ITAG Conference: David Williamson Keynote, "Know Next Now"

This keynote was a great start to the conference. Despite being super tired from being up since 2:15 with an upset child and driving 3 hours to get here I walked away with some great ideas and food for thought.

Here are my “take-aways” from David Williamson and his presentation titled, “Know Next Now”

**This is a mix of his words, suggestions, and my thoughts and questions**

• Must read Michio Kaku – Physics of the Future(already purchased on my Kindle, cannot wait to read!)

• Another book suggestion – Tom Peters, Re-Imagine
• Key Idea – Find people living tomorrow TODAY!
• Army
• Parviv working on internet contact lens(INSANE!)
• Arts
• Advanced Manufacturing
• View Corey Taylor(lead singer of Slipknot) talk to Oxford College last year about doing NOT what you are passionate about or what you love, BUT what you are GOOD at
• new ITBS called Smarter Balance(I need to read up on this more)
• A good idea for opening up my gifted class taken from his sun fact
• Have students point to the sun(they point at the light)
• Ask them why they are waiting or the present to be the past
• Discuss sun takes 8.3 minutes to reach Earth
• Follow up with goal setting about the future
• Polaris is over 450 years old by the time it reaches us(before Pilgrims)
• “When we hook our dreams to the stars, will it still be there when we arrive?”
• “What a product MEANS has replaced what a product DOES.”
• Take his idea of merging two unlikely ideas/products as part of our gifted theme for next year
• yardstick and yo-yo = tape measure
• typewriter and TV = computer
• Know the difference between a visual answer and visual question
• representational
• non-representational
• Study up on the Lean Six Sigma
• How can I apply this to my teaching?
• Jet Blue example of slowing planes down 2mph saves 13.6 million dollars
• What 2% change can we do as teachers to create this type of positive difference?