OECD Innovative Learning Environments

In 2011, the Elementary Connected Classrooms project was accepted into the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Innovative Learning Environments universe. Our rationale for applying:

The Elementary Connected Classrooms project meets the criteria defining cases as an “innovative learning environment”. This project exists in three elementary classrooms with students from grades 4-7 students. It is an intentional departure from the traditional approach to education in its approach to technology and instruction; it has been an extremely successful pilot project in its district. Three teachers collaborate to combine their classrooms via daily videoconferencing, online collaborative work, and have students create a variety of multimedia content. This is a full time learning environment that is funded by a public school district, and is planning to expand the project to a second team of next fall. As collaboration lies at the core of the project, Connected Classrooms enjoys a broad organisational foundation and promises sustainability. In addition, the project has proved to increase the learning experience for students in a school district with a high proportion of Aboriginal students. Throughout the course of the project, we have witnessed new and exciting learning relationships and partnerships between students, and increased engagement and motivation to learn,
For more about this project, go to: