A New Culture of Learning 

A New Culture of Learning in the Classroom?

Can a shift from traditional learning, to CSLE, enhance learning for our students? 

Yes, creating a significant learning environment for students will meet the needs of today's learners, utilize and enhance their current technology skills, and fuel their enthusiasm as they take ownership of the process. ​

What are problems that will be addresses by creating a significant learning environment?

• Students will be engaged and not bored

• Technology and the internet will be used as tools for education

• Collaboration with peers and communities of learners will be common place learning opportunities

• Students will take ownership of their learning as the teacher becomes a facilitator instead of lecturer

How will CSLE impact and influence my innovation plan?

     Times have changed! We, as teachers, cannot expect to be viewed as the fountain of knowledge when Google is readily available with a plethora of information. We are basically just student facilitators. Google Gatekeepers, if you will, helping students navigate and select reliable resources, then analyze the information. 

    With the implementation of the ePortfolio plan, my classroom will become learner-centered. The classroom will take on the air of casual yet enthusiastic vibes, as students make decisions about how they will develop their own ePortfolio. Students that are artistically inclined can learn how to incorporate their artwork into their ePortfolio as their personality shines forth! Since the students will be highly engaged, free to choose how to set it up,  and the topic is "SELF", they will create with enthusiasm. 

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What will be the main challenges and how will they be addressed?

• CHALLENGE #1-Allotting time for the students to work on their ePortfolio 

  • I will build that time into the daily schedule and then allow them to work on it after classwork is complete

• CHALLENGE #2 -Being prepared to facilitate in class and online learners equitably

  • Set up an online meeting/conference with all students during scheduled ePortfolio time​

• CHALLENGE #3 - Getting other teachers and staff  on board with the plan 

  • Choose some model teachers that are interested to volunteer and then get them excited and committed to the Wildly Important Goal ​(WIG)

• CHALLENGE #4 - Make sure that students have a good platform and their technology needs are met. 

  • Seek assistance, approval, and advice from my contact in our Technology dept. 

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What fundamental ideas from A New Culture of Learning will you bring into your learning environment? How will you do this?

"Play, questioning and imagination are at the heart of arc of life learning." as stated in their book, “A New Culture of Learning” by Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown. 

• Play - "Play is about failing a lot. ... Play gives you a kind of reservoir of knowledge about the world that then you can deploy experimentally in different ways for the next challenge and on down the line. Play involves a lot of tinkering, a lot of experimentation." (Thomas, 2011)

• Questioning - Inquiry is where the interest begins! Finding the answers to questions ignites interest in the students and builds a knowledge base as they explore the vast resources that are available on the internet.

• Imagination - games spark the creativity allowing an entirely new level of intrigue in interest for the students. "What if?" spurs them into deeper interest in the topic

I was deeply surprised at the level of interest, learning, evaluating, synthesizing data, and the intense involvement that takes place during online gaming. ( I am not a gamer). My goal is to harness that "geeking" game power and have students pour it into their ePortfolios. I have decided to enlist the students' help to come up with a friendly gaming concept incorporating ePortfolio work. Something that will be engaging and allow them to interact with each other. Who better to ask than the gaming experts? The students!