Essential Questions

Do students make
meaningful
connections
between their
classroom
learning, their
personal lives, and
the world around
them?
Do students see
relationships and
overlaps between
multiple streams of
information? Do
the look for
connections
between
disparate ideas?
Can students
identify and
harmonize and
draw connections
to seemingly
unrelated and/or
conflicting
concepts and
information?
Do students
understand the
power and
benefits of
connections in the
globallyconnected 21st
century?
Can students
create meaningful
networks using
various digital
tools and social
platforms? These
networks may
include learning
networks, social

Student
Knowledge
To enrich
understanding in
an informational
age, students
should actively
look to make
connections
between
information, their
personal lives, and
the world around
them.
Students know
how to find
common ground
to connect
seemingly
conflicting
concepts and
information.
Student
achievement is
enhanced when
their learning is
reinforced and
supported in
multiple settings.
These settings can
be online networks
where resources
and connected
conversations are
abundant and
accessible.
In the right
networks, students
can find a sense
of belonging and
purpose through
shared interests
and passions that
will support their
growth.
Valuable
information can

K-3
Elementary
Knowledge & Skills
Students make
connections
between
information
learned and
connections to
own personal
experiences and
other events in the
community or
around the world.

4-8
Middle Years
Knowledge & Skills
Students make
connections
between
information
learned from
digital sources and
connections to
own personal
experiences
community or
global
connections.

9-12
High School
Knowledge & Skills
Students
independently
develop their own
personal learning
network, based on
the student
identified learning
needs, then
develop meaning
and co-construct
new information or
understandings,
drawing on
personal
experiences,
community or
global
connections.
Students
Students
Students
understand that
understand that
understand the
there are many
there are many
value of different
places where they places where they types of
can find
can find
information/media
information to their information to their , (includes print,
questions, which
questions, which
digital and digital
includes a variety
includes a variety
interactions with
of sources which
of sources which
people). Able to
include print,
include print,
analyze reasons
digital and
digital and
for informational
interactions with
interactions with
overlaps from
people. They are
people. Able to
sources, as well as
able to identify
identify and
identify
and notice
notice overlaps of differences in
overlaps of
information, as
information based
information from
well as identify
on perspective
sources.
reasons for
and type of
differences.
information.
Students share
resources from
outside the
classroom to the
activities of the
classroom.

With teacher
mediation,
students
contribute online
information and
resources from
outside into the
activities of the
classroom or
learning
community.

Students
contribute online
information and
resources from
outside into the
activities of the
classroom or
online learning
community.
Students are able
to work
effectively,

networks, activism
networks, etc.
Are students given
the opportunity to
connect beyond
the classroom
walls with other
peers or experts
who help to
support this
learning process?
Are these learning
interactions as
valued as
traditional views of
how learning takes
place?
Are schools
bridging the
disconnect
between
traditional learning
models and the
realities of the
connected 21st
century learner?
Are students
tracking progress
through eportfolios and
connecting with
other members in
their learning
network?
Are students
given
opportunities to
engage in
dialogue about
their learning with
teachers, peers or
other members of
their learning
network? Are
students able to
engage in diverse
learning
communities
(which include
face to face and
digital, as well as
intergenerational)
?
Are students
learning in
networks to
ethically and
appropriately

be accessed
through
connections
outside the school
walls and can
significantly
support learning.
These networks
allow for
unprecedented
cross-generational
and cross-cultural
learning as well.
Students
understand how
to access and the
value of
connecting with
multiple people
face to face or
digitally to help
guide student
inquiry.
Connected
learning promotes
life-long learning
and is an
opportunity to
contribute to the
learning of others.
There are various
digital tools and
platforms to
connect with
others. Students
carefully consider
which digital
platforms will
enrich their lives
and learning.
Students connect
with teachers in a
meaningful and
timely exchange
of feedback face
to face or through
digital networks.
Students
understand how
to engage with
systems of informal
learning in
connected
learning
environments.

Students
understand that
there are people
who can provide
information to their
questions. These
individuals help to
make up their
learning
community.

Students engage
and contribute
ethically to an
online dialogue
with several posts
and comments
with other students
as part of a
teacher-led task.

Students engage
and discuss
learning
experiences in
settings which
include at school,
home and other
communities of
which they
interact face to
face or online
through teacher
mediation, making
up the student's
learning network.

Students give and

act on feedback
from multiple
perspectives in
teacher created
digital networks.
Student
incorporates ideas
and comments
from network and
peers into own
learning.

Students actively
engage in
different forms of
communication to
reach out,
connect to
explore and share
their questions and
ideas with teacher
digital support.
Teachers would
provide
opportunities for
whole class
connection with
other learning
"experts".

Students actively
engage in
different forms of
communication to
reach out and
explore ideas from
multiple diverse
perspectives with
teacher
mediation.
Communication
may be face to
face or teacher
mediated digital
connections with
peers or other
"experts" depending on
student selection
for learning
project.

ethically and
safely within digital
community, by
identifying and
responding to
expectations or
goals of
community (such
as timelines).
Students engage
and contribute
ethically to an
online dialogue
with multiple indepth posts and
comments with
other students as
part of a teacherled task, with the
goal being to coconstructing
knowledge and
new
understandings.
Students give and
act on feedback
from multiple
perspectives in
digital networks.
Connecting with
peers significantly
shapes the
student's learning
which is evident
by process and
product. Student
effectively
incorporates
comments from
network
community into
learning.
Students actively
engage in
different forms of
communication to
reach out and
explore ideas from
multiple diverse
perspectives using
social media
platforms. Able to
communicate
voice or opinions
appropriately as a
member of the
learning
community.
Communication
may be face to
face or through
student initiated
connections with

exchange
knowledge,
collect and curate
stories and ideas,
as well as engage
in collective
activities?
Are students
provided digital
spaces where
they can engage
with
intergenerational
experts who help
to make up their
learning
community and
helping to
develop social
relations in a safe
and mediated
way?
Are students able
to demonstrate
the ability to
access an
external social
media site with
subject-related
content, and
contribute or
download digital
content?

peer or "experts"
from many fields depending on
student selection
for learning
project.

Students can
simply identify
benefits of
connecting to
share knowledge.

Students identify
instances and
describe benefits
of digital
technologies
being used for the
creating and
sharing of
knowledge.

Students engage
in dialogue about
learning with
teachers, peers or
parents
predominately
face to face,
occasionally
digitally with
teacher
mediation.
Feedback is
captured in digital
form and used in
discussion.

Students engage
in dialogue about
learning with
teachers, peers or
other members of
their learning
network in face to
face as well as
digital. Feedback
is captured in
digital form for
student to act
upon.

Students identify
instances and
describe benefits
of digital
technologies
being used for the
creating and
sharing of
knowledge as a
means of
exploring various
perspectives and
expertise.
Students
demonstrate the
ability to use a
variety of online
contacts and
social networks to
find out
information, and
able to distinguish
between different
online
communication
tools for usefulness
for enabling
teamwork and
collaboration.
Students also
participate in
learning networks
to exchange
knowledge,
collect and curate
stories and ideas,
as well as engage
in collective
activities such as
crowdsourcing as
a means of
making
connections for
student inquiry.