I’ve always loved a good mixtape.

In the movie “High Fidelity,” the character Rob (played by John Cusack) explains “the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. First of all, you’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.”
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As anyone who’s ever received a killer mixtape knows: a mixtape can not only introduce you to new music, it can change how you hear the songs you already know.

Mikey’s Mixtapes for SXSW EDU 2018

Mixtape #1: Justice League Teachers
Sessions on equity, race, justice, and inclusion

Including the timely “Let’s Teach About Race,” a panel that will feature elementary school teachers Akiea Gross and Yvonne Tackie mixing it up with a professor and edtech product specialist.

02/13 Mixtape #2: Let the Teacher Drive
Sessions about teacher leadership/partnership in schools, industry, and policy

With featured session “Human Skills for Digital Natives,” presented by middle & high school science teacher JP Connolly and WNYC podcast host & writer Manoush Zomorodi.

02/20 Mixtape #3: Teacher Toy Story
Sessions featuring gaming, design learning, and the maker movement
Including “Toy Hacking, Robotics for the Rest of Us,” led by creative elementary school teachers Sara Boucher and Cicely Day.

02/27 Mixtape #4: The First Ones In
Sessions about teachers as edtech champions & the most important power users in the game
Including the visionary panel “Students Can Build the VR/AR Worlds of the Future,” featuring high school teachers Jordan Budisantoso and Mark Suter.

This article originally appeared on the SXSWedu blog.

Fat Tuesday was packed with great connections here in Austin.

We talked to piles of great people-- check out our twitter feed to meet some of the cool eduratti (thanks for the new word @ericnentrup) we got to hang with today. We also enjoyed the McMillan Lounge (beer) and the Dell/Intel tent (guac). Great things happen when teachers are fed by entrepreneurs (pictured left).

The very chill people of 4.0 Schools threw a great Mardi Gras party. What was better than the free drinks, the beads, and the great food? The fact that the 4.0 crowd had tons of people who were talking about teachers making innovation work. We have to say: it probably shouldn't be uncommon to hear people talking about teachers as rock stars at an education convention. We talked to Bennett from CTQ, Fu and Katie from 4.0, and Richard and Hamish from England. Everybody wanted to talk about teachers. 

Special thanks to Abbie for inviting us. Nothing like seeing a former student running a good party. She totally rocks.

We also ate and drank everything in sight.

Before we pass out, here's our list of acquired targets for tomorrow. Look for us!

9:00am Stop. Collaborate and Listen: Teachers and EdTech Team Up. Heck, we're in just because of the Vanilla Ice reference.
10:30am Startups Should Talk with Researchers and Educators. Yup.
12:00pm Meet the Innovators: Succeeding Against the Odds. Why are the odds so lousy? We want to hear. Plus: title almost a Phil Collins reference.
1:30pm Inspire, Lead, Innovate, Make More, TEACH. They had us at "to help spread the importance of teaching." 
1:30pm How Schools Can Better Discover Tech Tools. "School leaders must consider feedback from end-users- the teachers..." We're down.
3:00pm Women Disruptors of Education. We dig EdSurge- if we make it to this, it'll be to see what skipper Betsy Corcoran has to say. Plus: we like girls. Don't judge.

Austin does Election Day and Mardi Gras, on the same day? This city might be perfect.
Signed, your travolified boys of Teachernomics,
Rhys Orteez and Mark Keezy

This afternoon's speech was bananas. 

Earlier today, Mike Kleba gave his talk "Teachers: Undiscovered Entrepreneurial Rockstars" at SXSWedu. We met a ton of great people and felt the energy of the nation's hottest Educon focused on innovation. Check out @ryanwohara or @mikekleba twitter feeds to see and feel the excitement generating around the idea of #teachernomics here in Austin. T

Our take:  just about everyone here in Austin seems to agree that teachers are the past, present, and future hubs of innovation in education. If the private industry has been the source of reform and innovation in education, teachers have been the developers, implementors, and champions of everything that has worked.

So, where do we go from here?  More sessions, of course.

Here's our list of who we plan to see (or hope to see) while in Austin. Join us as we chase down the EdTech companies, the startups, and the Ed leaders who seem to be working from our Teachernomics premise.  If you want change in Education, work with and for teachers.  It's not a political or moral argument.  It's a logical one.

TUESDAY 03/04 SXSWedu
9:00am Win-Win! Strategies for EdTech/Educator Engagement
9:00am How Do We Get More 'Ed' in EdTech' Development?
3:00pm The Textbook Is Dead- Long Live the Teachers!
3:00pm LAUNCHedu: Educator Insights
4:30pm Tuesday Keynote: Vivienne & Norma Ming

If you think we should be endorsing other sessions, let us know! In the meantime, get out an enjoy Austin. Or whatever place you are in. Chances are, you'll be around some teachers doing great things.

There's a krewe forming in NOLA-- and its parade isn't down Bourbon Street. It's down a classroom hallway.

As you know, the guys of teachernomics (Kleba and O'Hara) are headed to SXSWedu next week.  At Austin's famous and cutting edge educon, we're planning to look for teacher-driven innovations, ideas, organizations, and startups.  

We've got an eye on the cleverly named outfit in New Orleans called the Future of School.

NOLA is a hotbed for EdTech and edupreneurship; it's a city taking advantage of the structural instability in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It's a political hot potato, for sure: advocates of public education (that includes us here at teachernomics!) are weary of the potential frictions of private sector interest. Still, we are very interested in seeing what edu innovation grows in the Mississippi Delta over the next few years. 

What excites us most about Future of School is their current "Challenge" to find great people to run the program. At teachernomics, we know that there is no more important "capital" in any edu innovation than the leadership of great teachers. Here's hoping that those hopeful folks in America's most culturally civilized city will attract and give the reins to great teachers!

Good luck, Future of School!

Want to take Future of School's Challenge?  Or just look at a well-designed pitch for educational innovation? Check out their absolutely gorgeous website at
http://futureofschool.org/

Painting by NOLA artist Diane Millsap