Creating Authentic Learning Experiences through Experiential Learning at Parklands College

Meetings
Written By Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley

This Meeting's Highlights

Speaker: Richard KnaggsProgram: Creating Authentic Learning Experiences through Experiential Learning at Parklands College

Meeting for the week of July 13th to 19th, 2015

Greetings

Welcome from President Rushton Hurley

"We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace."This quote from 19th-century British prime minister William Gladstone captures much of what we revere as Rotarians. It is our opportunity to find ways to make friendship, understanding, and peace grow in our activities.Thirty years ago on Monday was a wonderful example of people coming together for these purposes, when Sir Bob Geldof and others organized the Live Aid concerts in Philadelphia and London to raise money to support famine relief in east Africa and broadcast around the world. The estimated global audience was 1.9 billion people in 150 nations.Making great things happen is a function, first and foremost, of good people being willing to share their perspectives and act on their ideas and hopes.This year, let's see how many ways, big and small, we can make a difference in our communities. Spend a few minutes this week helping someone else, and report it in our Service Survey next week.Like the students at Parklands, let's make great things happen! Not sure about that reference? Keep going!Guests, we welcome your comments, and ask that you consider contributing the cost of a regular Rotary meal to the efforts of our club.

Feel free to use an option below, or you can mail a check made out to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley to our treasurer:

℅ Allen Thompson,

13500 Cascade Ct.,

Bakersfield CA 93314.

Send via our secure Happy Dollars form.

Send via Google Wallet to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.com

Send via PayPal to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.comTo pay via Google Wallet or PayPal, you'll need to log in to your account with those companies. 

Bringing Opportunity via Information

Our members know that our focus efforts in this eclub are innovation, education, and entrepreneurship. Rotary is involved in powerful projects around the world along these lines, and this video about the work of a club in Fiji to help students conveys that beautifully.

The Power of Images from member Keith Marsh

LightGuyCrater by KMarsh

"Here is an unplanned photo that I took on a recent photo trip to Crater Lake. We were set up to photograph the Milky Way over the Lake with this old tree in the foreground, when this group of young men from Portland arrived. One of them grabbed a flashlight and climbed the dead tree to pose for his friends. Another illuminated the tree with the screen from his iPhone. It was pure serendipity and one of the best images from our trip."

Happenings

breakfast 1000 islands

What We Do

Potluck Party!On Saturday, July 25th, we'll have a potluck at president Rushton's home (289 Monroe St, Santa Clara), and you, your favorite folks, and friends you want to introduce to our eclub are all invited. We'll go from 1:00 to about 4:00, and watch your email for the plan on what food to bring. 

ConnectionsTreasurer Allen Thompson has been traveling around Canada, stopping in to see member Chris Cochrane in Ontario, where they visited The 1000 Islands across the St. Lawrence River from New York. Here they are (Chris, center, and Allen, right) with Claude Laliberté, Rotary District 7040 Governor.

The World of Rotary

Last week, our new District Governor greeted our members and guests. This week, we can also add to the meeting a short video introducing Rotary International's president for 2015-2016, Ravi Ravindran of Sri Lanka. Prepare for some rather stunning views of this beautiful country while hearing an open and inspiring message from this impressive Rotarian.

Service Time

Were you inspired by the info about our members' efforts written up in last week's meeting to spend some time helping out someone or some group in need? If so,

tell us about it in our Service Survey

.

Happy Dollars

Here's a little more love from and for the group with Happy Dollars:

member Rushton Hurley ($5)

Happy to toss in to celebrate my anniversary (last Sunday, the 5th). On that day in 1997, I married Tabitha, my best friend, and I love her now more than ever. #Iwonlifeslottery

member Mahmood Khan ($5)

Polio has to go (I thought it already was). It is debilitating disease.

member Keith Marsh ($20)

One of my photos won "Best of Show-Monochrome" at the Marin County Fair.

member Heather Shaw ($15)

Happy to have the chance to learn more about Rotary in this new year!

guest George Shea ($15) of the Los Altos Rotary Club

It is a new experience for me to participate in this e-club, and I look forward to learn more about this club in the future.

member Yvonne Kwan ($10)

Happy new Rotary year!

Fill out my online form

This Week’s Program

This week we hear from one of our own – member Richard Knaggs of South Africa. Richard is the Director of Technology and Innovation at Parklands College, a K-12 private school near Cape Town, and will talk to us today about how they have enriched the learning experience of their students by offering a plethora of courses and subjects that require learning by doing, and by linking these offering to real-world projects.

Richard was born in Zimbabwe in 1969. His family moved to Cape Town in 1980, and in Year 8 he was exposed to the Sinclair ZX80 computer by his science teacher. At that, his life moved in a new direction:

“I had an epiphany and I knew that the rest of my life would involve computers (I wish to give learners at Parklands College these kinds of epiphanies). I graduated from University of Cape Town in 1991 with a B.Sc (HONS) in Microbiology and spent another two years doing Computer Science 200 and 300. I worked in various IT companies including my own until my mother invited me to run the IT department at Parklands College in 1998.”

Richard is a person with incredible vision and hope for others, which is why he was one of the initial group I contacted when we began forming our eclub. Get ready for a trip back to a school, and I’m guessing a number of you will wish you could return to an age that would allow you to learn at this amazing place.

Links for learning more:

School Prosepectus video
Flashmob College Avenue You Tube Channel
Parklands College Studios (Music Videos)

Student Work:

Habitats – DinoDile
Environmental Awareness – Dylan’s Worm Farm
Life Orientation – Digital Bullying
Science – The Breathing System
(This one was Next Vista’s Video of the Year (student strand) for 2014.)

I Attended!

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  • Linda Tangren

    Richard, I loved how you incorporated learning, fundraising and community service into education. I look forward to viewing the completed project with Habitat for Humanity.

  • Rushton Hurley

    Richard, it’s great to see what your students are making happen. Inspiring stuff! Keith, that picture is wonderful – I love that it was essentially an accident. That speaks to a beauty in the random nature of our lives and interests. The important part, of course, is that you were prepared for the moment. Lisa, this is a great tidbit. I hope we’ll have the opportunity to get someone involved in technology-infused geography efforts to speak to the club at some point!

  • Keith Marsh

    Richard, Thanks for sharing your program. Another good Tidbit from Lisa. Glad to see Allen and Chris making contact in Canada. We are an international group.

  • Chris Cochrane

    Keith I love the photo. Richard, looking forward to interacting with your learners and helping them move to the next level in video creation. Great basic video skills demonstrated with the music video in the link. I believe it’ll be a pleasure to assist your learners!
    Plus my wife and I are honoured to host Allen Thompson and his wife in paradise,The 1000 Islands in Ontario, Canada and upstate NY.

    • Richard Knaggs

      Thanks Chris. They are all super excited to be engaging with you. Thank you again for your interest.

  • François Tessier

    So much to say about this week’s program! 1- Happy birthday in late, Ruston!! 2- Richard: your presentation is very inspiring: Project learning based / Experiential learning based is really the future of education: Congratulation for this fantastic project. 3- I was a-m-a-z-e-d to view the video of president Ravi Ravindran of Sri Lanka… Thank you for this rich week’s program!

  • Tom Baxter

    Enjoyed the presentation. I am excited for your club. I will visit back.

  • Gene Tognetti

    Richard – thanks so much for your presentation. I certainly enjoyed learning more about the forward thinking employed at Parklands- very interesting stuff. I want to look at the YouTube channel I understand you have; perhaps it will help inspire folks at my school. The ‘accidental’ photo was too cool, and I’m loving the Google Earth tabs that Lisa suggested. Finally, Ravi Ravindran’s intro video was thought provoking too – as he noted, sharing the gifts we’ve been given is much of what we should be all about.

  • Manju Ramachandran

    Great stuff!! Thank you for sharing

  • Martin Fox

    The Fiji technology video gave me goosebumps – a true game changer for those kids. Keith – I can’t take my eyes off your photo, it is extraordinary. Our new RI President is amazing. Richard – Parklands is a great model for education around the planet and I can’t wait to learn more.

    • Richard Knaggs

      Thanks Martin.

  • ShagsCA

    In a single word, this meeting was “Wow!” Last night I was representing our eClub as sponsor of a networking mixer at the Big West Rotaract PETS event — and again, “Wow!”. Fellow members Mitty and Yvonne are key to making sure that the future leadership of Rotary is being developed through other channels of Rotary’s outreach. Looking forward to seeing more faces next week at Rushton’s.

  • Meg Taylor

    Wow! The program at the school is so impressive. Thanks for sharing, Richard. And I loved the video about the work in Fiji.

    • Richard Knaggs

      Thank you Meg.

  • Allen Thompson

    What a wonderful program for learning at Parkland College! If only all schools everywhere had the benefit of the talent available to the Parkland students.

    • Richard Knaggs

      Thanks Allen.

  • Mark Dohn

    Richard, I watched this week’s meeting while I prepared for a keynote at the Aldea Digital conference in Mexico City. Within 90 seconds all work on my presentation stopped as I listened to you share – I’m now entertaining the idea of just showing your presentation for my keynote! In all seriousness, what you have accomplished is extraordinary – a blend of commitment, vision, structure. My favorite part is that you use term “learners” rather than “students”. I would love to connect in the near future.

  • Yvonne Kwan

    Richard — As I’ve said before, this is AMAZING work that you are doing for your students. Educators like you are so inspiring and are truly paving a path for a better future.

  • Paul Mosso

    Richard, Thank you for the presentation! I love the idea of hands on learning. Having the children take on international certification is very impressive and will groom them to be a global citizen. Much kudos for your work!

  • Mitty

    Richard, EXCELLENT meeting! Thanks so much for sharing with us more about what you do and the work that’s done at Parklands College! I love the hands-on approach your team has to teaching your students.

About us

Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley is a non-profit 501(c)4 organization dedicated towards bettering humanity through service and fellowship.

Delivering innovation, entrepreneurship, and education since January 2015.

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