The K12 Innovation Accelerator Program

The Program

The program is a project-based approach for K12 Educators, from across North America, as an individual or as a team, to develop, enhance, and implement innovative learning practices. A small number of projects will be selected from those who apply for the Educator Innovation Accelerator Program. The program goal is to help educators operationalize innovative teaching and learning, through the development and delivery of innovative projects that they also share their experience with others. The three primary drivers for this program are to innovate, create and inspire.

Innovate — Educators will apply an innovative idea or approach they wish to further develop. We will pair each project with other educators to allow for critical discussions and a feedback loop. Coaches will be assigned to each innovator to facilitate not only the development of the project but also the refinement of their innovative application and the development of usable artifacts. Dell will provide additional information, resources and even presentations in regard to the innovation these teachers wish to explore. Our goal is to be truly innovative in both technology and pedagogy. 

Create — The focus on creation is for both the educator and the student. Creativity is a critical skill and approach to any curriculum and thus should be embedded in any type of innovative project. The projects should encompass students doing more than merely consuming information or content or walking through a preset experience. Educators will need to create the resources and experiences to operationalize the innovative practices. The development of these projects will not merely infuse innovative technologies, but will also infuse the development of digital skills and literacies within the project experience for the students.

Inspire — The educators selected will be experienced. They will be true professionals who have demonstrated command of their craft. There's more that goes into implementing innovation than can be represented merely in the artifacts of a project. This means that we need to have more than just the curricular materials for others to use as examples or models. One of the unique aspects of this particular program is that we will capture the process, design thinking, reflection, and advice from these experienced educators to go along with their artifacts and materials. We will do this by tracking the teachers and their journey, sharing their experiences and their thinking through social media and attaching to the resources of the project. In this way, these educators become an inspiration for others to utilize the projects created and to expand the impact of this program.

Examples of projects may include:

• Evidence-informed Teaching and learning activities that can be shared across NA

• Embedding game, animation or virtual reality experiences or creation into classroom instruction

• Action research into innovative learning strategies and the impact they have on students

• The use of video as a means of assessing and feedback

• Deepening and sharing teacher expertise – (STEM skills, Equity, Digital Citizenship, etc…)

• Learning how to effectively integrate new technologies to impact student learning

• Developing creative opportunities and support for students with special needs

Interested?

• Apply here: https://forms.gle/F4aPa21UqkN6czGY7

• Dell Marketing Consent Form

• Draft Implementation Plan

For questions about the accelerator contact:

Jeremiah.Frink@Dell.com

Katina.Papulkas@Dell.com