Curriculum Writers Guild Inaugural Meeting
CANVS Education producers from all around our city met to discuss the makings of a new organization that will collaboratively create a city-wide curriculum. The Curriculum Writers Guild is a coalition of passionate educators, thought-provoking storytellers, immersive performers, MacGyver Makers, skateboarders, drone pilots, coders, farmers, urban planners, and more - coming together to write learning adventures, or playlists, for Orlando'ans.
The meeting began with an intro to play and why play matters! Play is often construed as something silly but in fact it is an evolutionary innovation vital to our survival :) No really! Lots of animals play, event ants - and in today's fast-paced-ever-changing world, play will help our youth learn and adapt.
Introductions ensued, each Guild member shared a little piece of why they were there - why education matters to them - why they feel they can make a difference in the lives of our local students. We were very fortunate to have some major education producers in the room, particularly the folks from the The Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center. If you are not already aware, The Melrose Center is loaded with incredible classes (http://tic.ocls.info/classes/) - definitely check 'em out!
As we continued our discussion, we examined the notion that people everywhere are trying to change education. It seems our industrial model of learning no longer serves the greater good - we need to move toward an ecologic model of learning which celebrates the opportunity to learn in every nook and cranny of our city.
We then investigated what a playlist is; a sequence of learning experiences that are tied together in some sort of educationally meaningful way - that guides a student in accomplishing a goal or gaining a new skill. The reward for completing a playlist is a badge - a digital credential that unlocks real-world opportunities. Our Guild members took a crack at writing some playlists and Chris Castro shared one of his for a Fleet Farming Badge.
All in all, it was a privilege to meet with the first ever Curriculum Writers Guild - an emerging organization that will forever change education in our city for the better! Special thanks to Canvs for hosting us and all the folks who came out!
For follow up, check out
DIY: diy.org/skills
LRNG Early Release Demo Video: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/wearelrng15
The next CWG is Tuesday, April 12 at Canvs 6PM
