Project Journey is a Validation Grant request from the Northern New Mexico Network for Rural Education, a consortium of 29 rural school districts; New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, one of the best technical universities in the country for science, engineering and technology; and the Valles Caldera National Preserve, an international site for scientists studying ecological systems.
Journey is designed to connect learners to extensive resources within and outside of New Mexico. Three components address five major goals: (1) place-based education for STEM+, (2) classroom and technology enhancements, and (3) a learner-centric cloud.
Goal One: Increase the number of underrepresented students successfully completing STEM using a transformational education model that incorporates (1) 21st Century Skills; (2) project-based learning; (3) place-based contextual settings; and (4) unprecedented access to learning opportunities supported by technology.
Goal Two: Remove barriers of access and opportunity to learning for rural students by developing a learner-centric Cloud and using innovations in cyberinfrastructure to (1) provide intelligent on demand access to ever increasing resources and (2) support all learners through the transition to learner-centric learning.
Goal Three: Provide 1) education opportunities to teachers and 2) support for principals on leading change to improve teacher and principal effectiveness.
Goal Four: Transform education in rural areas by using the Valles Caldera, an ecology-rich place-based setting, (1) to develop standards-based complexity science materials and (2) to apply learning to local place-based settings.
Goal Five: Create a purposeful community of partners who refine and sustain 21st Century learning.
To learn more, contact Carlos Atencio.
