Predictions, much?

Years ago, I linked this blog to my professional-leaning social feeds, and included it in my speaker profile at the upcoming NJEA Convention (virtual for 2020). 

I get all weird in my head and heart when I think about this blog. I like the idea, but I don't always have the time to write. So, it sits. (and this post has sat since November)

And I reread my most recent post (the one from Feb 2018) and can't believe how this is so eerily like the current  pandemic-caused edu shift in hybrid/remote/cohorts/crisis teaching and learning.  So...for the next installment of this reimagineering space, I'm going down the rabbit hole of what 2020 has taught me as a teacher. 

Looking ahead

Well, it's been a while (alright, years) since I've posted, but this blog has never been far from my mind.  In the time in between, I've grown professionally and personally, the calendar has filled, but the outcomes have been great.

I recently read this Wired article on hacking your education, and had a delicious thought about what that could mean to education. Fusing online learning, makerspace, and a truly individualized educational experience can be a true game-changer for some.

Can microschools effectively exist? Can virtual learning supplant the classroom? Or, do we live in a hybrid of school that doesn't quite exist yet, and how do we implement this new type of environment?

I envision schools where students are heterogeneously grouped by skill and interest level, fluidly moving to new topics, classes, seminars, etc. Standards are important, and one critical component would be ensuring -- using technology to its utmost -- that students meet these benchmark standards. Teachers have the flexibility of schedule to provide meaningful feedback with students.

In a educational landscape that has kept pace with industry, yet didn't flex when technology shifted into a higher gear, how do educators ensure that children learn in the best environment for them, that is sustainable on a large-scale?

This is where the next step lies...how to we scale up these ideas, partnering with community resources and families to make a globally connected, 21st century environment that meets the needs of small school, large group, and everything in between? Is that possible? Is it feasible?  Can we utilize a flexible model to allow for fluidity of the present-day? I see this as a great way to partner rural, urban, and suburban schools, students, educators, families and communities together.

Imagine if...

Looking at this blank template for this first blog post is very similar to looking at school in August...full of anticipation, ideas, techniques, and just a little bit of nervousness about whether these ideas will actually fly.

Many of the same questions nag: can I actually do this? will anyone get the method to my madness?

 [image: http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2009/08/closer-look-to-new-imagineering-video.html]

One of my favorite concepts from Disney is "Imagineering" -- the creative force that makes the magic happen. I always thought that I'd want to be an imagineer, but you know what? I get to do that daily in my classroom.

As the world changes around us, so, to, must education. To remain static is certain death. By imagineering and then re-imagineering, we can stay on the cutting edge of this magical space...the classroom.

This blog will consider this journey through education today and the education of tomorrow.