I. Introduction and background information to support the creation, prioritizing, and implementation of “Innovation and Exploration-Focused Learning Spaces” – helping participants re-focus, to include, but greatly expand from the prevalent and more limited concept of “making” and constructing.
5 minutes
II. Creating a clear vision, establishing goals and objectives, and actively engaging attendees in interactive discussion, with a focus on how to create or re-design an effective technology-rich, student-centered learning environment where “inventing”, analyzing, evaluating, and independent inquiry and innovation will thrive. Attendees will be encouraged to share examples of ways they have incorporated inventing, analyzing, evaluation and innovation in their schools, and they will also be encouraged to share hurdles that they have had to overcome or that they anticipate, in order to design and implement an effective “Innovation and Exploration Space”.
10 minutes
III. Criteria and recommendations for what to include in “Innovation and Exploration Spaces”, how to best schedule these spaces, and consideration of where best to locate these spaces within a school, to enable educators to reach their instructional and student learning goals and objectives. Interactive discussion will include considerations for how these spaces might be used for after school programs, scheduling when schools employ a hybrid learning model, and how and if, these spaces can be scheduled or used by those learning in remote, virtual, or “home school” learning models. Participants will also actively engage during this time with selected, recommended, new cutting-edge tools and devices --- experiencing a variety of levels of complexity, in which students could engage.
20 minutes
IV. Engaging diverse learners and assuring equitable and accessible opportunities for ALL diverse learners. Successful school implementations will be shared, including implementations from diverse socio-economic locations and urban, rural, and/or suburban areas, including elementary, middle and high schools.
15 minutes
V. Questions and Answers and Wrap Up
10 minutes
Participants will be actively involved with interactive dialogue on key topics and concerns, and participants will also be actively engaged with selected, recommended devices and tools, during the third segment of the session, as described in the outline. Participants will also have time to ask questions and interact with the presenter and other attendees during the Q and A.
After this presentation:
1. Participants will be able to recognize and understand the importance of re-focusing their vision to create or re-design their learning environment, to create and produce effective, immersive, technology-rich learning spaces, moving away from a limited “maker” space concept, and expanding and re-focusing their vision to include creating, designing, innovating, exploring, and inventing. Participants will also know how to design and implement “Innovation and Exploration Spaces”, to develop student-centered, technology-rich learning environments infused with AI tools and platforms, where resources in a variety of formats, at varying levels of difficulty and complexity, and where age-appropriate technology tools come together, so students can analyze, design, invent, and ‘create’ products, models, robots, and pursue topics of interest.
2. Participants will know how to utilize rich technology tools to facilitate student learning, to collaborate with peers, to communicate what they have learned, and to ‘unlock’ learning pathways and expand and incorporate higher order applications of technology, to develop ‘future-proof skills’, to ignite a love of learning for all students and launch students into a successful path for College and Career Readiness.
3. Participants will be able to articulate the criteria for what resources and technology tools to include in effective “Innovation and Exploration Spaces”, how to assure equitable and accessible scheduling of these spaces, where to best locate these spaces within a traditional school or alternative learning landscape, and how to maximize their use to advance learning and engagement for every student.
4. Participants will be able to identify and give examples of ways to differentiate learning for students of varying abilities, interests, and experience, using technology-rich tools and devices, and they will be able to give examples and discuss ways to engage diverse students in effective “Innovation and Exploration Spaces”, including the use of age-appropriate real-world problem solving challenges, and development of essential 21st Century “Future-Proof Skills”, using rich technology resources.
www.nic.nkcschools.org/sage-info
https://elementary/montourschools.com
lib.k-state.edu>technology>innovation-lab
cal.lib.k-state.edu>space>116022
“A Guide to Specialty Learning Spaces in K-12 Schools: An Architect’s Advice on How to Design Specialty Educational Spaces.” Lan Associates, Matthew Fink. 2024.
“Creative Next Generation Learning Spaces to Improve Learning in Schools.” Paul Klee. Next Generation Learning, 2025.
“Embracing Multi-Use Learning Spaces in K-12 Schools.” Chris Michaud. EUA: Architecture, Engineering and Design. Milwaukee, October 4, 2023.
“Innovations in Learning Spaces: What Lies Ahead.” Working Spaces, November 1, 2023.
“3 Key Steps When Designing Inclusive Spaces in K-12 Schools.” Valerie Peterson. eSchool News, January 9, 2025.
“Using Edtech Tools to Differentiate Learning.” Edutopia. Katie Noak and Mary E. Pettit. September 24, 2024.
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