Edutopia - June/July 2008 - (Page 38)

lum ricu t to cur e line “a tick nts, On des e y stud vi pro tr y for m read g en ng the xcitin i e gett really cts, the oje the the for : the pr s, and t a f stuf oration ons tha g.” in ab cti coll conne can br l r loca teache NoMore Pencils, NoMore Books A new high school in Chicago explores the possibilities of tech-centered learning. By Sara Bernard orget textbooks and handouts. Forget No. 2 pencils. And if you’re looking for curricula for science or English class, you’ll need to go online. At VOISE Academy, a new high school opening this fall in Chicago, classwork is guided and shaped by the tech tools of the twenty-⇒rst century, providing an intriguing glimpse at what schools may look like in the future. With the help of outside funding, VOISE (Virtual Opportunities Inside a School Environment) will bring the best online education offers to a real-life classroom. Each student will have a wireless-enabled laptop for use at school; those without a PC and Internet access at home will have that provided, too. With tech as the backbone, designers say, VOISE will make learning what it should be: Studentdirected, project based, rigorous, and relevant. Kemi Jona, an associate professor at Northwestern University and a member of the VOISE Academy design team, explains that online curriculum provides “a ticket to entry for students, getting them ready for the really exciting stuff: the projects, the collaborations, and the local connections that a teacher can bring.” Curricula will be aligned with national and state education standards but this “textbook” will hardly be “the sum total of what a teacher uses in his or her classroom,” Jona says. Proponents of online education call the VOISE Academy’s development a big step. “You can really get back into the art of teaching if you can take the best that technology has to offer,” says Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) and a member of The George Lucas Educational Foundation’s national advisory board. VOISE is part of the Chicago Public Schools’ Renaissance 2010 initiative, designed to create a hundred specialized public and charter schools that will keep kids engaged and wanting more. The academy, with 150 freshmen, will share a building with two other Renaissance 2010 schools on the former Austin High School campus on the city’s West Side, adding a grade level and an additional 150 students per year until it reaches a maximum of 600. F Digitally Divided How tech savvy is your school? Chime in at edutopia.org/polltech-savvy-school 38 EDUTOPIA JUNE/JULY 2008 http://edutopia.org/poll-tech-savvy-school http://edutopia.org/poll-tech-savvy-school

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Edutopia - June/July 2008

Edutopia - June/July 2008 Contents UpFront Feedback Dispatches Sage Advice Ask Ellen Head of Class Cool Schools Design Young Minds, Fast Times Wii Love Learning No More Pencils, No More Books Tech Without Support All the Right Moves Room to Learn Heart & Soul Pop Quiz: Jeff Corwin

Edutopia - June/July 2008

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