Dear Visitor,

I have created a "toolbox" of sorts as a culmination of my journey through a course centered in "Connected Learning." My hope is this website can be used as a starter pack for teacher colleagues and a place for my future students to explore connected learning principles. I'm currently not in the classroom anymore, so I wanted to create a space I could come back to when I am inside a classroom again. I originally wanted the blog for my ED677 course to be that "space," but I wanted a platform that could evolve into a "shared purpose." GoogleSites allows for easier sharing and contributions by multiple people in the future. It also more organized and easier to navigate. My blog will still be linked in the "Get Connected" tab so it can still be a part of this growing space.

My main question when thinking about a final project was "How can students take equitable practices home or beyond the classroom?" I'm all for the classroom being a foundation, the planted seed for connected learning, but most of us only have our students for one year. I want more than that. I want it to be the launching point for students to continue connected learning practices, whether that be a project within the community, work with peers on something with a shared purpose, or to fight for equity through their passions and interests. I am hoping if I model my classroom after these principles, my students will be a model of them as well.

My goal for this site is to reflect the relationship between the importance of well-informed, guided teacher instruction and the transference to student work.Teachers colleagues can start here by getting a sense of what connected learning is and how to utilize it in the classroom, before branching off on their own journey. The other half would be for students to see what connected learning looks like beyond school assignments and my classroom. Students can be inspired by what other students are doing and start something of their own. All of this in mind with my main question humming in the background.

As I created this GoogleSite, I wanted it to be a place where students could take equity not just home, but extend into their communities. I hope students act with their communities instead of just act on their communities. The absolute dream would be for the student's tab to also become a place where my students can upload and share their own work. It would be a beautiful thing to see my journey, my colleagues' journeys, and student journeys strung together by the thread of connected learning.

My GoogleSite has changed A LOT since my first concept and has been expanded out and whittled down a few times. It was difficult trying to fit everything it without it being too overwhelming. So as you’ll see some pages are organized, while others are more free-flowing. I utilized a lot of the material we’ve used and learned from throughout the semester and I cannot wait to keep expanding the resources. This final make has been a great way to gather my thoughts around this course throughout the semester and charge forward.

Please feel free to navigate through the different pages and subpages of my website. Thank you for exploring!

-The Wandering Grad Student