In his Ted Talk, Hackschooling Makes Me Happy, eleven-year-old Logan LaPlante uses the metaphor of skiing to describe his education. He says, “skiing is freedom, and so is my education. It’s about being creative, doing things differently, it’s about community and helping each other. It’s about being happy and healthy among my very best friends.” Logan began his hackschooling education when he was eight years old. After watching the Ted Talk, Do Schools Kill Creativity, by Sir Ken Robinson, Logan’s mother felt compelled to take him out of traditional school and try something different. The result is amazing! Logan is enthusiastic, energetic and excited about learning. He quotes Sir Ken, saying, “creativity is as important as literacy and should be treated with the same status.” Logan’s describes hackers as “innovators, who challenge and change the system to make it work differently, to make it work better.” He calls his education “opportunistic” and says he’s “not afraid to take shortcuts or hacks to get a better, faster result.” He says that when a person is motivated to learn they can get a lot done in a short amount of time.
Logan’s community (Squaw Valley, CA) plays a large part in his education. He has interned at a ski and ski clothing manufacturer, learning about business, production and even sewing. He works at the ski slopes, learning about science and weather and recreation. His hacker mindset propels his creativity as he takes advantage of any and every opportunity to learn. What he is doing is experiential learning at its best! Go Logan!
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AuthorWelcome to my blog! I am about all things active. I look forward to learning how to blog this semester in EDSS 5521! Archives
April 2016
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