EduCon 2.4

The invention of a standardized thermometer in 1714 led us to measure changes that could not be measured objectively before. Now a household technology, it allows access to climate control and wellness. Could we invent a measure to register changes in the participation gap at social innovation conferences? This conversation is about creating real lasting "social" innovation at our conferences. It is aimed at closing "the participation gap" of unequal access to opportunities, experiences, skills, and knowledge among our colleagues. What if we could transform the gaps around race and structural inequalities simply by measuring small changes in our own perceptions about unequal access and about our own participation? We tend to avoid these conversations despite values of sharing, listening, and transparency. I am delighted to present for the first time at EduCon. I am an expert in listening and generating intimacy in difficult conversations. I am a TED Fellow and have attended half a dozen social innovation conferences including #140EDU and The Feast. I am also an educator of color in higher ed and a Twitter geek (one of six finalists in the 2011 Nokia Connecting People Shorty Award). In this session, each participant can have some fun inventing a personal "technology"a measure of changes in participationthat can transform how conversations of difference with strangers as well as friends occur right now. Join us as we invent our own "thermometers".