Classroom Refit

In the Fall of 2005 we set on a course to redesign our Lab. Stark white walls, bright florescent lights and desks facing all in a row were equally displeasing to students as it was to me. We used the following statement as a guide:

" Nobody sets themselves up like this to work at home."

We sought out the following:

New colors: Visually interesting, soothing, diverse appearance in grades of light.

Lighting: Indirect lighting controllable by each user. Low wattage bulbs. Our goal was to use less energy than the traditional overhead lighting.

Furniture: Comfortable seating. Thanks to Brian Gawlik, that was already accomplished. We have comfortble rolling chairs with lifetime warranties.

Room layout: Promote collaboration between folks and not a teacher centric layout. Create creative challenges to public speaking. Organization was a key factor: We needed storage space to accommodate so many diverse projects and materials, reduce clutter and fit in our space.

We did it!

Thanks to the efforts of three RLab classes, folks in eDesign, detailed cost sheets, student and faculty labor, and a resolve to create a clear, concise proposal our plan was accepted.

Here's a pdf summary of our work.

Acceptable Use Policy* Proposal: * retitled: Network Usage Agreement

In many institutions the Acceptabe Use Policy (AUP) is used to explain access to network services, internet filtering practices and also to outline expectations as to how those services will be used.

Discussions on changing the AUP at Burr and Burton to be less restrictive to web research, communication and web 2.0 technologies began in the Fall of 2006. Students in the Research Lab contributed to discussions and in the Fall of 2007 a formal proposal was presented to the administration for review.

We are pleased to announce that on Wednesday March 26th, 2008 our AUP Draft was accepted by the administration to be implemented in the labs in the Media Arts and Sciences department labs. These changes will lead to a deeper understanding of web technologies, communication and the moral and ethical use of this incredibly powerful medium.

Here are some quotes we found quite fitting for the occasion.

" For us, no matter how deeply we immerse ourselves in new technology, it will always have a certain provisional quality. Those of us with considerable real-world experience are often at an advantage relative to young people, who are comparative novices in the way the world works. The mistakes novices make come from a lack of experience. They overestimate mere fads, seeing revolution everywhere, and they make this kind of mistake a thousand times before they learn better. But in times of revolution, the experienced among us make the opposite mistake. When a real once-in-a-lifetime change comes along, we are at risk of regarding it as a fad.

…young people are taking better advantage of social tools, extending their capabilities in ways that violate old models not because they know more useful things than we do but because they know fewer useless things than we do. I’m old enough to know a lot of things just from life experience. I know that newspapers are where you get your political news and how you look for a job. I know that music comes from stores. I know that if you want to have a conversation with someone, you call them on the phone. I know that complicated things like software and encyclopedias have to be created by professionals. In the last fifteen years I’ve had to unlearn every one of those things and a million others, because they have stopped being true. I’ve become like the grown-ups arguing in my local paper about calculators; just as it took them a long time to realize that calculators were never going away, those of us old enough to remember a time before social tools became widely available are constantly playing catch-up. Meanwhile my students, many of whom are fifteen years younger than I am, don’t have to unlearn those things, because they never had to learn them in the first place.

The advantage of youth, however, is relative, not absolute. Just as everyone eventually came to treat the calculator as a ubiquitous and invisible tool, we are all coming to take our social tools for granted as well. Our social tools are dramatically improving our ability to share, cooperate and act together. As everyone from working biologists to angry air passengers adopts those tools, it is leading to an epochal change."

Clay Shirky: From the book 'Here Comes Everybody'

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long.

We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing things, because we're curious...

and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Walt Disney

Many thanks to all for working this through, especially to the Research Lab students. While some of us may disagree, the trick in education is to keep moving forward. Using our collective ingenuity we can accomplish great things. Adam

Creative Spirit

Originally posted by Apple. We think quite highly of it.

Here’s to the crazy ones.

The misfits...The rebels....The troublemakers.

The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They’re not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,

disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They invent...They imagine...They heal.

They explore...They create...They inspire.

They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?

Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?

Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

While some see them as the crazy ones,

we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think

they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Bibliography...

Here are some books (electronic or conventional) we've found helpful. A mixture of MLA and APA formatting...

Allen, David. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Penguin (Non-Classics) (December 31, 2002).

Brafman, Ori and Beckstrom, Rod A. The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations (Portfolio Hardcover 5 October 2006).

Battelle, John. The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture. Portfolio Trade (October 3, 2006).

Birchall, Clare, Knowledge Goes Pop: From Conspiracy Theory to Gossip. Berg Publishers; English Ed edition (5 September 2006). Bell, Brenda, John Gaventa, and John Peters, eds. We Make the Road by Walking; Conversations Between Miles Horton and Paulo Freire. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.

Benjamin, A. (2002). Differentiated Instruction: A Guide for Middle and High School Teachers. Larchmont NY: Eye on Education.

Brin, Sergey and Page, Lawrence Page. The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine. <>

Brooks, J.G. & Brooks, M.G.. (1999) The Search for Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms. Alexandria VA: ASCD.

Christensen, Clayton M., Johnson, Curtis W., Horn, Michael. Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (Hardcover). McGraw-Hill Professional (1 Jun 2008).

Cuban, L. Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.

Dewey, John. Experience and Education. Scribner Paper Fiction (February 1, 1963).

Henkin, David M. The Postal Age: The Emergence of Modern Communications in Nineteenth-Century America (Hardcover). University Of Chicago Press (November 15, 2006).

Holt, J. (1975) How Children Learn. New York: Pitman Publishing.

Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good for You. Riverhead Trade; 1ST edition (May 2, 2006).

Johnstone, Bob. Never Mind the Laptops: Kids, Computers, and the Transformation of Learning. iUniverse (August 2003)


Kamenetz, Anya. DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education (Kindle Edition). Chelsea Green Publishing (April 1, 2010)

Kawasaki, Guy. Selling the Dream. Collins; Reprint edition (August 3, 1992).

Kohl, Alfie. The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools. Heinemann; 1 edition (September 1, 2000).

Kralovec, Etta. The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning. Beacon Press (July 2000).

Minnich, Elizabeth Kamarck. Transforming Knowledge. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.

Ohanian, Susan. Caught in the Middle: Nonstandard Kids and a Killing Curriculum. Heinemann (January 18, 2001).

O’Reilly, Tim. What Is Web 2.0
 ? Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software.

Published 30 September 2005

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html?page=1

Papert, Seymour. The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer. Basic Books; Reprint edition (May 1994)

Postman. N. (1995). The End of Education: Refining the Value of School. New York: Knopf.

Raloff, Janet, Errant Texts: Why Some Schools May Not Want To Go By The Book, Science News Online, 17 March 2001, <>

Sarason, Seymour B. And What Do You Mean by Learning?. Heinemann (January 12, 2004).

Sheekey, A.D. ed. (2003). How to Ensure Ed/Tech is not Oversold and Underused. Lanham MD: Scarecrow Education Books.

Sizer, T. (2004) Horace’s Compromise: The Dilemma of the American High School. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Sizer, T. R. (1993). Horace’s School: Redesigning the American High School. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Smith, Frank. Unspeakable Acts, Unnatural Practices: Flaws and Fallacies in Scientific Reading Instruction. Heinemann (August 4, 2003).

Swope, Kathy. Failing Our Kids: Why the Testing Craze Won't Fix Our Schools. Rethinking Schools Ltd (October 1, 2000).

Tapscott, Dan and Williams, Anthony D, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. (New York: Portfolio, 2006)

Wiebe Bijker and John Law, eds. Shaping Technology / Building Society: Studies in Sociotechnical Change. The MIT Press (September 29, 1994).

Speakers and Trips

We invite guest speakers into the lab to speak to students about the 'real world.' Our guest speakers reveal to students how they got started, the trials of solving problems and how they aspire to move forward.

It's rather easy to see how successful someone may be. It's another thing altogether to discover how they got there.

Speakers:

Doris and Geoffrey Woodward: Taft Design

Rich Ortiz

Trips:

We are looking to take trips in the near future to visit innovative businesses, schools, architecture and people. Stay tuned for listings:

Trip proposals in development:

MIT

Proposals our classes have made to create opportunity

It all started in 2005 with a proposal to change the department classrooms...


Our discussions here in the Lab uncover opportunities for educational growth at Burr and Burton (and other schools / districts). 


We believe that as things evolve... and so must our ideas, our policies, and and our opportunities.


The links below lead to proposals we've made to the Administration that have set positive educational changes in motion at our school... and at many others.


We thrilled that many of these proposals have led to positive educational changes at other schools as well. We've hosted many site visits and entertained many phone calls / conference calls on these subjects and presented at a host of conferences on these items below.

Pending

Accepted

A Laptop for Every Student (2006) Educational equity. Creative capacity at your fingertips.

Student for a Day: Asking teachers to step into the shoes of a student can have a powerful impact. It's already opened up some great conversations about the whole scope of a student day including school start time, schedule, lunch, transition times, extra-curricular activities, and the perspective of students having multiple jobs (classes) per day. Do we have the best schedule for students? Here's our original proposal, the teaser trailer we played at assembly, and the full video (11 minutes, 2 seconds). Senior Seminar Course: If we're increasing our capacity to communicate with technology and social media, then it's logical that we place more emphasis on learning communication skills. We proposed we do this by tackling some of the gaps for Seniors as they head out into the world: Personal finance, health, aging... the practical advice folks need to make the transition from high school into the world. How can you leverage these great social media tools into learning and building support and idea networks? We proposed a new course called 'Social Networking: A Senior Seminar' that spins all these ideas together. Student Help Desk and Training Program: We proposed integrating students into a Help Desk program that provides tech service and professional development (PD) to adults and peers on campus. iGoogle Reactivation: After a couple students used the iGoogle service inappropriately it was decided to block the tool from use. We made a proposal to reinstate the service. Restoring functionality: Promoting discussion and education on use rather than denial of service. Google Apps: We proposed the school switch email systems back in 2005. The switch saved the school a great deal of money and opened up collaboration tools on campus. Students lead Blog and Wiki Professional Development for faculty and staff. Tech Internship: We proposed a program to start up  advanced IT internships for students. Hardware and Networking Lab and Tech Refurb Program: We set up a program to recondition old computers for students to take home. Acceptable Use Policy: Internet access was very restricted on our campus. We made a proposal to shift our thinking about such practices. Classroom refit: This was our first effort to make a proposal as a class to the administration. We wanted to change the look of the 'typical classroom.' back to: creativeStir / Including Students in PD

Open Source and Free!

Open Source & Free

We use a large variety of Open Source (free!) software in the lab and continually look for new titles to suit our needs and the needs of our students. Below you'll find links to some of the favorites here.

Google Docs: Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Presentations online. Built in collabroation (sharing) and publishign features too. Google announced on March 31st 2008 that they will incorporate 'offline' features too.

- Photoshop Express! Online Photoshop.

- Jott: Call a service and Jott transcribes your message (voice to text) to your email, others in your address book and even groups. Thanks to Brian Gawlik!

Google Apps: We've featured the evolution of this service (Gmail for Domains, Google for Domains and now Google Apps) here before. Amazing tools hoted by Google under your domain name... all free. Featured in 'Proposals' too.

- Sprout: "Sprout is a quick and easy way for beginner and pro users to create living content including, websites, banners, videos, music, photos, RSS feeds, calendars and more." Quite cool!


Categories: You'll get the idea.

- A centralized open source software listing for macs (not all, but many great titles here). Here's another that has more titles as well.

- SubEthaEdit: Edit live with peers and use it to create code. The new verison cost, the old verison is free!

- A free version of the most powerful animation software (Maya Personal Learning Edition) in the world.

- A free music theory tutorial - one of many - but a pretty decent one.
- Free online banner / title effect generator. Easy way to make signs in quick order. Options for buttons, patterns, fonts, etc. One of many, but this engine generates decent quality.

Office Suites: Over 62 million (and counting) have downloaded Open Office.

- Open Office: Word processor, spreadsheet, etc with much of the same functionality of Microsoft Office.
- Nearly free, but worth a serious look: Star Office by Sun Microsystems.

- ZOHO: Create documents, wikis, presentations... most everything online. Free. Thanks Galen! - Star Office vs Microsoft Office. A comprehensive review by eWeek

- Open Workbench Project Management Software ! A great alternative to Microsoft Project.

- Free web editor: NVU (Very similar to FrontPage).

- Free classic books online. More titles than you'd think. Also available in a format for PDAs (Palmreader).
- Sourceforge: Battled tested software on the open source market. No kidding.

- Online 'photoshop' style editing at Fauxto
- Gimp: 80% of the functionality of Photoshop at no charge (PC and Mac).
- Paint.Net: Another Photoshop clone with some great functionality (PC Only). NEW !

- Audacity: Free sound editing software.
- Remember KidPix ? Try this one: TuxPaint.
- iPodder

Google: Powerful Ideas. Powerful Tools. Free Stuff.

Google Docs: Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Presentations online. Built in collabroation (sharing) and publishign features too. Google announced on March 31st 2008 that they will incorporate 'offline' features too.

- Got code ? Search open source programming code through this Google engine. NEW !

- 3D Modeling for free: Sketchup.
Includes a 'Warehouse' of pre-existing models. Snaps with Google Earth.

- Here's a list of all the Google innovations.

Innovation

Innovation

The list below can lead to some good surfing. We haven't updated this list in quite a while (since 2007). It was a running list back in the day of links we liked from our 'Current Events' and class explorations. Some links may no longer be active. Never know what you might find if you start looking!

------------
+

Tour ancient Rome in Google Earth: http://earth.google.com/rome/index.html
Aptera in October... now this is an interesting car.
New education model and a new building: New Horizons Academy
The next step in insulation ? Incredible results may just come from Areogel
Collect sunlight and deliver it with low cost optics.
A new version of commuting: Cisco "telepresence"

A new innovation to purify water (and pretty promising): http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/colbert-and-kam.html

The quest to extend human life: http://www.methuselahfoundation.org

World's Smallest Projector (At least at the time we put this up). The Microvision PicoP.

The Duke University Smart House Project


Search Engines:

We posted a these in 2006 (and added a few here and there) but it's time to reintroduce these in the Lab. We've added another that has sprung up as well in 'TouchGraph.com'. Organizing data is one of the major challenges on the desktop and especially on the web. The following search engines are taking standard web searches into a new realm of category / visual organization.

TouchGraph.com
Move the mouse over the binoculars to get a site preview. You'll see: http://www.ask.com

Google's new search engine experiment: http://www.searchmash.com

There's a new Flash version of SearchMash as well.

http://turbo10.com (does not work in the Safari web browser)

http://www.mooter.com

http://www.kartoo.com

http://www.ujiko.com

http://www.rollyo.com
http://www.sputtr.com (New! Thanks, Friar Naples!)
http://alltop.com
http://www.cuil.com (New! Thanks Friar Grossfeld!)
http://www.symmetri.com/searchcube 3D Search Cube!

ePaper is back in the News. An interesting article on the history and future of the product.

We highlighted 'Electronic Ink' some time ago. Here's another company on working on the project.

A new pen based on old technology that needs no ink!

A recent article on the 'Seven Wonders of the World.'

Table top computing: Microsoft Surface.

Solar powered wi-fi ! Innovative technology for rural areas. Great news for laptop.org !

A new version of the eyes that follow your mouse on a desktop... on a web page. Submitted by Paige W.

Frozen Smoke that might change the world ? Submitted by Paige W.

Cancer fighting drug found in dirt.

Kryptonite!

A look inside the One Laptop Per Child movement and the people working on it.

Silencing overactive neurons with pulses of light ! Innovations on the path toward curing epilepsy, Parkinson's and more.

How can pizza dough be good for you ?

A debate on chat lingo in education.

A great summary by Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, on the state of digital music and related licensing.

Gaming in the classsroom. Right game for the right class.

iPod use in the classroom.

USB sticks and open source software issued to 175,000 students in France.

Multi-touch displays on the horizon.

Looking to ban conventional light bulbs in California . Submitted by Paige M.

Diet by Genome. A new way of looking at the food pyramid. Submitted by Craig W.

iPod technology in Major League Baseball. Think things are changing ?

The BatSuit technology revealed !

Use a Mac as an alarm clock. Welcome to scripting and the power of Automator.

Controlling the speed of light !

- A crucial time for the new global laptop initiative.

- Power devices wirelessly through flexiable electronics.

- New sound chip may revolutionize what we hear.
- New bios chip from Intel named 'Robson' revolutionizes the way computers will boot, which is fantastic news.

- NASA announces plans to establish a base on the moon by 2024.

- Times are changing ! Ever think you could carry your phone on a usb keychain ? Now you can. Vonage V-Phone.

- Seen the del.icio.us bookmark system on the web ? Ever want to keep your bookmarks with you ? Ever want a better way to organize your bookmarks ? Much like photo databases have done for years with tags (meta tags / descriptive information for each photo), del.icio.us organizes your bookmarks in a better way. http://del.icio.us

- What's going on in your basement ? Michigan teen builds a fusion reactor !

- Virtual education: MMOs, RPGs and broadband exploration for teaching classes at Harvard U. Here's another article on the initiative.

- Ever think you could teach a dolphin the Batman theme song ?

- Air gutiar shirt. Submitted by James Lapointe.
- Sleep in a floating bed.
- Concrete that eats pollution ?

- Use solar power to charge your iPod. Great technology sent in by Mr. Sheets.
- A great followup on the Tesla (electric) roadster from howstuffworks.
- Lightsaber ! An entertaining view of how these mythical sci-fi sabers might work.

- Technology Review previews initiatives that could shape the future.
- A new article from PM on Hydrogen energy.
- A laptop for every school child in Libya !

- New technologies in surgery: 'Healing gel.'
- NYC proposing banning trans fat in restaurants.
- Mapping a mouse brain: Giving resources away leads to very powerful innovation.

-Nice summary by CNN on some new innovations.

- A reminder from my friend Tim Comolli:

William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, was born on this date September 19th in 1911. The winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize for literature, Golding was working as a teacher in England when he wrote the allegorical novel about a group of boys stranded on an island whose behavior becomes crueler and more barbaric as time passes (1954). Some of his other books include Pincher Martin (1956) and Rites of Passage (1980), winner of the Booker Prize. Queen Elizabeth II knighted Golding in 1988.
Quote: "My yesterdays walk with me. They keep step, they are gray faces that peer over my shoulder." — Sir William Golding

- Happy Birthday Hard Drive ! On September 13, 2006 the HD turned 50. Here's some history.
- 240 songs on an MP3 player 1.62 inches long (matchbook) that weighs about one ounce.
- See the blue, see the green. Birds internal compass discovered.

- Ubuntu takes on the OS market.
- Star Trek turns 40 (Debut was on Sept. 8th, 1966) !
- The Uniross Hybrio: New tech brings together the best of disposable and rechargeable batteries.

- Microsoft teams up with the School District of Philadelphia for an experiment
- Connecting neurons to a computer - in a dish. One very unique experiment.
- A glimpse of into the future of automobiles - today. Tesla Motors 'electric' roadster.

- New cost analysis on hybrid cars.
- Trash, to Gas, to Energy.
- Gecko robot that climbs walls !

- Started in 1990, the last chromosone in the Human Genome has been sequenced.
- Next Gen CD: Blue ray and NAND flash memory make their debut in laptops.
- Light moving backwards ? The University of Rochester and one intersting result.

- Underwater habitats and personal submarines ? Not your typical business.
- Bio-diesel from raw sewage ?
- Clothes that display images from MIT.

- Biodegradeable parts, in a 'green' car ? The Ford Model U
- What's inside a wind turbine ? Take a look see.
- Ever think you could use your tongue to see ?

- Nanogel: Got roof ?
- Open source backup technology. It's in 'alpha' at the moment.
- A Walking robot with incredible balance.

- iPod Nano dissection online. Nice look inside the mysterious device.
- Podcaster gets discovered by a record label and signed to a deal.
- Healing ACL (knee ligament) tears with gel ?

- Growing new organs is becoming a reality.
- NY Times article on why the Windows OS is so slow.
- Bionics: Mind controlled artificial limbs.

- Movies: New download - to - own program.
- It's very cold in space, but at least you'll have broadband internet access!
- For your Star Wars fetish.

- Revolutions in nanotechnology restore sight in mice at MIT.
- Huge hard drive space is on the horizon: Petabytes anyone ?
- Now these are sleds ! The '89 Batmobile and the 'Tumbler' built for Batman Begins.

- Great conceptual models of how engines work.
- Planet number ten.
- Bionic hand

- Now that's a monitor !
- Mapping the the brain and how it processes images - Matrix style ?
- Space port, flights into space. Found by Martin Lawrence.

- Broadcast TV on your cell phone ?
- $125 for a laptop initiative from MIT ?
- Got AJAX ? It's not just a cleaning product anymore. Google and Microsoft dove in.

- Got stones for your iPod ?
- Try on this cell phone.
- How's this for a projector ?

- Behold the magic keyboard. Projected keyboards. Potential uses in PDAs and cell phones.
- Thin televisions, even the rollup variety.
- Electronic Paper. Say it's so.


Not the Same Old Toys:
- Remember that old model car ? Here's the new alternative energy model.
- R2-D2 for the home.

Contact!

If you'd like to hear more about the rLab program, assignment archives, or just chat... drop me a note!

Note: I've moved on from Burr and Burton! The contact email below will remain up to date though.

Thanks for tuning in! AP

Adam Provost

Founder and Instructor, rLab at Burr and Burton Academy (from 8/2005 - 8/2013)

Head Baseball Coach, Burr and Burton Academy (from 2006-2012)

Executive Director, Vermont Baseball Coaches Association

Executive Director, 643DP Baseball Foundation

President, VITA-Learn

Adjunct Faculty, Southern New Hampshire University Field Based Graduate Program

Conference speaker / presenter / Consultant

Regional Scout / Technology Consultant, Colchester Cannons American Legion Baseball

email:

adamprovost44@gmail.com

Personal blog: http://creativeStir.blogspot.com

twitter.com/batman44

About Us

A visual of projects students explored in Tech Research Class: Fall Semester 2010.

"Every great wizard in history has started out as nothing more than what we are now. If they can do it, why not us?"

Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by JK Rowling

We're on to something good here.

We teach three classes currently in the rLab... that are are atypical.

eDesign... Build your design skills in audio, video, digital art, web design, and composition. Incorporate these threads into design projects that explore creativity, communication, and connection. eDesign II takes on more advanced work in any of these areas you choose, including 3D design via Sculptris, Maya, and Unity Engine.

Social Networking: A Senior Seminar seeks to improve your skills as a communicator and give you practical knowledge for life after high school. This course was designed by your peers, and will be modified each semester by your interests. By connecting with experts, we explore your questions here. We'll help you use and leverage social media tools into a spirited source of inquiry, and an enriching support and opportunity network.

Tech Research... defies all the traditional 'tech' (and) class boundaries and limitations. 

In 25% of the class, we explore how technology is changing yOUR world... news, healthcare and education.

In the other 75%, YOU explore something you are interested in. 

Check out this list of projects so far that students and adults have explored together in the lab.  Want to explore something that's already listed? No worries. Everything is archived and you can build off the research of your peers. How far can you go with access to all that research... the trials and the triumphs? Want to take on something you love that's not listed so far? Make a proposal and let's see where it goes. What can you contribute?

Along the way, we'll help you polish your research, presentation and communication skills. Explore how to break down complex projects into motion. Find out what makes you tick. Most importantly, be challenged to connect with experts in your field of study, talk with them, and learn from them. We've built a database of over one thousand community consultants that you can draw from... and contribute new entries into.

Be careful... you might just spark an interest in connecting mathematics, science, history to your project... and who knows what else. The connections that open up from these explorations can open incredible doors.  

Studies can be extended in Tech Research II and III over multiple semesters / years. The rumor is true... one student took this course 5 times ; )

In all classes, student voice is a HUGE thread here. All our students combine to tackle issues and create opportunities here at school via analysis and proposals for change. Our contributions here have shed light on some great educational and philosophical growth at our school.

We've also passed on these class models and proposals on to many schools and districts and relish the opportunity to participate in such discussions. If you're curious about what we do, contact us or stop in for a visit.  

Developing a spirit to explore, to learn, and collaborate may lead you to somewhere you've always wanted to go... or perhaps to somewhere you (we) always should have been. 

We're on to something here and we love it! It's just the beginning though. The flexible nature of these courses are driving many questions about 'school' and 'learning.' That's exciting stuff.

Learning is messy... at least good learning is I think.

Thanks for tuning in, Adam