Edutopia focuses on what works in education. It provides a massive resource of positive models and practical tools that educators can use in their daily work.
Educators can get information about teaching tips, pilot projects, technology and many other tools. In the video above, for example, it introduces ten ideas for improving education.
Edutopia is supported by The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Below is an excerpt from the website that describes the organisation’s vision.
http://www.edutopia.org/mission-vision
Our Vision
Our vision is of a new world of learning, a place where students and parents, teachers and administrators, policy makers and the people they serve are all empowered to change education for the better; a place where schools provide rigorous project-based learning, social-emotional learning, and access to new technology; a place where innovation is the rule, not the exception; a place where students become lifelong learners and develop 21st-century skills, especially three fundamental skills:
how to find information;
how to assess the quality of information;
how to creatively and effectively use information to accomplish a goal.
It’s a place of inspiration and aspiration based on the urgent belief that improving education is the key to the survival of the human race.
We call this place Edutopia, and we provide not just the vision for this new world of learning but the real-world information and community connections to make it a reality.
Below is the first film in the well-known series A Year At Mission Hill.
George Lucas is passionate about education. Below are excerpts from an interview he gave about the role it can play in a person’s life. You can find it via the following link.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/importance-of-education-george-lucas
Education: The Single Most Important Job
I didn’t feel like the school system was designed for my learning style. It wasn’t until college where I could pursue my passion, making films, that I found my way.
Recently on Edutopia.org, we published observations from 8th graders about what they believe creates an engaging learning experience.
Their answers were straight-forward and definitive: project-based learning, technology, and an enthusiastic teacher. I couldn’t agree more.
Today, with the power of the Internet, we are experiencing a force that is revolutionizing education and offering opportunities to reach and engage diverse learners like me.
When technology is deployed effectively, it can free up teachers from standing in front of the class and presenting information.
We can “flip” the classroom with lectures occurring at home via the Internet and rigorous project-based learning taking place in cooperative groups at school.
In this environment, teachers can be guides and coaches to the students. What is more powerful in education than a student who is guided by an adult who truly cares – someone who knows your name, who encourages you, and is committed to your success in life?
By learning about and replicating strategies that work in education, we have the potential to transform our schools.
By creating strong cultures of creativity and curiosity, we can engage students as active participants in their own education, rather than passive recipients of facts and formulas.
In a world where information is at our fingertips, our greatest challenge is help students learn how to find information, assess its accuracy and apply it to solve problems.
All around our country and the world, there are teachers and schools succeeding at the task, many featured on Edutopia.
There is no other job more important than education. It is the foundation of our democracy.
By seizing on what’s working, and recreating those successes from one classroom to the next, we can make it better for everyone.
Finally, here is another of the many videos made available by Edutopia. This highlights a school embarking on the path of project-based learning.
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