MOOCs in secondary school: an incredible project!

MOOC: a collective challenge

MOOCs: a collective challenge ©Yaacov Hecht

An incredible project is changing the way MOOCs will be used to support innovation in the classroom. This is happening right now in Israel in secondary schools. It is launched in partnership with the Ministry of Education by the team of Yaacov Hecht, founder of the Democratic Schools, and also a very good friend that was with us in Barcelona for the last three days.

Dear Johana, no need for a PhD to innovate in education

Innovative ideas in education. ©Skypixel

Innovative ideas in education. ©Skypixel

“I am preparing a project for an innovation approach to learning. I am a PhD student in the UK. We are very committed with education and teacher professional development as well as a PGCE program. What I do not know is if the team has to have a company already established for submitting?  And the team for the moment is composed of two PhD students one in computer science and me in math education with the support of one faculty member. Would that be ok?” 

 This is the first query we have received, and it comes before the Open Education Challenge has launched. No and yes are the answers. No, you don’t have to have a established company to start submitting. And yes, it will be OK.

However, this potential applicant’s questions made me think more in depth about who the true innovators are in education.

“More” is what we need

Innovation in education. Photo credit: leighstjohn.com

Innovation in education. Photo credit: leighstjohn.com

Who are the innovators in education?

We – at P.A.U. Education – are about to launch the first European Incubator for Innovation in Education. Our Open Education Challenge is an invitation to all education practitioners and all innovators passionate about education to push forward their ideas and their dreams, create a startup and contribute to changing education. The launch is around the corner and we are still wondering:

  • How can private entrepreneurial initiatives truly transform the way we learn, and how can they adapt to our education systems in an ethical way?
  • How can startups respond to education challenges in terms of efficiency, social equity and cultural diversity?

Investing in education

Investing in education

Investing in education. ©Sergey Nivens

Why invest in education? Why invest now? Where should we invest?

Asking these questions is already a sign that much has changed on the education scene. Education is no longer a matter reserved for public authorities or free from real life constraints. The world is spending more on education than ever before. Education is the answer to parents’ desire to guarantee a future job for their children and to companies’ needs for more innovation and better skilled employees. Education is the key to building better lives for hundreds of millions worldwide and responding to challenges such as climate change, sustainable development and gender equality.

Ask provocative questions to change education

It is time for change education.

It is time for change in education.

Boosting innovation in education was one of the main objectives of the first Erasmus+ call for proposals that has just been published.

But what do we mean by innovation in education? And what are the keys to making innovation in education possible?

Innovation in education is often considered as the development of curricula that will provide students with “the knowledge and skills necessary for a knowledge and entrepreneurial society.”  This is the core of the Knowledge Triangle designed by the EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology).

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