Welcome to Global Civ 2010-2011Introduction|Key Components of Global Civ|2010-2011 Program Overview

Our MissionA call for the creation of an expansive new learning ecology is being heard across the world. Driven by exponential change in the information revolution and coupled with the catastrophic possibilities inherent with ecological overshoot it has never been more important for young people to work together as they learn in an age of deep uncertainty. Our world systems are changing dramatically and a core of highly-able global citizens are needed to meet the needs of this change. The demands placed upon the global citizen in the 21st century call for young people who can find information, validate it, synthesize it, and  then collaborate, communicate, and problem solve with peers from all over the world to meet the current and pending realities of an interdependent world. The Institute for Global Civic Culture (IGCC) was founded to meet these imperatives of education today and in the future and we are happy to announce our first program Global Civ. A catalyst for the process of creating a new learning ecology, Global Civ provides young people with a rigorous, student centric, problem based, and technology rich learning environment that connects them to the world. The outcomes of this environment will be empowered and responsible learners who are accountable to themselves and the world as they learn.

The conversation we are starting with the world about learning asks the fundamental question, “what can we do to prepare young people for the social, economic, and environmental problems they collectively face now and will face in exponential order in the future?” Our answer builds on the work critical educators from around the world while embracing the dynamic possibilities of web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies, emerging theory and praxis on learning modalities, pioneering work in business and economics, and systems thinking. What we propose is a new set of learning spaces that allows the individual learner to gain the essential skills needed to fundamentally shift humanities course through rigorous pure and applied learning experiences.

Working in wall-less learning pods, that leverage local, national and international teams of mentors, partners and peers we propose that learners need to devote their time to creating social, economic and environmental change while they are working to master internationally agreed upon knowledge territories. Our vision is to unite diverse young people and their communities through learning and action. This global civic learning culture will allow young people to practice the essential work of knowledge acquisition, collaboration on research, and the application of their skills into action together and with their communities.

We hope you are inspired after reading about Global Civ. For more information on how you can join our organization please contact Thomas Steele-Maley by email steele-maley@globalciv.org or phone 207.629.7881.

IntroductionGlobal Civ is a wall-less learning ecology that encourages the individual to take control of their learning through the co-development and design of their own programs and collaborative systems for learning. These Individually designed learning spaces will empower the individual to determine their own learning path regardless of location, culture or environmental constraint. The 2010 Global Civ Pilot Program focuses on place based and international studies in humanities, social sciences, experimental sciences, languages (to include Spanish and Chinese), and quantitative reasoning.

New in almost every way, Global Civ is a learning partnership between individual learners, mentors, and organizations from around the world.  In its first year pilot program, an individual learner based in Midcoast Maine will co-design a rigorous program of study with mentors in all academic disciplines and partner with marine scientists, Indigenous leaders, organic farmers, historians, authors, and other learners from North America New Zealand and Africa.

Global Civ will operate year round on a 12 week block schedule that is flexible to learner needs and travel requirements.  Mentors work directly with students in the planning process for each block and have appropriate time to develop rigorous and standards based independent curriculum that is relevant, applied, and personalized. Out side raters from esteemed universities will join with professionals and mentors in assessing the work produced by Global Civ fellows.

Through project based eLearning, individuals co-create powerful learning experiences for themselves and with other young people around the world. Individual learners are responsible for creating a dynamic record of their learning process with ePortfolios and they connect with the world through a system of web based project management| collaboration, mobile learning, and web conferencing.

Welcome to a new way to learn.

How Does Global Civ Work?Global Civ programs work utilizing three key components: iSpace, the eLearning Nexus, and Local and International Learning Centers. These key components empower the individual to have responsibility and accountability for their own learning process.

iSpaceLearners who enter Global Civ will complete an entrance process. In this process the learner will communicate his or her vision for learning via an “opening” ePortfolio project describing who they are, what they need to learn and how they think the Global Civ framework might help.

A young person will then create their own learning framework with the most powerful networked web 2.0 tools available. Once a student has identified their project mentors and partners they will co-create a personalized learning plan with Global Civ to ensure the greatest measure of responsibility and accountability for their learning.

eLearning Nexus

Students will then proceed to the Learning Nexus (Fig. 4) a networked base of studies where learners can leverage existing eLearning frameworks to complete coursework and join new or existing project based learning opportunities. The Learning Nexus provides a communication hub, between adult mentors, other learners, local, national and international partners. The outcomes sought with the learning nexus is the creation of many project cohorts or pods.

Learning will be assessed and archived through an ePortfolio system and a cohort of qualified raters in many different academic fields.

Fig. 4: Schematic of eLearning Nexus

Learning CentersThe Global Civ learner will connect to other individuals around the world at various learning centers. These centers will represent different culture regions in the world and may be in New Zealand, Africa, SW Asia, North America and Europe. Learners leveraging the Learning Nexus will communicate with individuals in these centers through video conferencing, online forums, and social networking sites within the learning Nexus framework and beyond. With the relationships built during LDP’s individuals will travel to join their peers from around the world where they will engage in service work, ongoing research, and culture studies.

The result of this learning system is a dramatic shift in how young people learn. The program will be scalable as the Learning Nexus will operate virtually all over the world using satellite and broadband networks and local IGCC locus points or learning centers will serve the physical learning needs of individuals in areas around the world. Learners from around the world will be encouraged to spend time on the ground at learning centers. Learning Centers to be sought in New Zealand, Africa, Asia (India, China), Europe, and North and South America.

Fig. 4: Schematic of Learning Centers

Program Overview

North American Experiences Core Program (NAE)Global Civ 2010-2011

Overview

Understanding place has become seminal for the 21st century global citizen. NAE engages a place based learning in a new and exciting way. Through deep inquiry into our ecoregion an intricate system of society, economy and environment are revealed that determine our relationship with local communities and in many ways connect us to the broader world. To study place for enduring understanding, the traditional domains knowledge areas of humanities, social sciences, experimental sciences, and quantitative reasoning are woven together to construct an ecology of learning that provides a sustainable narrative for the individual and their life long learning process. Coupled with domain knowledge integration, the core program allows for learning through strong and varied partnerships with local farms, organizations, agencies, businesses, and government this serving as a foundation for understanding and participating appropriately in regional and global issues.

A Web of Learning With NAE

NAE offers learners a web of opportunity for learning deeply about themselves, their culture (both personal and interdependent), and their ecological footprint through powerful project based learning that is theme driven and integrated through real world and socially relative concepts and activities.Fig. 1: Schematic of Core Theme (The North American Experience) and Concepts (Society, Environment, Economy).

Theme and Concepts: Description

Unlike traditional school models, NAE is theme driven and focused on understanding ones Place. NAE integrates the domain knowledge areas of humanities, social science, experimental science, and quantitative reasoning around the concepts of Society, Environment, and Economy

These concepts offer issues driven real world direction for inquiry based essential questions that reflect authentic issues or challenges that concern students, their communities, and/or professionals in the field.

Theme and Concepts: Essential Skills|State, National and International Standards

Students work with mentors to ensure essential skills in each domain area are met. NAE provides specific content outcomes that are aligned with key state, national, and international standards and represent essential skills and understandings needed to successfully complete all projects.

Fig. 4: Schematic of Learning Centers

Learner Driven ProjectsIn each of the NAE concept areas the learner will co-create, create, or join highly dynamic projects. These learner driven projects focus on ensuring the individual gains an enduring understandings in NAE core program and they provide a framework for learner created service learning.

Project based learning through Global Civ in NAE and other Core Global Civ programming utilizes aspects of the Buck Institute for Education PBL framework and is hybridized to fit the Global Civ eLearning Nexus and individual learners needs and schedule.

LDP Collaboration

In year one and during Global Civ Learners will collaborate with peers both local local and international through face to face and network based collaboration. Projects will vary and may encompass collaborative service learning, co-blogging on place based reflections, or direct collaboration the concept level. Partnerships are being cultivated in North America, New Zealand and Uganda as of Summer 2010. Expansion to Europe, China, India, and SW Asia is desired for future collaboration.

Global Civ is an Institute for Global Civic Culture School78 Dodge Road

Edgecomb ME 04556

http://globalciv.org

207.629.7881