Where to Start? A Shift In Thinking...

I have been incredibly jazzed over the past few days as I've started the initial process of brainstorming what The New Classroom may look like, specifically mine! As wish lists, goals, and objectives start to pile up in my head, I am also realistic enough to know that there will be roadblocks, and there will be people who say - rightfully so - "how can this plan improve students' learning?"

Here's why it's very fair and valid for people to ask this: It is the whole point (or should be) of everything we do in education! This should be one of the central questions behind any decision-making process..."how can this improve students' learning."

So as I thought about all this today, I read something very encouraging here, highlighting the importance of using  technology not for "edutainment," but rather "edugagement."

I want this to be the force behind my New Classroom. Better yet, I want my New Classroom to be the embodiment of this philosophy. When students walk into my classroom, my goals are simple yet paramount:

• Engagement
• Collaboration
• Creation
• Inquiry
• High-Order Thought

I look forward to the process of research & grant writing for the vision to take shape. Some of the very right people - in my mind - are in my corner on this, and I couldn't be happier. The marriage of design, technology, content, support, and mindset can make the New Classroom a place for 21st-Century and beyond learning to happen on a daily basis.

More updates as they come...