It’s been almost a month since the EdTech meetup that we organized in partnership with Punahou School, and I’m still not done thinking through everything I learned there.
One lesson was that I don’t actually know what a tech meetup is usually like. Participants commented on how unusual this gathering was (in a good way), making me realize that Purple Mai‘a sometimes benefits from being new to this game. Hopefully as we continue to develop our program, we are striking just the right balance between experience and naivete that leads to innovation.
Another lesson was simply that this kind of event is valuable to the tech education community. Immediately after the event, participants commented that it was useful to have a moment for doing broader thinking and envisioning together. There was also a flurry of connections made and followed up on, demonstrating that folks are excited to collaborate and put ideas into action.
I also realized that when we talk about indigenizing technology in Hawai‘i, there is no easy solution. Preparing for this meetup forced us at Purple Mai‘a to articulate our ideas better, and the resulting conversations were useful. But in the end, both technology and education are practices, which means that you have to commit to doing them, again and again, and learning from what you do every time.
Here are a few of my other takeaways from the breakout sessions:
Actionable Ideas:
- Map the tech ʻauwai AND make this available online for parents to sign up kids because… We need to educate parents and so far our separate efforts feel fragmented.
- We need to identify champions–role models for kids AND people who will be leaders/advocates in their own schools
Guiding principles, still need to identify actions/projects:
- Create more community problem-solving learning experiences for kids (Startup Weekend, other programs).
- Teach tech in a way that grows relationships & networks rather than making us more disconnected.
- Everyone is looking for more time, space, funding, commitment.
