High Tech High Flex Introductory Presentation

Flex Overview High Tech High Flex is an independent learning program based on the design principles of personalization, adult world connection, and a common intellectual mission. Flex blends home-based independent study, online learning, and face-to-face experiences.

A Day in the Life Unlike more traditional schools, HTHflex stretches the academic experience beyond the walls of the conventional classroom. A typical school day in the life of a Flex student consists of the following activities: ● Real-time small group project activities ● One-on-one coaching between teacher and student ● Live online class session ● Tutoring sessions with intelligent software ● Independent project work and research ● Self-paced posting/ commenting/ peer critique ● Peer coaching

Independent Activities Flex students take advantage of self- paced online intelligent tutoring systems. Online research, traditional reading, and independent writing are core components of any successful learning program. Finally, students in Flex contribute to an interactive online social network, posting their work, responding to others, and frequently providing collaborative feedback.

Group Projects Students will collaborate on group projects in real time, both online through Instant Messaging or video conferencing, and face-to-face at a students' home, local library, or coffee-shop.

Teacher Led Sessions Each day, students will participate in real-time, online class meetings. These daily check-ins will allow students to discuss the class content, practice core concepts, and share their learning experiences.

In Person Activities In addition to these distance learning activities, students will attend weekly face-to-face classroom experiences. These will serve to help facilitate hands on projects, community building, and athletic activities.

Coaching Sessions Each flex student will engage in regular one-on-one coaching with their teachers and peers. These coaching sessions assess individual progress, address concerns, and challenge students to deepen their knowledge and application of class concepts. These conversations occur online through video and voice conferencing as well as face-to-face.

Connection Encounters Education does not stop on the weekends, but extends into students real world experience. Each week, students will engage in a connection encounter focusing on the four C's: College, community, career, and culture.

Connection Encounters Service learning immersion Each student will partner with a local non-profit or community organization in a monthly hands-on experience to make an impact on the local community through service learning.

Connection Encounters Job shadowing Every Flex student will intern in multiple career fields over the course of their high school experience. Internships allow students to walk in the shoes of practitioners in the field, trying out the occupation for themselves, while creating connections with local businesses and corporations.

Connection Encounters Arts/Cultural experience Once a month, the entire flex community will participate in or attend an arts or cultural experience. These will include gallery shows, arts and cultural festivals, and live theatre performances.

Connection Encounters College encounter In addition to participating in college preparatory courses, flex students will visit university campuses, partner with university professors in research, and make connections with college admission counselors.

A High Tech High Education Flex students will engage in High Tech High's unique learning experiences including: Project-Based Learning Student Led Conferences Presentations of Learning Exhibitions Community Meeting

A High Tech High Education Project-Based Learning Students will create personalized, authentic projects in collaborative teams, making real-world connections and presenting their learning.

A High Tech High Education Student Led Conferences Instead of parent/teacher conferences, High Tech High students take part in mid- semester student-led conferences where they discuss their learning progress and define areas to improve as they finish the semester.

A High Tech High Education Presentations of Learning At the end of each semester, instead of final exams, students present their major projects to a panel of community members, parents, and fellow students.

A High Tech High Education Exhibitions Publicly displaying students projects is an important component of the learning process. Students display their projects on their online digital portfolios, as well as presenting them to the community during exhibition.

A High Tech High Education Community Meetings Once or twice a month, the entire school community meets together to present projects, discuss important issues, and build the school culture.

Personalization at Flex Advisory Program Each Flex student will have an advisory who will serve as the first point of contact with High Tech High Flex. This connection starts with a personal home visit over the summer, allows the student and advisory to connect, set up the home study space, and establish an individualized support system. Throughout the year, the advisor will continue to monitor both academic and personal progress with weekly check-ins through instant messaging, video chats, and face-to-face time.

Personalization at Flex Personalized Learning Plans As an independent study program, learning program, Flex partners with parents to offer students an individually tailored educational plan. The advisor will serve as the “Teacher of Record” to support students in their language, art, and other exploratory courses by establishing learning goals, benchmarks, and authentic assessments.

Personalization at Flex Truly Personalized Education The average classroom student in a traditional school may receive up to 30 minutes of individualized time during the school week. At High Tech High Flex, our strategies and tools for personalization result in Flex students receiving individualized teacher conference time between 75 and 150 minutes per week. These interactions occur both face-to-face and through video conferencing, instant messaging, and personal phone calls.

Student Equipment Each student will be provided a laptop, loaded with open-source software customized to allow students to engage in all online activities. Student laptops include a built-in video camera, microphone, and wifi as well as graphic applications, video editing software, office applications, and video conferencing tools.

Admissions Process 05/04: Email to interested families and the High Tech High community. 05/04: Website with Flex Overview and FAQ's 05/13 and 05/16: Information Sessions at HTHNC 05/22: Admissions application deadline 05/25: Lottery for Admission 06/01: Letter sent out and acceptance 06-07: Home visits by advisors 07/08: Flex bridge experience 08/31: First day of school

An example Flex project A collaborative, ethnographic study of North County San Diego Essential Questions: 1. How can we utilize our surrounding resources to understand the history of our community? 2. What are the lasting influences of interactions between individuals and their environment? 3. How can our knowledge be shared in ways that can improve the current situation of our community?

An example Flex project Project Description The students of HTH flex will be performing an ethnographic study of communities in the North County. Specifically, students will be looking at issues and events related to the history of immigration and settlement. Our study will consist of scientific and ethnographic methods, including interviews, observations and a review of related literature. In addition, we will consider environmental issues related to resources affected by immigration and development of communities.

An example Flex project Project Presentation The findings of our research will be compiled in a published field guide to be used by individuals who are interested in understanding the history of immigration and the effects of interactions between individuals and their surroundings, both social and environmental. Students will also design their own energy efficiency dwelling (including floorplan and 3D representation). A collection of the sketches of the period dwellings from North County and their design representing the “Future Dwelling of North County” will be included in the digital and paper-based field guide. The field guide will also include drafts of their sketches. Video Presentations will be posted showcasing their final interviews with local area professionals.

An example Flex project Project Description The students of HTH flex will be performing an ethnographic study of communities in the North County. Specifically, students will be looking at issues and events related to the history of immigration and settlement. Our study will consist of scientific and ethnographic methods, including interviews, observations and a review of related literature. In addition, we will consider environmental issues related to resources affected by immigration and development of communities.

An example Flex project Interdisciplinary Components Humanities: Anthropology, writing field notes, different types of interviews, qualitative descriptions, culture studies, immigration, literacy. Math/Science: Naturalism, Quantitative Analysis, reporting findings, similarity and proportion and perspective drawing, efficient energy, passive heating techniques, energy flow Multimedia: A look at visualizing anthropology Spanish: communication skills, history/cultural studies, language and culture in context Photography: Perspective in art and architecture Art: hand-sketched drawings of dwellings from different time periods

An example Flex project Asynchronous Learning Activities: Fieldwork, ethnographic interviews, ethics in ethnographic research, qualitative descriptions, independent research Synchronous Learning Activities: Conducting focus groups, jigsaw of research strategies, peer feedback groups, online critique sessions

An example Flex project Service Learning Component: Students will have an opportunity to both learn from and teach the community about our research. This project aims to empower students to disseminate their knowledge with the community. In the process of this project, students will be interacting with the community and participating in community service geared to improve the conditions of the North County, including community clean-ups. Students create a lesson that uses the field guide and the 3D models and take the presentation on the road to local elementary and middle schools. Students create a display at a local Children’s Museum or historical society using the 3D models they constructed.

An example Flex project Job-Shadowing Students shadow Architects and Building Engineers to learn more about building design. Students may also network with local anthropologists to observe field research and study professional field notes. College Encounter Students visit the Architecture School at a local university and submit their designs for critique by experts from the university. Students use Internet and university library to find information about the types of dwellings in North County past. Students will also visit the Department of Anthropology at one of the local universities.

An example Flex project Arts/Cultural Encounter Students visit Old Town San Diego, local Missions, connect with local Indian Tribes. Digital Tools Geometer’s SketchPad or Google SketchUp, Moodle, Voice Thread, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign

An example Flex project Project Week at a Glance Times of activities not in bold will vary per student based on their personal schedule. Each box represents up to an hour

High Tech High Flex Introductory Presentation

by Brian Dixon on Apr 30, 2009

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