My eLearning Quest

Despite the criticisms, globalism is not a passing fad, but rather a tsunami of change that will leave both destruction and opportunity in its path. In order for a nation and individuals to avoid the destruction and take advantage of the opportunities, the individuals of said nation must be prepared for the demands of this wave of change. The introduction of the personal computer and the birth of the World Wide Web have put power in the hands of the individual in ways that have never existed in history.

Unfortunately, contemporary budget constraints hamper U.S. public schools implementation of cutting edge practices promoting 21st century skills. In addition, technology is largely missing from our education reform dialogue and conspicuously missing from our national educational policy framework that is presently dominated by the Common Core Standards. At best, individual districts have defined their expectations for technology use and 21st century skills in their reform plans. However, most tragically, despite what districts tout in their mission statements, cutting-edge technology in general is largely absent in most of our urban schools that service our most needy students.

I am interested in technology and web-based learning as a platform for collaboration. I am on a quest to explore ways to bring teachers and students together in virtual space to enhance cross-cultural collaboration and develop 21st century skills that largely define the world of contemporary, multinational business practices. Using Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in the classroom is paramount to successfully preparing students for the competitive multinational world of free-enterprise and to ensure that the US will remain competitive in the evolving landscape of global economy.

Here are some essential questions I am presently exploring in the master’s program for eLearning at CU:

• How do I develop a cross-cultural, project-based teaching and learning model that brings students and teachers together via a web-based project management platform to allow for collaboration on inquiry-based unit projects?

• How can a web-based learning tool help special needs students develop the skills to access the general curriculum and give them 21st century skills that will allow them to be both college and career ready upon graduation from high school?

• How can an online component, in a blended learning model, make the educational experience for urban youth more authentic and purposeful and give them the necessary 21st century skills that will allow them to be both college and career ready upon graduation from high school?

With a degree in eLearning from CU, I am hoping to harness the potential of Information and Communication Technologies to improve education systems at a site level, at a district level, and eventually at a national level.

#elearning