Participatory Divide

What would your ideal school look like?
Would your school have a specific focus like a magnet school? Who would be in charge of the school?
Is it big or small?
Would it be year-round?
What would a typical day for students be like?
Who would you hire to work with the students?
Would you use grades like conventional schools?
How would student work be assessed?
What role would digital media play in your school?
What role would parents and community members play?
Remember, you are only limited by your imagination!

Well for starters, I don't yet understand the them of this week "Participatory Divide." The participatory divides refers to the gap between the haves and the have nots of access to educational technology. At least that's my understanding. These reading speak more to the classroom, pedagogy, rethinking the traditional classroom.


I would like a school for girls (My husband will run the adjacent boy's school). Kids won't have to pay to attend, yet there will be selection criteria. There will be an interview and some sort of portfolio or other display/audition by which we will examine the girl's reasons for wanting to attend my school as well as to guage their abilities/drive/skill etc...By and large most applicants will get in. Sometimes we may scout girls who we've heard good things about. The school is pretty small so we cannnot let everybody in. The school will be like a family. The teachers will know the students, their names, career aspirations etc... Careful attention will be paid to each student. There will be uniforms.

School will start at 8:15 and end at 3:15. The girls will do the majority of their learning in collaborative groups, outside of the classroom. Also we will bring people from outside into the classroom. Everyday will be a career day of sorts. Emphasis will be placed on developing the whole human not just a certain part of the brain. The arts (musical, culinary etc...) will be explored, sports will be explored, dance. Students will get to pretty much pick their classes. Let me specify. While there is a standard curriculum, students will have latitude in deciding which courses fit into their plan.

The school is for grades 1 through 8. Digital media would play a big role in the schooling. At every opportunity, teachers will integrate the technologies that the students are using outside of the classroom into the lesson plan. Students should know that technology isn't just for wasting time, looking up celebrities, talking to friends, but that it can be an integral and fun part of learning. We will have a big field trip in every grade once a month. Teachers may take their respective classes on other trips if they choose. The students won't have to pay for the big trip. We will have a school-wide assembly once a month where we'll bring in a prominent individual to discuss something in keeping with the month's theme (Each month will have a theme like "Into the Future: College and Beyond," or "Celebrating Diversity."

Parents and community members will be a crucial part of the learning process. While it is understood that some parents will be more vested in their student's education, we will embrace the saying "It takes a village to raise a child," and take a very hands-on, group approach to ensuring that every child knows she is cared about and that her successes (and failures)are a reflection on everyone involved.