Edutopia

=Edutopia =

[|http://www.edutopia.org]

[]

Edutopia  is a non-profit web based learning environment founded in 1991 by the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF). It has been designed to focus on the most recent trends in education and gives ways to become a resourceful and productive educator in the 21st century. The site gives educators and administrators access to the latest research through videos, articles and links to other useful sites. It demonstrates innovative strategies for creating a learning environment in which a student will excel to their fullest potential. In addition to the sites interdisciplinary approach to education it offers blogs and webinars that focus on the newest educational topics.  The main goal of the site is to give teachers the frame work to design the ultimate learning environment for their students. An Edutopia for learning. In order to achieve this, the foundation has come up with six core areas that need to be integrated into an educators teaching.

 The core areas are: [] [] [] [] [] []
 * __Project-based Learning__ - Is a comprehensive hands-on approach for students to use and understand the information taught in a subject.
 * __Integrated Studies__ - Areas of concentration should be taught using an interdisciplinary approach.
 * __Comprehensive Assessment__ - Assessments should measure a students full ability using a wide range of methods.
 * __Social and Emotional Learning__ - Learning to work collaboratively in groups allows students to grow in areas of positively working through problems and enhances their character.
 * __Technology Integration__ - By integrating technology with the newest strategies for teaching a students learning can be more efficiently individualized.
 * __Teacher Development__ - Teachers have the training to nurture a students learning and give opportunities for positive feedback to promote self confidence.

I agree with the foundations approach to education and found the information on the site to be useful. There are a variety of Webinars demonstrating the six core areas of focus. The foundation is providing a great resource for teachers and administrators so that any school can have access to the newest resources for free. SLW