Energy. Ideas. Flexibility. Openness. Learning. Sharing. These are only a few words to capture the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference experience. It is important to note that the focus of #ISTE2014 was not on technology, digital tools, and gadgets but on the larger picture of relevant education topics – opening opportunities for students to learn without the restrictions of straight rows of desks. This is the second in a series of posts on #ISTE2014 takeaways.
For schools to become (or remain) relevant to today’s learning, the use of time (schedules) and space (classrooms, media centers, hallways, lunchrooms, grounds) must be viewed with a different lens, a fresh perspective. And, so it was at #ISTE2014 as reflected in this roundup of sessions provided by Sylvia Martinez of how space is morphing to fit the needs of collaborative pedagogy and student-centered curricula – think Maker Spaces and Learning Commons. For example, take Revere High School in Massachusetts; the 1:1 iPad school adopted flipped learning and revamped library space for a Learning Commons, complete with a Genius Bar, where students earn internship credits for helping others.
While an advocate for collaborative learning spaces for some time, I continue to learn how schools are using “space and time” in new ways for interdisciplinary applications. Check out Bob Pearlman’s examples of innovation labs, maker spaces, and learning commons, along with fab labs, weCreate, and other redefining-learning efforts. These examples, including revamped media centers and classrooms, speak to the collapse of the traditional, industrial age use of time and space in providing a more visionary and relevant curriculum supporting student empowerment.
- Shattuck-St. Mary’s School weCREATE Center, Faribault, MN
- Innovation Lab @Ross School, East Hampton, NY
- The Nueva School – Innovation Lab, Hillsborough, CA
- Quest Academy Innovation Lab, Palatine, IL
- Cushing Academy Innovation Lab, Ashburnham, MA
- Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, Atlanta, GA
- The Innovation Lab of Newton Public Schools, Newton, MA
- Thompson School District Innovation Lab, Loveland, CO
- Da Vinci High School Innovation Lab, Los Angeles, CA
- Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS) STEM Center, St. Louis, MO
- MC² STEM High School FABLAB, Cleveland, Ohio
- Westtown Science Center, Westtown, PA
- The Idea Lab @ Gunn Library, Gunn High School, Palo Alto, CA
Look for further posts on examining the importance of redesigning a school’s use of time and space. Until then, what are you doing in your schools to revamp time and space for learning?
Running the Digital River of Learning 