The rapid expansion of sophisticated Internet technologies — convergence of Cloud computing, social networking, games, and virtual spaces all accessible on mobile devices — is shifting practice in innovative K–12 schools. Unfortunately, districts are largely going it alone in fragmented and sub-scale ways (Keeping Up Report, 2011).
The new reality in preparing our students for life in the 21st century centers on understanding that the workforce they’re entering is global, and required literacy skills are multimodal and digital. Traditionalists who insist on “old-fashioned schooling” organized around the teacher-as-expert and students as passive recipients of standard curricula aren’t realistic about what’s currently required for success in the real world.
Educators without Borders is working with customers to re-imagine learning. We are working to bridge between youth culture and digital media to create 21st Century Personal Learning Environments (PLE) where students are self-directing. Students must be able to create their own informal collaborative groups, working towards a common learning goal, bouncing ideas off one another, exploring concepts, and expanding on their understanding of those ideas and concepts are things that seem to come naturally out of the mere availability of collaborative learning spaces and the resulting opportunities for informal collaborations by small groups of students. A typical PLE, for example, might incorporate blogs where students comment on what they are learning, and their posts may reflect information drawn from across the web—on sites like YouTube or in RSS feeds from news agencies. Dave uses Project-Based Learning (PBL) to drive PLEs (www.hightechhigh.org).
Educators without Borders has developed and submitted a design for a Virginia Department of Education College Partnership Lab School Implementation grant that uses PBL to create PLEs. It will build on the Lab School Planning grant awarded to Charlotte County Public Schools and Longwood University to field a mature rural teacher residency program. It is also supports North Carolina's Union County Public Schools development of PLEs. Finally, it is is a partner with Advanced Learning Partnerships, Dell's North American Professional Learning provider to develop high-level consultancies in districts and states across the nation.
Educators without Borders has designed a US Department of Education Teacher Quality Partnership grant for Nova Southeastern University and Broward County Public Schools that score in the top five nationally in 2014. It has also designed and authored a US Department of Education i3 Developmental grant for Nova Southeastern University and Broward County Public Schools that was one of only 108 highly rated 2015 i3 Developmental grant pre-applications invited to submit a full application.
The new reality in preparing our students for life in the 21st century centers on understanding that the workforce they’re entering is global, and required literacy skills are multimodal and digital. Traditionalists who insist on “old-fashioned schooling” organized around the teacher-as-expert and students as passive recipients of standard curricula aren’t realistic about what’s currently required for success in the real world.
Educators without Borders is working with customers to re-imagine learning. We are working to bridge between youth culture and digital media to create 21st Century Personal Learning Environments (PLE) where students are self-directing. Students must be able to create their own informal collaborative groups, working towards a common learning goal, bouncing ideas off one another, exploring concepts, and expanding on their understanding of those ideas and concepts are things that seem to come naturally out of the mere availability of collaborative learning spaces and the resulting opportunities for informal collaborations by small groups of students. A typical PLE, for example, might incorporate blogs where students comment on what they are learning, and their posts may reflect information drawn from across the web—on sites like YouTube or in RSS feeds from news agencies. Dave uses Project-Based Learning (PBL) to drive PLEs (www.hightechhigh.org).
Educators without Borders has developed and submitted a design for a Virginia Department of Education College Partnership Lab School Implementation grant that uses PBL to create PLEs. It will build on the Lab School Planning grant awarded to Charlotte County Public Schools and Longwood University to field a mature rural teacher residency program. It is also supports North Carolina's Union County Public Schools development of PLEs. Finally, it is is a partner with Advanced Learning Partnerships, Dell's North American Professional Learning provider to develop high-level consultancies in districts and states across the nation.
Educators without Borders has designed a US Department of Education Teacher Quality Partnership grant for Nova Southeastern University and Broward County Public Schools that score in the top five nationally in 2014. It has also designed and authored a US Department of Education i3 Developmental grant for Nova Southeastern University and Broward County Public Schools that was one of only 108 highly rated 2015 i3 Developmental grant pre-applications invited to submit a full application.