a person can believe. Children who have discovered this are changing their world. This year, Design for Change reaches 34 countries and over 300,000 schools inspiring hundreds of thousands of children, their teachers and parents, to celebrate the fact change is possible and that they can lead that change! The challenge asks students to do four very simple things: Feel, Imagine, Do and Share. Children are dreaming up and leading brilliant ideas all over the world, from challenging age-old superstitions in rural communities, to earning their own money to finance school computers to solving the problem of heavy school bags - children are proving that they have what it takes to be able to 'design' a future that is desired." - See more at: http://www.dfcworld.com/about.html#sthash.156lf0CC.dpuf

mentioned by Tom at our meeting on 4-28-14

Tom shared this document as well: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzK992_oy7uOQWRIdlplUDRUTEE/edit?usp=sharing

http://www.newtechnetwork.org/services/learning-management-systems I'm thinking about how we might use technology to support the interdisciplinary connections in our work. New Tech Network describes their LMS that integrates with Google apps.

http://asiasociety.org/global-cities-education-network/assessing-21st-century-skills-and-competencies-around-world "How do teachers assess things like creativity and collaboration, or cross-cultural skills? Our new report, Measuring 21st Century Competencies, focuses on just that question. The report grew out of the Global Cities Education Network, which is comprised of urban school systems working together on overcoming common education challenges. The participating cities are Denver, Hong Kong, Houston, Lexington, Melbourne, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Toronto."

6 writers offer suggestions for action

I was reminded of this while watching the TEDx video Sascha shared on Causal Layered Analysis. http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Causal-Layered-Analysis-Sohail

"Federalism is the best way to accommodate regional demands for autonomy short of breaking up the country. It is the smartest long-term strategy for dealing with separatist movements in Tibet and Xinjiang. In theory, these and several other minority-dominated areas are "autonomous regions." In practice, Beijing calls all the shots and these regions enjoy nothing like the autonomy found in most federal systems. This facade is unlikely to preserve social stability in the long run. "

In 1992, Severn Cullis-Suzuki at age 12, addressed a UN conference. You may have seen a version of this youtube video before. Twenty years later she returned to Rio to speak again on the same issue in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwNICantjJo She defines sustainability as "inter-generational justice".

Thanks for sharing, Tom. I found this upcoming virtual PD: Managing Projects in Middle and High Schools March 26th 8pm ET in a live Google + Hangout Who's up for it?

Shared by Tom.

My wife found this one.

Jesse is a good friend of mine. He is now teaching Sustainability at the College of Charleston, but in the past has founded an NGO www.ecofficiency.org He did this TEDx talk while he was at UC Irvine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwGLENEuNGM He starts by saying, "Sustainability ... is a vague concept ... that has been manipulated by a wide variety of people and organizations in order to push projects and ideas... that aren't what I would call sustainable." He's done a lot of work with US and international schools over the years and would, no doubt, be willing to skype in to talk to our students.

Since we have been talking about PD, I thought I'd share this. If you don't know of Steve Hargadon, he's a good person to follow on twitter.  He works with this group and others to put on lots of virtual conferences. Best of all, they archive many of the keynotes and presentations so they are freely available later. Hargadon puts out a weekly newsletter that I subscribed to at learningrevolution.com  He and his collaborators are sifting through so much stuff and synthesizing it for us.