Review+of+Website,+WWW.Edutopia.org

**Susan Gentry ** **EDU 713 **  The actual name of the website, “Edutopia”, indicates its purpose: to transform schools and the field of education into a kind of utopia. Edutopia.org informs educators of The George Lucas Educational Foundation’s mission by clearly outlining the core strategies that they believe will reform education, which are: integrated studies, project learning, technology integration, teacher development, comprehensive assessment, and social and emotional learning through engaging, interactive environments. Other categories of interest on this website, such as “Grade Levels” or “Schools that Work” contain evidence of the core strategies’ importance. Every piece of information that has been posted includes both critical and complimentary comments by members of Edutopia.  Edutopia.org appears to be an extremely trustworthy website, which belongs to The George Lucas Educational Foundation. George Lucas, the legendary filmmaker responsible for the entire Star Wars series, is the chairman of this organization, which gives this website instant credibility. In the motivating mission statement, Lucas says that he was inspired to be a part of this foundation because he found school to be boring and he wanted to contribute to transforming public education by incorporating the arts into the curriculum and placing great focus on the development of effective communication-a skill necessary for student collaboration. Also adding to the website’s reliable information includes the references of each video, article, and blog. The organization also includes several board members, as well as members of the National Advisory Council, who have highly distinguished biographies in the field of education (which can be found in the Foundation section). Many members have PhDs in Education, and hold such titles as “Superintendent”, “Principal”, “Executive Director”, and “Dean”; additionally, many hold such accomplishments as writing books on education reform, the winning of various prestigious teaching awards, and the founding other educational organizations. Such renowned board members and advisory council members give this website high quality material with great reliability.  Edutopia.org provides several different emails for different issues, a mailing address, and phone number for donations and advertisers. The site is funded by advertisers, such as Microsoft, Macintosh, and Legos, who display educational products on every page of the website. Additionally, Edutopia.org solicits donations to help fund its mission to reform education.  Although the information found on Edutopia.org appears to be presented with the bias of the philosophies of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, this website does demonstrate some objectivity. Each segment of information either advocates one or several of the core strategies, or provides proof of the effectiveness of the core strategies; there are no other experts or resources advocating any other strategies for reform. However, the comments posted by Edutopia members after each article, video, or other type of information do provide other opinions, as not all members are completely in agreement with all of the viewpoints of Edutopia.org. It is the differences in opinions of the members that make this website feel like more of a collaborative and objective website.According to Friend & Snow (2010), two or more members voluntarily engaged in a shared discussion as they work towards a common goal (the improvement of their student’s educations) is the definition of interpersonal collaboration (p. 7); this is what Edutopia.org offers to its members with its many online opportunities for open discussions on different topics and groups. Edutopia does not seem to be selling anything, but it does encourage viewers to become members by offering a free PDF download of a book published by Edutopia about classroom management. Membership is free and it includes the ability to join different collaborative interest groups, post comments and blogs, and provides free monthly email newspapers that include the advertisements on the website. The advertisements are all for educational items that seem to compliment many of the practices Edutopia endorses, such as technology and hands-on materials.  Edutopia.org does an excellent job in equally covering the six different core strategies that are explored throughout the website. Each of these core strategies has its own link which provides several videos, resources, research, experts, and fellow educators, which teach the philosophy and implementing of that strategy. The links are from various schools and authors and all videos have an “Edutopia” logo on them. The option to view information on these core strategies by grade level is also available, where there are many different types of articles, blogs, videos, and member comments pertaining to each particular age group. Other categories on interest for navigating this website include: Videos, Blogs, Community, The Foundation, Classroom Management, and Schools That Work. Again, each category offers a variety of media on the topic and allows comments and discussion from its members. Edutopia.org is a very current and visually appealing website. (It is what one might expect from a website with George Lucas’ name on it!) All materials are posted are dated and most are from the last four years. Blogs are posted up to the minute. The videos are brief, interesting, and effective. The website is very well organized, user-friendly, and nothing is “under construction”. I highly recommend Edutopia.org for educators who wish to feel empowered in their ability to improve the quality of their students’ educations and lives. I strongly believe in its mission, from The George Lucas Educational Foundation, of encouraging schools to foster critical thinking, creative problem solving, working collaboratively, and communicating with clarity through the core strategies highlighted. It is especially refreshing to find a strong value system in an organization that focuses on the whole child, as indicated through its social and emotional core strategy. Managing emotions and resolving conflicts peacefully are skills that are crucial in order to get along with others, collaborate, and successfully advance throughout life. Friend& Cook (2010) state that “effective interpersonal communication is essential for almost any kind of cooperation or collaboration, and there are some fundamental prerequisites to the needed communication skills” (p.218). Edutopia.org is a tool that helps teachers to develop these fundamental skills in their students. In addition to the message Edutopia.org offers, the vast amounts of easily accessible information allow for easy understanding and implementation of the core strategies. The social network option on this website, where educators discuss the current topics of interest, contributes to the learning that one would get from joining. It almost has the popular “Facebook” feel, as different people add their opinions and feedback to the discussions about the different ways to improve their teaching. This online collaboration is energizing and inspiring, which is a feeling that Edutopia strives to develop in students as well through its core strategies. **References** Friend, M. & Cook, L. (2007). //Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals.// (5th Edition). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
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