Care to join us?

This is just a guess: you’re here (on this link, this blog, this post) because you care about providing great education for kids. Am I right?

I thought so.

So let’s get serious about it. Folks at The Super School Project want to give you money for that. That = The Super School Project Challenge – imagining (and creating) the next great American high school.

If you just checked out that link and your first thought was CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, we want to know because we want to partner with you. We think your great ideas + our great ideas + the power behind Lumen Touch’s technology = the next great American high school.

Are you in? Let’s talk. Email us at rfadenrecht@lumentouch.com.

Student Centered Learning

Our intrepid Lumen8ers, discussing 21st Century Learning!

We talk a lot about student centered learning. Not just the education community at large, we specifically mean at the Lumen Touch office. This summer, we have a cohort of some amazing Lumen8 Educators spending the summer with us to bridge the gap between the community and the classroom!

We spoke a lot about letting students own the classroom, counting on them to present to the outside community, and have other be the final arbiters of grades.

Read on for more techniques, on the classroom, building, and district level!

Learning by Design

This particular voice of the ShiftED team loves to incorporate wordplay into posts whenever possible. Today is no exception.

We can talk until we’re blue in the face about instructional design and the changes we think need to occur to successfully instigate the yet-elusive shift in educational practices. But what about the design of the spaces in which these educational practices take place? In a world where blended learning is changing the landscape of student-teacher interaction, the landscape of the the instructional space is just as important as the practices themselves. Check out both parts of EdSurge’s two-part series on history and future of school designed as told in an interview with architect Larry Kearns.

Has your school tackled this piece of the ed puzzle yet? Share your stories in the comments below and include pictures!

Word of the Day: Teacherpreneur

If you spend much time hanging out on the Edutopia.org websiste, you’re probably familiar with the series on Teacherpreneurs. If you’re not yet familiar with this concept, this introduction is for you! It’s exactly what it sounds like: teacher + entrepreneur = teacherpreneur. But what does that look like in practice? Vicki Davis (@coolcatteacher on Twitter) shares seven ways to inspire as a teacherpreneur. We like the ShiftEDdian nature of her premise:

“As a teacherpreneur, you’re the coach, not the commander. We are providers of resources, not the ultimate source of knowledge.”

Are you a teacherpreneur? We want to hear your story. Email us: rfadenrecht@lumentouch.com or leave a comment!