Open+Space


 * Open Space Technology** (**OST**) is an approach for hosting meetings, conferences, corporate-style retreats and community summit events, focused on a specific and important purpose or task—but //beginning// without any formal agenda, beyond the overall purpose or theme.

If at any time you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing: use your two feet and go someplace else.
 * The Law of Two Feet**

The approach is most distinctive for its //initial// lack of an agenda, which sets the stage for the meeting's participants to create the agenda for themselves, in the first 30–90 minutes of the meeting or event. Typically, an Open Space meeting will begin with short introductions by the sponsor (the official or acknowledged leader of the group) and usually a single facilitator. The sponsor introduces the purpose; the facilitator explains the "self-organizing" process called "Open Space." Then the group creates the working agenda, as individuals post their issues in bulletin board style. Each individual "convener" of a breakout session takes responsibility for naming the issue, posting it on the bulletin board, assigning it a space and time to meet, and then later, showing up at that space and time, kicking off the conversation, and taking notes. These notes are usually compiled into a proceedings document that is distributed physically or electronically to all participants. Sometimes one or more additional approaches are used to sort through the notes, assign priorities and identify what actions should be taken next. Throughout the process, the ideal facilitator is described as being "fully present and totally invisible" (see Owen, User's Guide), "holding a space" for participants to self-organize, rather than managing or directing the conversations. Source: Wikipedia
 * Organization**

Michael Coglan led the group in unconference mode: elicited the following topics (number of those present voting for that topic)
 * Assessment (12)
 * Time management (7)
 * Selecting / filtering content/tech (25)
 * Empowering teachers thru networks (14)
 * social media (10)
 * CoPs (15)
 * Teaching teens (13)
 * Techophobes to techno users (9)
 * Pedagogy use of tools (18)
 * Teacher training / PD with technolgy (18)

This was narrowed down to 4 groups
 * Selecting / filtering content/tech
 * Empowerment through Networks and Communities of Practice (CoPs)
 * Pedagogy and tools
 * Teacher training /PD - teaching with technology ( links to CoPs mentioned)

What is the Art of Teaching with ICTs? Has our role as teachers changed? What main benefits, issues and challenges have you been faced with?