Learning(Hu)Man Virtual “Summer Camp” Electrifies Education Changemaking Conversations
Education changemakers from six continents around the world packed their bandanas, canteen and an open mind for the summer camp experience of a lifetime at Learning(Hu)Man 2020, hosted by ASU ShapingEDU. Campers gathered daily around the virtual flagpole and campfire from July 21-27, for a week-long, digital immersive summer camp experience that was an experimental fusion of hands-on learning, storytelling and tech hacks.
The Camp Team worked tirelessly to create a campground of immersive and interactive experiences that allowed the more than 2,600 registered campers to push the creative envelope for how they serve students and advance learner success. Led by more than 90 Camp Counselors who included today’s top education and industry leaders like ASU President Michael Crow (who was a camp counselor himself years ago!), Learning(Hu)Man campers were treated to 180+ activities that allowed them to explore best practices in learning design, edtech tools and development, and emergent thinking around the art of the possible – while making sure that enabling student success was at the core of it all.
“There was really something for everyone because Learning(Hu)Man was designed all,” said Samantha Becker, Executive Director, Creative + Communications for ASU’s University Technology Office and “Camp Groundskeeper.” “We emphasize individuals over affiliations -- meaning changemaking can happen at every level and in every role. Learning(Hu)Man honored that spirit of global and intergenerational collaboration.”
Watch the highlights!
The Camp Itinerary
Each day of Learning(Hu)Man brought a new engaging theme that encouraged campers to explore new innovative ideas and learning opportunities. Check out our playlists that include full session recordings from each day:
- July 20: Welcome
- July 21: Flipping Scary Stories
- July 23: (A)Synchronized Swimming
- July 24: Tech Hacks from the Toolshed
- July 25 & 26: Nature Walks
- July 27: Kumbaya
Campers met up around the campfire, underneath the flagpole, on the Beach at the ASU immersive VirBELA campus and on Learning(Hu)Man’s three Slack channels (designated for learning, sharing resources and fun and creative play) for community learning and fun.
Learning(Hu)Man utilized Zoom, ASU Live, and VirBELA technologies to deliver the Around the Flagpole and Campfire plenary sessions, while Neighborhood Breakout sessions were accessible using concurrent Zoom meetings for campers to choose from. These options allowed for a personalized, unique experience in whatever format campers felt most engaged.
Highlights to Write Home About
Each day at camp was chock full of “pocket rocks” or meaningful learning, connection and fun + creative play experiences worthy of holding onto long after camp officially ended. Let’s glance at some programming highlights:
Welcome
Flipping Scary Stories
Around the Flagpole: What Matters + Why: Whittling the Future of Education
ASU President Michael Crow welcomed campers around the flagpole as he spoke about the evolution of learning, how to shape a more equitable, individualized learning experience, and how technology allows for the first chance at egalitarian access to education. Where does President Crow see ASU in five years? A learning enterprise for anyone, anywhere, at any place.
Campfire: Humanizing Higher Education
Campers met Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan and Zoom Chief Diversity Officer Damien Hooper-Campbell at the campfire for a special plenary session on Eric's inspiration to start Zoom, how online teaching and classrooms are the future, mistakes Eric has learned from, and lots s'more.
Session Spotlight: Driving K-12 Innovation: Hurdles, Accelerators and Tech Enablers for Education Innovation
Arts & Crafting Learning Experiences
Around the Flagpole: The What, Why, and How of Learner-Centered Everything
Campers enjoyed an enlightening panel discussion by leaders from Instructure, the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at ASU and Michigan State University, who shared their thoughts on how to drive equal access for learners and customize the student experience.
Campfire: Launching the Learner Rocket Ship
Panelists from Sophya explained how their edtech tools can help students reach their learning goals in the current online learning setup, helping them connect with their educators and peers for fun, social, engaging learning.
Session Spotlight: Creative Uses of Zoom – Show and Tell Showcase
(A)Synchronized Swimming
Around the Flagpole: Rise of the Digital Campus
Campers joined executives at Slack and Deloitte around the flagpole as they answered: What is a digital campus and why is it important? Our panelists also shared insights on what digital tools are needed to enable student success and how we can prepare for the future of work.
Campfire: Digital Education and Tribal Rights
This Campfire Teach-In featured our esteemed panelists (and members of indigenous communities), who taught us about #ConnectTribes. Our campers learned about the importance of digital inclusivity for social justice with respect to tribal communities, as well as the role of education in the pursuit of social justice and how tribal rights come into play in the digital age.
Campfire Mixer: Learning(Hu)Man Concert
A legendary virtual concert with world-class musicians from around the country blew campers away with their authentic stories and moving artistry.
Session Spotlight: Digital Disruption and Slack
Tech Hacks from the Toolshed
Around the Flagpole: The Value of Connecting Education & the Workforce
Educators and industry leaders from AWS, Salesforce and Juniper gathered around the flagpole to answer thought-provoking questions about how colleges and universities can prepare students for thriving careers and lives and to discuss strategies for better aligning education and the workforce of the future.
Campfire: Leadership, Culture + Value-Led Innovation
Campers met up with Christine Whitney Sanchez, Chief Culture Officer, University Technology Office, ASU and Tracey Zimmerman, President, Robots & Pencils for key discussions around the values at the heart of our collective changemaking efforts: equity and inclusion, leadership and student voice.
Session Spotlight: The Power of Investing in Diversity: Entrepreneur Showcase
Nature Walks
Kumbaya
After laughing, learning, dancing, and demo-ing together, campers met up for one last all-camp event to celebrate the experiences, actions, connections and fun of Learning(Hu)Man.
In addition to looking back at memories of the week, Camp Art Director Karina Branson (Conversketch) unveiled her artwork, titled “Our Learning(Hu)Man Map of the Future,” which reflects on the highlighted themes of summer camp, while inspiring and reminding Dreamers, Doers and Drivers of the power they have to accelerate change, empower learner success, and truly shape educational experiences of tomorrow.
Pocket Rocks: Key Learning(Hu)Man Takeaways
While we’ve poured water on the fire for this year’s Learning(Hu)Man summer camp, engagement and learning and memories from Learning(Hu)Man burn bright.
There are many ways for our campers to stay connected, reflect, and continue their journey on the path of lifelong learning, including:
- Watch Session Recordings are continuously being added and available on the ShapingEDU YouTube channel.
- Browse visual notes and graphic facilitation created by Camp Art Director Karina Branson (Conversketch) and Learning(Hu)Man campers.
- Flip through the Learning(Hu)Man Camp Scrapbook, a reflection of campers’ favorite Learning(Hu)Man memories over the week.
- Participate in the badge program and earn digital credentials for participation in ASU Learning(Hu)Man programming. Campers can still earn their credentials after camp is over, along with colleagues who weren’t able to attend camp, making the pocket rocks of Learning(Hu)Man accessible to all.
Additional resources are highlighted on the Learning(Hu)Man Pocket Rocks page.
Camp Reflections
With just two months to plan, the Camp Team excelled at creating a camp experience in which campers could truly immerse themselves and unite. “We were becoming a community that was not only talking about learning, dreaming, and doing, we’re a community that’s now putting these efforts into a much larger social justice context,” said Paul Signorelli, Camp Counselor and Storyteller in Residence for ShapingEDU.
The memories gained, the friendships made, and lessons learned are too great to forget. “It was a hell of an idea on the back of a napkin,” said Lev Gonick. “It was a lot of fun. I hope everybody met somebody new and walked away with new insights, new ideas, and new friendships.”
Campers are encouraged to continue the conversation with their newfound friends from camp on the Learning(Hu)Man Slack channels throughout the year, providing a space for the education changemakers of tomorrow to come together to shape the future of learning in the digital age.
Special thanks to our Co-Conveners, who were also active Camp Counselors and participants in Learning(Hu)Man camp experience.
