Global Classroom Initiative

Introduction

OSE is offering 3 ways for educators to bring global collaboration into their classroom, teaching valuable problem-solving and technical skills - while engaging in global collaboration. These 2 programs are:

1. Open Source Microfactory STEAM Camp
2. Summer of Extreme Design-Build 2020
3. OSE Chapters at Universities

Program

Open Source Microfacory STEAM Camps

This is the program from our last event - https://www.opensourceecology.org/steam-camp-march-2020/#learning_program - a 9 day version. We will alternate between 9 day and 4 day camps monthly - so the next 4 day version next month is this - https://www.opensourceecology.org/steam-camp-march-2020/.

If you are a teacher and you would like to make your job easier by engaging in global collaboration - then this program may be for you.

We can help you by introducing Open Source Collaboration to your curriculum. Because the program is based on collaboration - where teachers serve as guides and students are highly engaged - this could be a win-win for everyone.

Want to give your student real-life experience tackling real-world problems?

We are developing a program for schools to engage in collaborative design, transforming classrooms to places of global learning. 

Outside of the Open Source Microfactory STEAM Camp - we have the Summer of Extreme Design-Build 2020 (Summer X)- where we can train you to bring global collaboration and the Open Source Microfactory to your school.

Both programs are a deep dive into collaborative design. The STEAM Camp is a 4 or 9 day immersion where you learn powerful collaboration skills. Summer X is where you can get from 1-3 months of deeper immersion in this, where we also have an enterprise track for learning how to run STEAM Camps in your schools - especially as summer programs where you can do part time work teaching teachnology that matters in collaboration with OSE.

In Summer X you will learn how to convert your technical class (whether it be a class in design, science, technology, robotics, coding, etc.) into a global collaborative session to work on pressing world-issues.

You will experience first-hand how university-, high-school and even elementary-grade students can harness the power of global collaboration to make a meaningful contribution to solve bigger, more complex problems than you ever thought possible.

Not only are collaborative sessions effective tools to help students:

1. Increase retention
2. Increase their engagement
3. Apply their skills in a multidisciplinary setting
4. Develop high-demand skills like critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation

...it also shows the individual student that their contribution matters. Whether they are 12 years old or 22 - they have the power to make a tangible positive impact on the world. That’s a powerful mindset that is sorely needed as the world gets more complex.

How the Global Classroom Initiative Works

The idea is that we align a network of classrooms and convert them to global collaborative. In other words - all the classrooms collaborate on a design project - and development can happen synchronously and asynchronously as one team finishes, and the next team starts. So we develop a new paradigm of a global classroom: tackling problems that are bigger than any single person could solve. These could be design, entrepreneurship, or other system design problems.

For products, perhaps building an open source 3D printed Raspberry Pi Tablet - or building a 3D printer/CNC machine from scratch - can be great collaborations that combine learning and entrepreneurhsip. For other technical classes, we may select an organizational development problem - such as developing a startup recycling center for plastic in one's town, or another startup idea that moves a community forward.

The topic must be something that can attract wide interest across multiple disciplines, so we can collaborate on many aspects at the same time. Imagine your classroom starting as a video call with other locations to coordinate and share experience. We have New Zealand, Australia on board, and London International Academy is already collaborating. There are logistics/coordination issues to resolve - but the technology for this exists. Do you have a class that can get involved in a project? Email me at marcin at opensourceecology dot org if you want to pursue this.

To Join

To pursue this, if you are a teacher or administratoe - invite OSE to run an Open Source Microfactory STEAM Camp in your school, or request OSE to provide professional development (2 or 4 day programs) to your teachers. You can also attend one of our Open Source Microfactory STEAM Camps in locations other than your school.

You can make collaborative design a part of your professional development program, where you ride the cutting edge of collaborative development training - using open source techniques for global collaboration - in partnership with a globally recognized project for the common good. We can assist you in finding funding for this, so take the first step by contacting us at into at opensoruceecology dot org - just let us know you'd like to turn your school or classroom into a global collaboratory.