Jim Slotta

Jim Slotta stands as a transformative figure in educational technology as Professor and President's Chair in Knowledge Technologies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. With a background bridging physics and cognitive psychology, he has revolutionized collaborative learning through his development of the Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI) model, which transforms traditional classroom dynamics into collective research environments. His significant contributions include creating "smart classrooms" through the Scalable Architecture for Interactive Learning (SAIL) framework, featuring innovative projects like Wallcology and Evoroom. As Canada Research Chair in Education and Technology from 2006 to 2011, he has led over 30 funded projects worth more than $30 million, supervised 20 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers, and co-directed the NSF-funded Center for Technology-Enhanced Learning. Through his ENCORE lab, he investigates new models of collective inquiry in science education, emphasizing the teacher's role as a "mentor at the center." His current work focuses on developing networked technologies for future learning spaces through the SCORE platform, emphasizing social, tangible, and embodied interactions, while strongly advocating for open-source materials in learning sciences research.