Here's a tantalizing glimpse into the classrooms of innovative educators who are using technology to connect with students, colleagues, the local community, and the world beyond. "Edutopia" offers a unique perspective on education in which technology is employed to make schools more exciting and dynamic for everyone involved - students work on real-world projects and consult with the best outside experts; teachers learn by tapping into the best people and practices in their field; and, classrooms regularly connect with the rich resources of their communities and the world beyond. A lively resource that teachers and parents will want to refer to again and again, "Edutopia" is filled with more than forty full-color photos, has a useful resource section, and comes with a unique CD-ROM that contains more than seventy minutes of video footage of these classrooms in action. "This book provides educators and parents alike with an unprecedented opportunity to see the future. We must support the efforts of these national heroes - teachers and students from primary and secondary education, foundation and community leaders----as they use technology to make our students and our nation more competitive." - Bob Kerrey, president, New School University and former United States Senator and chair of the Congressional Web-Based Education Commission. "This book provides a glimpse of the future by showing us the best work of innovators today. Anyone involved in creating the schools of the future shoud read it." - Linda Darling-Hammond, professor, School of Education, Stanford University ""Edutopia" is an exciting guide to help teaching and learning move into the twenty-first century." - Richard Riley, former Secretary of Education.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments. Foreword (GEORGE LUCAS). Introduction: Edutopia--"The Actual Proves the Possible" (MILTON CHEN). PART 1: INNOVATIVE CLASSROOMS. A. PROJECT--BASED LEARNING. 1. NASA Initiatives Turn Students into Scientists (MARILN WALL). 2. Project--Based Learning Online: A Sampler of Projects (DIANE CURTIS AND SARA ARMSTRONG). 3. Laptops for Learning (ROBERTA FURGER). 4. Handhelds Go to Class (DIANE CURTIS). 5. More Fun Than a Barrel of...Worms?! (DIANE CURTIS). 6. Bugscope: Magnifying the Connections Between Students, Science, and Scientists (MILTON CHEN). 7. Assistive Technology Enhances Learning for All (LISA WAHL). 8. Looping: The Best Kind of Deja Vu (CYNTHIA ROBERTS). 9. A Dozen Promising Practices That Work (DIANE CURTIS, ROBERTA FURGER, AND MILTON CHEN). B. SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING. 10. An Ounce of Prevention (DIANE CURTIS). 11. A Culture of Caring and Civility (DIANE CURTIS). 12. Reading, Writing, and Social Development (DIANE CURTIS). 13. Emotional Intelligence: Five Years Later (DANIEL GOLEMAN). C. ASSESSMENT. 14. Geometry in the Real World: Students as School Architects (SARA ARMSTRONG). 15. Urban Academy: Where Testing Is Anything But Standard (ROBERTA FURGER). 16. Toward Genuine Accountability: Why Current State Assessments Won't Work, and What They Need (GRANT WIGGINS). 17. Appropriate Assessments for Reinvigorating Science Education (BRUCE ALBERTS). PART 2: INVOLVED COMMUNITIES. A. PARENT INVOLVEMENT. 18. Cultivating Parent Leaders: One School District's Story (ROBERTA FURGER). 19. The Many Meanings of Community Involvement: Sherman Oaks Community Charter School (DIANE CURTIS). 20. Making Connections Between Home and School (ROBERTA FURGER). B. BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS. 21. Supporting Good Schools Is Good Business (MILTON GOLDBERG). 22. School--to--Work Seen as Route to More Than Just a Job (JOHN GEHRING). 23. Building a Bridge to Science and Technology (ROBERTA FURGER). 24. Scientists in Classrooms Make Sense (DIANE CURTIS). 25. The Virtual Mentor: Business Professionals Go Online with Students (MILTON CHEN). C. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. 26. It Takes Many Villages: The International Education and Resource Network (iEARN) (EDWIN H. GRAGERT). 27. Back to Class for School Board Members (DIANE CURTIS). 28. The Whitefoord Community: Bringing Schools and Services Together (ROBERTA FURGER). 29. Community Technology Centers: A National Movement to Close the Digital Divide (MARK SARGENT). PART 3: SKILLFUL EDUCATORS. A. TEACHER PREPARATION. 30. The Right Stuff: Curry Graduates Leave College Prepared to Teach (SARA ARMSTRONG). 31. "Beyond Ready" to Teach (DIANE CURTIS). 32. Making the Switch to Teaching (ROBERTA FURGER) 33. Versatile Handheld Computers Aid Mobile Student Teachers (ANNA C. MCFADDEN, BARRIE JO PRICE, AND GEORGE E. MARSH II). B. ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 34. Supporting New Teachers During Their First Years in Teaching (ELLEN MOIR). 35. Teachers Helping Teachers: The Path to School Improvement (JORGE DESCAMPS). 36. Information Literacy (KATHY SCHROCK). 37. TAPPED IN: Connecting Communities of Learners (TERRIE GRAY). C. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. 38. Becoming an Accomplished Teacher in the Twenty--First Century (DAVE FORREST AND MARILYN FORREST). 39. North Carolina Principals Go Back to School (ROBERTA FURGER). 40. The Digital Superintendent: Selling the Vision to Parents, Teachers, and Voters (WILLIAM SNIDER). Resources. The Editors. The Contributors.

Author Biography

The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) is a nonprofit foundation that gathers and disseminates the most innovative models of K--12 teaching and learning in the digital age. The foundation serves their mission through the creation of media ---- from films, books, and newsletters to CD--ROMS and a Web--based multimedia resource center.