WHAT IS CONNECTED LEARNING?

In today’s connected age, the possibilities for learning are endless. However, many of today’s youth are struggling to harness that opportunity. Some reports say that 60% of high school students are not engaged in school, and one in five will drop out by the time they reach 12th grade. Six million young adults nationwide are adrift, disconnected from both school and work, costing taxpayers $93 billion annually. Forty percent of U.S. companies cannot find qualified workers. So how do we as a society fix this problem? Although the solution is more complex, Connected Learning is a great learning method that is both engaging and fundamentally people-centered.

So, what is Connected Learning?

According to Nwp.org, Connected Learning is a model of learning that holds out the possibility of reimagining the experience of education in the information age. It draws on the power of today’s technology to fuse young people’s interests, friendships, and academic achievement through experiences laced with hands-on production, shared purpose, and open networks.

Why is Connected Learning important?

Traditional schooling is failing to keep students engaged, beginning as they enter middle school and continuing all the way up to college. The clash between interest-driven education and standard education is growing in today’s world, wherein so many resources are available but not being fully utilized. Connected Learning is important because it uses methods that implement new technologies and interactions geared toward learning rather than distraction.

Connected Learning is: Interest Powered, Production Centered, Peer Supported, Academically Oriented, and Openly Networked and has Shared Purpose.

How can you get connected?

In an ever-changing, interconnected world, we need to have the right tools and resources when taking on education. This is where Playground City steps in. As our mission statement clearly reads:

“We believe that learning is happening everywhere, all of the time. Our passion is to recognize this learning and accentuate it through human-centered design. We envision a city that provokes people to tinker, discover, and play -- all in support of their educational pursuits. To thrive in the 21st century, we need a dynamic and diverse education ecosystem, and our city can deliver!”