Moving Foward

Life has been moving at about a mile a minute, even though the i³ Academy hasn’t opened yet.  During the past few weeks we have hired a talented team of teachers and the program coordinator that will help turn our dream into a reality.  Blake VandeBunte, John Mastropierro, Kim Saltmarsh, and Kara Corkran will all be bringing their years of teaching experience, expertise and love of learning to the i³ Academy.   Kerri Sands has been hired as the i³ Program Coordinator and will be directing this innovative endeavor.  They will all be working hard over the next few months in order to get everything ready for our i³ Academy opening in August.

As part of this preparation, the New Tech Network requires that all teachers receive over 600 hours of professional development within the next few years.  Last week our team had the opportunity to travel to Ruston, Louisiana to visit New Tech @ Ruston High School.  During the two days that we spent at this innovative school, we were able to see how important the foundation of trust, respect, and responsibility truly is.  This strong foundation is the key to fostering high student engagement and continued growth.  We were also immersed in a Project-Based Learning unit to help guide our understanding of the core principles and practices of the New Tech Model. We were even able to observe classrooms, talk to the staff and students at the school, and learn about the New Tech collaborative learning environment called Echo.  This was definitely a worthwhile, fun-filled two days.  We have returned to Florida with tons of new insights, tips, tools, and ideas that we hope will take our new i³ Academy to the next level. 

We believe that all things are possible through our three New Tech tenets: a culture that empowers, teaching that engages, and technology that enables.  It is our mission to create students that become reflective, self-directed, goal-oriented, and responsible citizens.  Our students will be ready to graduate with the skills necessary to be aware, eligible, and prepared for the college and career path of their choice.

Building The Foundation

We had the opportunity to spend the past four days with coaches from the New Tech Network and peers from all over the country who are also beginning their journeys.  Our ah ha moments were the depth of the culture of trust, respect, and responsibility.  These three themes emerged over and over, whether it was the sayings on the wall, the conversations with the students, or the student created contracts for project work.

The training took place in two different high schools who have implemented New Tech Academies.  This was a great setting as it allowed us to interact with students and teachers who are living this experience now.  We know that to prepare students for the 21st century workforce they have to be able to collaborate, think critically, and problem solve.   We saw this in abundance in both schools.  This project based learning curriculum and academy environment fostered a belief in the students that they would be ready for the real world once they graduated.  One student said, "We get up everyday and its like going to work.  We have to operate on a professional level." 

We are very excited to get back and start putting together the team that will continue the work of building the culture of the Flagler i3: New Tech Academy.  An informational meeting will be held on Monday at 4:30 in Flagler Palm Coast High School Media Center for any teachers that are interested in learning more about the beliefs, philosophies, and structure of the New Tech schools.

We are also excited to return to the Sunshine State where 8 inches of snow will not fall overnight.  Check out the picture of Ms. Sands teaching Frosty, our first student, how to use the new Hype Hub app that was created by FPC students, so if he ever comes to visit he will have a schedule for all the great events in Palm Coast.

The Journey Begins

We are embarking on an endeavor to offer the students of Flagler County yet another learning environment, personalized to their specific needs,  to compliment the many great opportunities available across Flagler Schools.  New Tech Academy offers students a setting of choice customized to their needs and built on the philosophy of collaboration, problem solving, and critical thinking.  We want to share the journey with you, as it promises to be an exciting and energizing experience.

One of the first steps taken has been to explore a name for this new school setting.   We wanted to make sure it captured the spirit of the academy, as well as help to brand the school so that when the name was heard, it was immediately associated with the unique educational setting it represented.  Who better to brainstorm this than students!!!

A team of nine students was formed, representing multiple grade levels, programs, and areas of interest.  Ms. Sands shared the concept of New Tech and students were handed iPads to research and review the New Tech Network and their existing schools.   The  students began to discuss the guiding principles, ask questions, and throw out words and phrases that they felt personified the spirit of collaboration and critical thinking embedded in the problem based learning model utilized.  

Eventually they began to settle on the words integrated and investigation.   The idea of the content being taught as an intertwined piece and the technology being a natural and consistent part of the learning experience seemed to really resonate with the students.   The word institute quickly followed and the concept of "i cubed" was born.  The final name became Flagler Institute of Integrated Investigation: a New Tech Academy, symbolized by i cubed.