Applications are invited now for a selection of internationally recognised and award winning global projects run by Flat Classroom® to start in September 2011. Co-founders Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay are excited to be offering these opportunities for classrooms globally to connect, co-create and learn together in a carefully designed and supported digital environment.

The Digiteen™ Project explores digital citizenship through interaction and provides an opportunity for students to not only talk about digital citizenship, but experience via online connection, collaboration, shared research and presentation. It also has an action project component where a classroom designs an action to be carried out in their own school community and then shared back to the global partnership.

The Flat Classroom® 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.

The ‘A Week in the Life...’ Project aims to join Elementary School classrooms globally with a view to exploring what life is like in each area/country through discussion, sharing and collecting multimedia to create final products together. The curriculum focus is Interdisciplinary, how we live, how we communicate, cultural understanding and awareness.

Entry to a each project is via application and subscription. In order to help meet the subscription price, teachers can apply for a limited number of sweat equity positions as ‘lead teachers’.

All details for each of these outstanding projects can be found linked from the Flat Classroom® website. We welcome inquiries to fcp@flatclassroom.org

Watch this space for more announcements of new projects coming, including the repeat of the popular ‘Eracism’ Project, as well as an opportunity for educators to join our next Flat Classroom® Certified Teacher course, also starting in September 2011.

Also, our book, ‘Flattening Classroom, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration one Step at a Time’ is due for release January 2012. Find out more at www.flatclassroombook.com

Announcing the opening of a new Flat Classroom® Project starting in September 2011. This global collaborative project joins together middle and high school students, typically 14-18 years old. Using ‘The World is Flat’ as inspiration and for content student in mixed teams work virtually together researching and sharing ideas and co-creating products.
“Students who complete the Flat Classroom® Project become more globally minded and engaged with their own learning. Teachers become empowered and embrace 21st century learning modes while helping to build bridges between learners that society of tomorrow can walk across,” says Julie Lindsay, E-Learning Coordinator and co-founder of the Flat Classroom® Project.
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.
This project will follow the project subscription model established last year for the Flat Classroom® Projects. An annual school subscription per project will provide for 15 students in the project.  For any students above this number or for additional projects, a per-student fee is applicable.  The project site will include the ability to embed video, blog, make groups, have discussions using forum posts, and it may be used for other activities for the class during the year.  
In order to help meet the subscription price, teachers can apply for a limited number of sweat equity positions.  These scholarships will be available to cover the cost of per student fees on an application basis.  The vision is to allow teachers to provide administrative support for the project such as RSS monitoring on the project portal, serving on project leadership committees, providing troubleshooting responses, and other activities in order to defray the administrative overhead costs of running the project. The application deadline is September 1, 2011.
For more information about the Flat Classroom® Project, including access to the online application, please see http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/
We invite you to send any inquiries to fcp@flatclassroom.org
Watch this space for more announcements of new projects coming, including the repeat of the popular ‘Eracism’ Project, as well as an opportunity for educators to join our next Flat Classroom® Certified Teacher course, also starting in September 2011.

Also, our book, ‘Flattening Classroom, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration one Step at a Time’ is due for release January 2012. Find out more at www.flatclassroombook.com

We are starting the next round of projects for Flat Classroom Project and Digiteen in January and invite international, particularly non-USA, classrooms to join us.

The Flat Classroom Project is suitable for students 13 years and up and is based on the concepts found in The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. Students work in global teams to explore the themes and then produce a personal multimedia response. The project runs three times per year, with the next project starting in January. Despite the deadline for applications closing 10 days ago, we are inviting non-USA classrooms to consider joining us and will hold places open until December 17, 2010 for the January 2011 project.
Further details:
Flat Classroom Project: http://flatclassroomproject.net
Flat Classroom™ Project New Teacher Guide
Flat Classroom™ Project Application Form
Flat Classroom™ Project Subscription Information
See current Timeline for more details

The Digiteen Project is suitable for students Grade 7 (11-12 years old) and up. It explores the concepts, behaviors and attitudes of being a global digital citizen in teams of students from around the world. Classrooms then design an action project within their school and share this with the global community.
Further details (applications for the next project starting in February is January 15):
Digiteen Project: http://www.digiteen.org/
Digiteen™ Project New Teacher Guide
Digiteen™ Project Application Form
Digiteen™ Project Subscription Information
See the Timeline for more details.

Do you have any questions about Flat Classroom Projects?
Email us at fcp@flatclassroom.org

Julie Lindsay
Director, Flat Classroom Projects