The Electronic Educational Village (EEV or “the village”)

http://eev.liu.edu/eev06

Key Elements in the EEV

Some key elements underlying a village action:

• It includes children as desired, vital, and contributing partners with others in a learning community.

• It naturally links people of all ages and backgrounds with cultural and community resources on Long Island. The experts and the people who have passion for a particular learning experience collaborate with children and adults to create something (meaningful) valuable for all.

• It naturally links with family members, inviting parents, grandparents, and siblings to be partners in learning, action, and society.

• It extends into and beyond school or work days to a more holistic view of life and living. It blurs work and play or obligation/responsibility and desire/choice.

• It builds caring, meaning, and self-worth.

• It values emotional, psychological, physical, and social well-being.

• It has components that would change or be dramatically enhanced with powerful tools of electronic communications and multimedia expressioning being used well. It builds activities that exist as vital in themselves, separate and off the computer. The village works to balance what is most successfully done on and off the computer.

• Art, dance, music, writing, speech, and other types of expression become the aesthetic domains of all people. Gifted communicators play leadership roles in a system valuing the power of well articulated and designed expressions. An electronic “expressioning” center next year in the village will interactively assist people to develop their dreams and ideas.

• It crosses academic disciplines often blurring the very sense of a particular discipline and building a wholistic, natural learning experience.

• It is energizing and intrinsically motivating for children and adults.

• NYS curriculum and standards fit naturally within village actions. Issues of demonstrated competencies using all levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and accountability for learning as measured by testing using valid and reliable measures fit within EEV actions. EEV actions model acquiring skills and knowledge while engaged in constructivist learning and activity. Learning that engages learners is authentic and meaningful and seems naturally motivating. Once learners are engaged and motivated, the process of learning has the natural foundation to happen. Students learn while contributing. Learning can be measured and reported.

• Other key elements? Do you have suggestions?