By Connie Masson, Manager, Educational Technology, St. Vrain Valley School District
Lifelong learning needs everyone’s involvement. To be effective, it needs to be a community effort that reaches out globally and reaches in to help all of our community members. One resource the community must utilize to assist best in lifelong learning is technology.
Back in 1994, the Technology CEO Council said,
“Success in the knowledge-based society of the future will require a variety of critical skills, including active, self-directed learning, the ability to access, analyze and manipulate remote data, and the ability to communicate across regional and national boundaries.” 1
Even then, we knew that future employers would demand workers who can learn new skills to adapt to changing job requirements, learn new technologies to gain knowledge and information to make decisions, and work collaboratively in groups.
Providing lifelong learning effectively as a part of our education system is essential if St. Vrain students are to compete effectively in the global work place of their future. From pre-school through graduate school, institutions must provide a meaningful way for individuals to continue learning and retraining throughout their lives to obtain and maintain the skills they need for the information-based economy of the future.
Today’s learning is moving from all taught learning to some taught, a lot self-directed, strong community learning, increased assisted learning and tech-enhanced learning. Learning in these ways will enhance the opportunities for lifelong, ubiquitous learning.2
How is St. Vrain working toward this goal? In the fall of 2010, we will expand future learning opportunities for students in Colorado. We will begin offering online learning courses for current students as well as any one that wants to continue learning whether it be to complete that high school diploma you’ve been meaning to finish, to take enrichment courses not available at your current school, or to take accelerated courses to keep you challenged and engaged. You will be able to take that course that due to unforeseen circumstances you were unable to complete, learn 24/7, and have access to highly qualified, certified teachers online via our multi-district online learning option St. Vrain Valley eLearning - SVVeL.
Online learning is just one way that St. Vrain is moving to provide technology resources for lifelong learning. The “Take My Teacher Home” program that began this year at Columbine and five other elementary schools, enables not only the students to learn, but the entire family. Using the technology resource – an iPod, and physical manipulatives such as flash cards, students and family members learn from their own teacher’s voice as he or she teaches skills that can be listened to over and over again. Parents have told Columbine’s Principal Eddie Cloke that they are connecting the iPods to speakers at home so everyone learns together. “Future preschoolers are learning Pre-preschool!”
Anyone in the St. Vrain Valley School District family can also learn through Atomic Learning, an online learning tool with technology tutorials to which the district subscribes. To get access information, contact your school librarian.
Through the Digital Learning Collaborative (DLC) our teachers are lifelong learners. This collaborative enables participating teacher leaders to stay on the front edge of best teaching practices utilizing technology resources. These teacher leaders are then able to provide lifelong learning opportunities for the teachers within their schools. Students then benefit by their teachers’ lifelong learning! It is a win-win situation!
If you would like to know more about these and other lifelong learning programs within St. Vrain or participate in any way, please contact the author, Connie Masson at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or http://twitter.com/cmasson50.
1. http://www.cspp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=218&Itemid=160 March 1994, accessed February 24, 2010, 7:40 am
2. www.eden-online.org/contents/conferences/...on.../Carneiro.ppt 2006, accessed February 24, 2010, 8:20 am
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
How to use Notepad (446)
