Center for Innovation
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Nationally, most of the work being done in this area is sponsored by university research labs or private, for-profit institutions. The Scarsdale Center for Innovation is one of the only innovation center to be hosted and supported by a K-12 school district.
About the Center
Many organizations support internal research and development programs that encourage opportunities for growth and foster innovative practices. Scarsdale teachers have designed and implemented many innovative projects in recent years, but several years ago, the district did not have a formal way to encourage and showcase innovative instructional projects. In addition, the District is interested in hosting conversations about system-wide innovation, asking questions like:
- What will schools look like in the future?
- What kinds of spaces do we need to support instruction and collaborative work in 5-10 years?
- How will technology transform curriculum, instruction, and assessment?
Nationally, most of the work being done in this area is sponsored by university research labs or private, for-profit institutions. The Scarsdale Center for Innovation is one of the only innovation center to be hosted and supported by a K-12 school district.
This Center showcases the work of teachers who are interested in using leading edge technology to improve instructional practices and reimagine teaching and learning.
The purpose of the Center is:
- to re-imagine teaching and learning, develop new models of instruction, and explore the role of technology in transforming instruction
- to foster widespread change, beyond a single classroom or teacher
- to learn how other organizations foster innovative practices and possibly replicate their techniques and structures in Scarsdale
The Center for Innovation was created to explore issues surrounding the future of education, including,
- The changing format of content delivery (eBooks, Web, Infographics)
- The transformation of pedagogy and the benefits of collaborative group projects
- The use social learning networks for online learning and collaboration
- The re-design of school spaces to facilitate teaching and learning
- The promise of mobile learning devices for providing anytime, anywhere instruction
Based on successful models of university and corporate technology R&D programs, such as the MIT Media Lab and Apple Advanced Technology Group, the Center was designed to provide opportunities for Scarsdale to continue its leadership role in demonstrating innovative instructional practices. To learn more about the Scarsdale Schools and the Center for Innovation, you can view the short video below.
An Introduction to the Scarsdale Public Schools