We just completed AERO's 26th Anniversary conference our 12th!  Many people thought it was our best ever. The array included more that 60 workshops , 8 keynotes, 5 documentaries, a dedicated Minecraft Server, and a classical  Indian  dance exhibition by a Nepalese dancer. People came from over 25 states five Canadian  provinces and ten countries.

Below you can find 5 mini-videos made by Bob Greenberg at the AERO conference, of Zoe Weill, Deborah Meier, Yaacov Hecht, Sugata Mitra, and Pat Farenga.

We actually have a few copies most of the keynotes and some of the workshops, as they were made on site at the conference. Soon we'll have complete sets to offer. For today we are just making available the Sugata Mitra/Yaacov Hecht dialog described below. 

For many people the hifghlight of the conference was a dialog between Sugata Mitra and Yaacov Hecht, appearing on the large screen as he beamed in from Korea. First Yaacov showed one of his amazing power points about why we need a completely new approach to education. Then Sugate reacted to that wth his own thoughts, follow by one of the most dynamic dialogs about education's future that we have ever seen! We have a DVD of the whole thing.

We're just beginning to get feedback from the participants. Keynoter Jeremy Stuart wrote: "Thanks so much for inviting me to attend the conference and screen Class Dismissed. I thought it went very well and got lots of good feedback. My family and I had a great time and were inspired by so many wonderful conversations. It was amazing to meet and listen to Sugata Mitra!"

You can also see an array of pictures of the conference below, as well as an article about the Mine Craft server, which we have decided to keep open until the next conference. Homeschoolers of schools can join it.

Buy the Yaakov/Mitra DVD here. 

My whole trip began because of my interest in attending IDEC. The conference was held in Nelson, New Zealand. It was run by local families who are working to provide educational alternatives for their kids. This year, it was also co-created with the local M?ori P?, and many indigenous people were invited to share, including people from The Hopi Nation in Arizona, Nepal, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, etc. Young people were encouraged to participate in the conference, as well, and performed traditional songs, played music, and danced. Calvin, my 11 year old son, immediately made some friends and ran around for the duration of the weekend in the beautiful Founders Park, meeting me only for meals.

The indigenous influence became apparent immediately and truly set the tone for the conference, as well as shaped much of its content. We were welcomed into the marae, an elaborately carved community building, with a traditional M?ori ceremony. M?ori was always spoken first before translating into English, and the ceremony felt like being announced and welcomed into a deep cultural tradition. The elder announcing us stood facing the marae and began singing in M?ori to an elder man who stood at the entrance. They sang back and forth to each other as we entered, women first, and sat facing a large group who were already present. Eventually, each side lined up and we performed a greeting to each and every person. It was much like a wedding line- except you press your nose and forehead to the other person's and say Kia Ora. This greeting is called Hongi.