Hive Austin

[simonaramkisson]

Decision Maker - @chrislarry33
Driver/Owner - @simonaramkisson
Consulted - @ldecoursy
Informed- @mcdermott415

[simonaramkisson]

Main Contact: Sarah Morris
• Had got in touch with Lynn Casper from Hive NYC who gave her high level information about Hive
• follow up call on Friday March 13

[ldecoursy]

Also Patricia Fowler reached out via general Hive email on March 12 interested in starting a Hive in Austin. She's a former classroom teacher, and has worked in Ed Tech for the past 12 years. (also a certified project manager.)
@simonaramkisson to reach out, connect with Sarah

[simonaramkisson]

Both Sarah and Patricia joined the March 2015 Hive Global Community Call and I am still waiting for the Hive Interest Form. From our initial conversation, they both have teams that they would like to incorporate into the work of bringing the model to the city. I suggested a face to face meeting to introduce everyone.

Made an introduction to Robert who will be in Austin on April 5-6, would be a good opportunity to give them a deeper look into Hive.

[simonaramkisson]

Notes from Emily/Sarah from meeting with Robert on April 5, 2015:

Hive Advisory Committee, then Hive Network

Professional Learning Community

Build the narrative
Teacher Mill

Robert Putman - social research advisor to presidents at Harvard, Bowling Alone - Our Kids

Youth serving second

University of Chicago - Game Changer Chicago - Sexual Health and Wellness curriculum, gamification experience

Outreach/Science Background through University 8-12th grade

Developing educators/entrepreneurs/ed tech in out of school time

Hive Chicago is a program of Mozilla

Cities Learning - Not a community, an initiative

Fundamental pressure - omnignorant http://www.omnignorant.com/
http://www.omnignorant.com/2015/03/a-member-driven-network-research-data-feedback-for-2015/

Push member driven piece
Advisory piece too focused on a specific time piece
6 advisory committee members $1k every six months

Diversity of perspective
The Wisdom of Crowds

In Chi - money was a problem, becomes a crutch (lip service to connected learning - project supported executed, one off, never happened again, lots of special interest projects, slick pitches,

What is the network doing - after 3-4 years, what was happening collaboration doesn't build pathways necessarily

9-noon monthly meetups, teachers can't come - may not want teachers to come, set up separate settings for teachers
Teachers - system is broken, no one person's fault, cultural shift about what education looks like
What we are exploring is outside of the school system, and hard to integrate into the classrooms
Learning is happening outside of the classroom - shifts the classroom when that can be demonstrated.
Teachers need support, and when we have programs that are supportive, they are welcome
District leadership, just starting to attend

What is the appropriate position for District and Civic involvement

• 64 member orgs, half never attending, a couple that are so invested
• Direct Service Providers vs. Leadership balance
• Engage CEOs and Directors at a Breakfast once per year

Highly regular (3rd Thursday or every month)
45 minutes open breakfast, mixer, open programming
1/2 hour 45 minutes Hive Leadership covering agenda items - feedback through a survey, funding, travel opportunities, guest speakers, etc. Quick Share-Outs
Public Library setting
Hour and a half, unstructured working group time

• Welcoming to new people, document discussion, next step oriented, informants at the groups

WHAT ARE YOUR DREAM FORMATS? WHAT WORKS WHAT DOESNT?

Answer to: Why are we doing this? is: Oh yeah, okay, I get it
Hive leadership has map, pointing the way, but members are driving

Participatory membership - connects to funds (some members are perfect, some members you've never seen since filling out the application) Membership for orgs, membership for individuals, nonmembers (allies of the hive is nonmember) Hive members individuals, around 400 individuals, sent out, gone to meetups, apply - nonmembers who have earned the badge (example: travel opportunity). Tracking, participation, etc.

• Org membership - partner member and affiliate members - fund does not allow for profit orgs apply for direct funding Money cannot be issued to a project that doesn't directly serve youth Partners Affiliates are everyone else. Two members must work together to apply

Member orgs come to 6/12 meetups per year

3 staff in Chicago

• 64 member orgs (parks, libraries, afterschool matters, etc.), 90 others
• Hive stuff narrowly defined, trying to widen that
• Membership gives access to funding but 50% or less access that funding, around $10K per year
• Getting strong community funding partners - Chicago Community Trust (like Austin Community Foundation)

Digital Literacy

• Hackshop
• Activities, send to Robert

Problem Solving solutions, not just workshops:
Blogs/RSS for events
Wagglers - Transportation Youth Rideshare
Self sustaining, real issues/real solutions

Boots on the ground, day to day, what are the challenges that get in the way to meeting these goals:

• equity
• build and support pathways
• innovation and learning - new solutions to old problems
• network imparts external value

Moonshots - Six categories of activities/Affinity Groups

• School/Hive connections
• Parent engagement
• Onramps (ultimate onramps) reaching kids where they are at
• Transportation
• Youth Voice - Hive level engagement of youth, input at the powers that be level
• Data driven decision making

Move from aspirational goals to something achievable

What are the goals and challenges - very member driven process -

• how can we be more collaborative
• how can we be more accessible/equitable

[simonaramkisson]

Notes from Robert from meeting:

FYI, she said she did the form, but later admitted that it might have been a Cities of Learning form instead.

I think I made a strong case for Hive being a community of learning professionals dedicated to transforming the learning landscape and that Cities of Learning was an important initiative to build some of the scaffolding and framework for a connected landscape through badges. Most of the conversation focused on the mechanics for growth and sustaining engagement we've implemented in Chicago.

The value add of either Hive and COL was not immediately apparent to them, i.e. why they would sign up rather than just do their own thing. I guess I kinda said that they should do their own thing and that this didn't in any way prevent them from joining the global Hive movement as well.

Either way, they have a long road ahead.

[chrislarry33]

Pinging @omnignorant so he can follow this thread