EdNet Presentation -- Chicago, Sep 11, 2007

This past September I participated on a panel at the EdNet 2007 conference in Chicago. The topic was "The Future of the Instructional Materials Market". I have made a Quicktime movie of the presentation slides with a recording of the presentation here. I welcome any comments!

Idea for a charter high school

This diagram is the Partnership for 21st Century Skills' updated scheme for the theme of 21st century learning. The core is "Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes". Surrounding that is "Life and Career Skills", "Learning and Innovation Skills" (which includes collaboration, creativity and critical thinking), and "Information, Media and Technology Skills".

Picking up the theme of my last post, about the cost of an online high school education, I'd like to make a proposal for a "21st Century" charter school in Portland Public Schools (or anywhere else for that matter).

The core curriculum would be handled with online courses from BYU.edu (or an equivalent provider of accredited HS coursework).

The environment would be similar to a modern office space, with places for people to work independently, in small groups, and in larger groups. Technology, in the form of computers, networks, printers, telephones, etc. would be provided much like an office.

Students would be allowed to work at their own pace and in their own order through the required and elective classes provided online. They could come to the "school" (probably leased space in an office building) any time it is open and work on the computers there. They could also do the course work at home or anywhere else, any time they'd like.

The day at school would be organized around A) the need for independent study on the core courses, and B) projects that are designed to help students utilize their knowledge and skills in a collaborative "real world" environment.

The projects would be initially designed and managed by the faculty. Each project would have a specific desired outcome, including a report on how the project went and what it accomplished. The definition of the project would require an articulation of the skillsets needed to complete the project, and positions on the project teams would be posted. Students who met the criteria would be welcome to apply for the positions. Every student would be guaranteed participation in some reasonable number of projects per year.

The nature of the projects could run the gamut, from identifying ecological volunteer opportunities and planning and executing the project, to doing a marketing program for a local non-profit or small business, to designing and selling a product or service. The point of the project is to provide a "real world" experience for students to apply their abilities to, with a real outcome that they can evaluate. Feedback on performance would be given to each student in a way that is reminiscent of the feedback employees in a company or non-profit organization gets.

The faculty would be there to A) provide counseling and direction for students, B) provide tutoring on course work that students need help on, and C) to plan and facilitate the project work of the students.

With the online coursework, students would complete the requirements for a state valid high school diploma. In addition, the students would have a portfolio of projects that they have completed which demonstrates their ability to apply their knowledge, to think creatively, and to work collaboratively.

This type of high school experience would meet many if not all of the goals of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and would provide a dramatically different high school experience for the students involved.

I'm wondering if there are other models out there that are similar to what I'm describing here. I do know about High Tech High in California. I'd love to learn more about these schools, especially from people who have experienced them.

The bottom line for me is that there seems to be plenty of building blocks to put together the kind of high school experience that is envisioned by the P21 work. Maybe the idea I've proposed here (or a variant of it) would help in the transformation we're looking for.