Classroom 2.0 has announced three new projects for this coming year. The Flat Classroom Project is an exciting, challenging and unique experience that allows young people (and their teachers) to study and explore emerging trends and ‘flatteners’ in our world. The project is run three times each year starting in September, January and March.
The Flat Classroom™ Project is a global collaborative project that joins together middle and high school students (typically grade 9-12, 14-18 years old).
Co-founded in 2006 by Vicki Davis (Westwood Schools, USA) and Julie Lindsay (now in Beijing, China) in 2006, this project uses Web 2.0 tools to support communication and interaction as well as collaboration and creation between students and teachers from classrooms around the world. The topics studied and discussed are real-world scenarios based on ‘The World is Flat’ by Thomas Friedman.
One of the main goals of the project is to ‘flatten’ or lower the classroom walls so that instead of each class working isolated and alone, 2 or more classes are joined virtually to become one large classroom. The project is designed to develop cultural understanding, skills with Web 2.0 and other software, experience in global collaboration and online learning, awareness of what it means to live and work in a flat world, while researching and discussing the ideas developed in Friedman’s book. Projects are constructed with an international set of classrooms (as mixed as we can make it depending on applications). Students also have the chance to interact with expert advisers and other classroom teachers and sounding board classrooms in a true flattened learning mode.
The Flat Classroom Project™ has four mandatory components for students:
1. An audio or video introduction posted as a blog post on the educational network (Ning)
2. A written collaborative report using a wiki – Students will edit the wiki and discuss the topic on the discussion tab of the page in teams
3. A personal multimedia response (digital story/video) (topic as assigned on the project matrix)
4. A Post Project Reflection – Students will post their reflection on the process to the educational network (Ning)
The project has optional components including:
1. Student summits held in Elluminate hosted by the teacher in their class
If you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact project organizers for assistance at flatclassroom@googlegroups.com.
More information about all Flat Classroom™ Projects can be found on the main wiki at http://www.flatclassroomproject.org/About
All past Flat Classroom Projects can be found from the archives wiki at http://archives.flatclassroomproject.org/
The online application form is accessed through this PORTAL
All teachers are invited to join in the discussion with other educators at http://flatclassrooms.ning.com
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