Can this be a 21st Century Classroom? ... IT IS!!

photo credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/yewenyi/

The Connecting within the Unconnected Classroom Project (tag:cuc2) is a professional learning experience bringing together educators from around the world to investigate strategies and tools to leverage effective application of 21st Century Skills in classrooms with limited technology and connectivity. Ideally, the team we would like to assemble will include educators from many diverse regions of the globe whom display three types of expertise (based on TPCK): (1) Pedagogy Knowledge regardless of technology skill (2) Technology Knowledge, regardless of teaching skill and (3) teachers with deep content knowledge.

Anyone interested in joining the team should go to the Classroom 2.0 Ning and sign on to the "Unconnected Classroom Group" by posting an introductory message. If you know of someone who fits the type ofeducator we would like to target for team members, please send along their email or other other contact info. to susanDOTlisterATnewmediaworkshopsDOTcom so that a personal invite can be sent.

Goals of the Project

This group is being set up to explore how technology-limited and poorly connected classrooms, schools and districts can focus on 21st Century Skills.
Along with investigating the issues surrounding 21st Century Skills pedogogy in technology-limited and poorly connected jurisdictions around the world, the team will work towards designing and applying interventions for classroom use. It is hoped that through this initiative, a group of educators will discover various ways to incorporate 21st Century Skills that do not necessarily rely on technology or connectivity.

This project can help limited technology and connectivity (LT/C) classrooms to address 21st Century Learning by investigating two ends of the technology in the classroom spectrum:

1. What are the indicators of a school system or classroom that is 'most ready' for technology integration? In this case, our task could be to devise a professional learning scheme for teachers and schools to work towards achieving the indicators.
2. What can a classroom with limited technology and connectivity do 'today' to help prepare students' 21st Century Skills? For this scenario, the team could identify a professional learning track and subsequent learning activities that teachers can apply in their classrooms, without the need of extra technology or connectivity.

Both items above do not have to exclusively applied, in fact, the greatest impact might result from solutions that can address both points.

One of our 'side' goals couldbe to present our findings at the K-12 Online Conference, October 20-31st, 2008 (free, online) however, depending on the interest of the group, many other spin-offs could occur including professional learning opportunities, an on-going community of learners, learning artifacts such as demonstrations, videos, presentations, etc. that will extend the life and impact of the project.

What Could Success look like?

Active participation in the storming/forming discussions
Thorough feedback on the proposal artifacts available on a variety of social websites and through email.
Proposal is sent into the K-12 Online Conference site showing:

• Buy in and support from a number of participants across a wide spectrum of global educators.
• A good tie in to the K-12 Online Conference themes
• A willingness from global participants to get actively involved in the production of the final presentation.

Several initiatives, interventions, lessons, etc. are attempted in our target classrooms.
A permanent resource is produced to inform others in similar situations.
If the K-12 Online conference proposal is accepted, an actual presentation for the conference is produced that:

• Meets the conference specifications including a length of 20 minutes.
• Incorporates several collaborative activities to ensure the voice of unconnected and tech-limited educators are heard.

A wiki is produced to support the conference presentation to encourage participation in the topic, among a wider audience
If the proposal is not accepted, the group will find an alternative culminating activity for their explorations and still follow through on the proposed classroom initiatives.

What Type of Solutions are We Looking for?

The main idea is to work at solutions that are rooted in the following:

• Based on sound academic principles
• Cognizant of the financial and political agendas for education reform
• Contextualized

(these principles are loosely connected to 3 of the "Lessons Learned" as posted by George Siemens).

Who Should Get Involved?

Interested in developing a short-term (for now) community of the following:

• K-12 Educators teaching in classrooms like our sample classroom
• Educators who are training teachers for environments similar to our sample classroom
• Education Technologists who are interested in the challenge of assisting teachers who are operating in technology-limited and poorly connected classrooms, schools, districts. (Or those currently operating in such)
• Technology-Savvy teachers who teach from connected and high-tech classrooms and want the challenge of helping teachers not in your situation.
• Teachers who are in unconnected and low-tech classroom who apply 21st Century learning literacies.
• Anyone who has experience or an interestin participatory action research

Why Might You Want to get Involved?

Everyone:

• Work on a global 6 month project that focuses on attempting to find solutions for students in developing countries.
• An opportunity to try out new ideas and teaching methods in the classroom.
• Contribute to the professional culture of teaching at your school
• Possibility of meaning and lasting change in your own practice, your students’ learning and your school.

If you are in a low-tech/low-connectivity situation:

• Collaborate with teachers in similar situations but in different geographic locations
• Engage in a professional learning experience with teachers from different backgrounds focussing on solutions for the low-tech/connectivity classroom.
• Opportunity to increase your own technology and web 2.0 skills
• If English is your second language, this project will provide authentic english usage opportunities

If you are an Educational Technologist or promoter of technology in the Classroom:

• Embrace the challenge of reducing elearning to its essence – that of learning
• Share your technology skills by applying them to situations of low-technology and connectivity

If you are a teacher applying 21st Century Learning Literacies in a low-tech/connectivity classroom:

• Share your ideas and methodologies with a group of keenly interested teachers
• Learn ways of adapting minimal technologies to your situation

Ways you can get involved…

Sign up for the Classroom 2.0 Ning Community - Unconnected Classroom Project Group (first link below...make sure to add your twitter/Skype/Email ID so that other group members can contact you). Next, add the special interest group called “Unconnected Classroom”. Once you’re a part of the Classroom 2.0 environment, get involved in the “Unconnected Classroom” discussions!

Classroom 2.0 Ning - The Unconnected Classroom Project Group
It is here where we will gather members, have our main discussions and post about realtime meetings.
Connecting within the Unconnected Classroom Main Project Site
This site is set up to be a "Visual Snapshot" of what's happening in the project. It is set up to accept RSS feeds from the many social areas of the project.
Diigo Group for Collecting and Discussing Bookmarks
This is where you will find an annotated collection of the resources for the team. There is also an opportunity to add to the annotations or start a discussion based on the topic.
Project Brainstorming Mindmap
A place to brainstorm issue exploration, project organization, etc.
Flickr CUC2 Group
This area has been set up for Collecting Photos of Classrooms in our target group as well as exemplar ways to use technologies and no-tech teaching methods.
CUC2 - Media Site -
Collection of Videos and Podcasts which will help inform our discussions and activities

Skype a group member, organize a skype conference, lead a skypecast. Send your Skype ID to sl_info (Susan Lister) and I will maintain a list of group members

If you are a Twitter member and tweet about the UnConnected Classroom use the hashtag #cuc2. You can search the group’s tweets by going here: http://hashtags.org/tag/cuc2/

Share your experiences within the project and when you do, add the tag “CUC2” to any postings, photos, slideshows, and documents.
Upload photos of classrooms and other learning spaces that are similar to our ‘sample classroom’ and reflect the learning possible in those situations. Conversely, post photos of classrooms that support high-tech/connectivity learning. Add these artifacts to our Flikr group

Host a virtual meeting and invite others from the community to join – post meeting times, agenda & URL on the wiki and within the Ning Group environment. Request feedback on your meeting before it happens and after.

Host a f2f meeting in your region. Post your agenda on the wiki & ning and request feedback prior to and immediately after meeting. If you hold a meeting where this initiative is discussed, post a copy of your minutes in our wiki.

Add to the Project’s MindMap

Why Am I Doing This?

My last collaborative global project was very fulfilling
After many international consulting gigs, I want to explore the issue of effective technology integration with a mix of technology-oriented and non-technical people from diverse backgrounds around the globe. I especially wanted a way to amplify the voices I have heard in the field and the situations I have come across that are so different from my North American experiences.
I like challenges:

• trying to connect with the unconnected is particularly intriguing.
• must take my technology-centric way of teaching and re-focus on the essence of learning.

I’m curious about the “participatory approach” to action research (see ???)
I worry about the shift towards online tools and social communities and want to play a part in limiting a greater digital divide occurring between the have’s and have-not’s by emphasizing 21st Century Soft-Skill development that does not focus on an internet connection nor high-tech.
I believe that the technology can provide a jumping board for change in the classroom but re-vitalizing the teaching profession through mentoring, recognition and knowledge-sharing can also be very effective.

FEARS

Initiative is looked as “anti-technology” rather than a focus on preparatory steps while awaiting tech-rich world inclusion
Relaxes the drive to get technology and connectivity to those needing it.
The actual tech-limited/connection poor education community is not heard and therefore discussion is only filtered through westerners like me. This could be a result of the impossibility of reaching the ‘unconnected’ due to connectivity problems or language (admittedly, without support, the conversation will be skewed toward english).

Proposed Process and Timeline

The K-12 Online Conference Proposal

Our goal is for our K12proposal to meet the following requirements :
Relevance -

Significance

Originality

High Quality

Clearly Written

Please help us reach our goal by providing feedback or insights for the proposal as it is developed within the wiki on this page: ??????

Possible Project Spin-Off’s

A Collaborative Participatory Action Research Paper is written
Other workshop and mentoring possibilities are created
An ongoing community of practice is created by those wishing to continue investigations, innovations and investigations to meet the needs of teachers and students in technology & connectivity limited classrooms or schools