“Summer of Making and Connecting” underway

The “Summer of Making and Connecting” isn’t about being at school — it’s about linking young people to their interests by using technology and other means to spark creativity and develop 21st century skills.

The summertime campaign, launched Tuesday in Washington, D.C., plans to engage thousands of people across the country and feature a growing roster of events and activities designed to make learning more relevant to young people, to real work and real life, and to the opportunities of the 21st century. Most activities will not take place in schools – even though the material learned can tie into next year’s school curriculum.

The campaign was announced as leaders in business and education met at the Re-Imagining Education Summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by the U.S. Department of Education and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

There’s already one event planned in Colorado. “Teaching with Technology” is a one-week inquiry-based workshop offered by the Colorado State University Writing Project, in association with the National Writing Project, held concurrently with their Save Our Stories project, June 10 to 14. Save Our Stories (SOS) is a writing and connected learning-focused workshop offered to area middle school grade English Language Learners in Fort Collins.

“Teaching with Technology” is designed to support teachers to inquiry into effective uses of a range of technologies to amplify student learning. They do this while also providing support for the work of the SOS students who are connecting throughout their communities to surface, document and share the history and everyday experiences of the Fort Collins Latino community.

For more information on the Summer of Making and Connecting and contact organizers to add events and projects, visit www.MakeSummer.org. To read or share ideas about the Summer of Making and Connecting, use the hashtag #MakeSummer.