<![CDATA[Flat Classroom™ Projects - Blog]]>Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:11:23 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Announcing Flat Classroom(tm) Subscription Invitation]]>Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:13:28 -0800http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/1/post/2010/08/announcing-flat-classroomtm-subscription-invitation.htmlPress Release August 29, 2010:
Flat Classroom(tm) Directors, Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis, are excited to announce the new project subscription model for Flat Classroom(tm) Project, Digiteen(tm) Project, NetGenEd Project and Eracism(tm) Project.

Our goal: To create and maintain best global collaborative projects and collaborative work spaces for students and educators in and serving K-12 around the world while building bridges between Students, Educators, trainee teachers and Post Secondary Education Institutions. We know there are many educators wanting to take on global projects but may not have the confidence with technology or in project design or access to resources. Through our subscription we will provide this support and access to quality Web 2.0 resources as well as to other educators who are experienced global collaborators.

Flat Classroom(tm) Project
An annual school subscription will provide for 15 students to be entered into a project. Any students above this, or if the school or class wish to enter another project, a per-student fee is applicable. The Ning site may be used for other class activities during the year and includes the ability to upload video.
In addition we are introducing “Sweat Equity” for teachers. This means that some scholarships will be available to cover per student fees on an application basis. This allows teachers to provide administrative support for the project such as RSS monitoring of the project portal, serve on the project leadership committee, provide troubleshooting response, and other activities that will defray the administrative overhead costs of running the project. This is over and above the monitoring that teachers are required to do of their own student work for each project.
Included services and websites (leading Web 2.0 tools)
(If you had to buy these tools for your school it would cost over $4500)
In addition you will have access to valuable resources including:
  • Flat Classroom Awards Program (multimedia awards with global ‘judging’ culminating in a Awards Ceremony online)
  • Teacher Training Meetings (held weekly throughout the project)
  • Project Help Wiki Resources
  • Live Trouble Ticket Systemhttp://www.flatclassroomproject.net/support-ticket.html
  • Teacher Group - Google Group – for ongoing mentoring
  • Mentorship with Leading Global Collaborative Teachers who are actually DOING IT!
  • Recognition for School Completion on the Official Flat Classroom Website –www.flatclassroomproject.net
  • Press Release for project to distribute to local media
  • Schools successfully completing the project will receive a recognition certificate for framing.
  • Linking with classrooms around the world
 Other developments:
  • Flat Classroom(tm) Certified Teacher Pilot Program: We will take applications until September 15 for past and current teachers of the Flat Classroom(tm) Project. More information available from http://tinyurl.com/flatclassteachercertincluding a link to the application form.
  • Flat Classroom Starter Kits (movies, tutorials, rubrics, and student handouts and DVD) – available for purchase September, 2010.
Download the Subscription Information for the Flat Classroom(tm) Project

Questions? We love to hear from interested participants and classrooms globally.
Email: fcp@flatclassroom.org
]]><![CDATA[Global Education Conference 2010]]>Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:23:33 -0800http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/1/post/2010/08/global-education-conference-2010.htmlWe're pleased to announce that Flat Classroom(tm) is a
partner in the upcoming 2010 Global Education Conference, being held online November 15 - 19. This five-day free conference will have participation from all over the world in multiple languages and in multiple time zones. We hope you will consider attending or even presenting!

More detailed information about the conference is available at http://www.GlobalEducationConference.com. There are going to be five conference tracks: Teacher, Student, Curricular, Policy and Leadership, and Global Issues. Included in these will be a series of sessions specifically sponsored by us, and if you choose to submit a presentation, please indicate us as the sponsoring
organization. The selection process will finalize in late September, and you'll hear directly from the conference organizers. The call for presentations is now open at http://www.globaleducationconference.com/call-for-presentations.html.

There is also an international educator advisory board from all over the world to help promote participation and attendance, to train and support presenters in local regions and languages, and to help with program selection and scheduling. If this is something that interests you, you can submit your interest at http://www.globaleducationconference.com/want-to-help.html.

The hashtag for the conference (for those who "tweet" and blog") is #globaled2010. The Twitter account to follow is http://www.twitter.com/globaledcon. ]]><![CDATA[Flat Classroom News]]>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:07:53 -0800http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/1/post/2010/07/flat-classroom-news.html NEWS Update:
Vicki and Julie were very busy at ISTE last week with various presentations and sessions including a 7-hour DigiTeacher Workshop, Flat Classroom ‘Birds of a Feather’ and the ‘Seven Steps to Flatten your Classroom’ presentation that was attended by over 200.

Announcement Number 1:
Flat Classroom™ Project
Invitation to Apply

We are delighted to announce the re-opening of applications for the Flat Classroom Project 2010-2011. Each project is offered three-times per year and runs for 8-10 weeks. 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).

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, ‘The World is Flat’. 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. Information about the project can be found at http://tinyurl.com/flatclassroomguide  Application form found on the Apply tab of http://flatclassroomproject.net.

Special Announcement

The Flat Classroom Project 10-3, running from September - December 2010 will be our 20th global collaborative project since joining classrooms together using Web 2.0 tools in 2006. We are delighted to announce David Warlick, one of our main sources for inspiration and a supporter of our projects and events, will be creating the keynote for this project. Consider joining your classroom today, applications close September 1, 2010.

Announcement Number 2:
Digiteen™ Project -
Invitation to Apply

We are delighted to announce the re-opening of applications for the Digiteen Project 2010-2011. Each project is offered three-times per year and runs for 8-10 weeks. The Digiteen™ Project is a global hands-on project for middle and early high school students, (typically Grade 6-9, 11-15 year old). This project studies digital citizenship with students researching current topics, writing a collaborative report on a wiki, and performing and documenting offline action educational projects to promote effective digital citizenship at their local schools. Topics of study include digital: access, communications, literacy, security and safety, etiquette, rights and responsibilities, law, health and wellness, and commerce.
Information about the project can be found at http://tinyurl.com/digiteenguide.

Application information is found on the Apply tab of at http://www.digiteen.org/.

Applications close September 15 for the Digiteen 10-3 project.

Announcement Number 3:
Flat Classroom Conference Early Bird Registration

The NEXT Flat Classroom Conference is in Beijing, February 25-27, 2011. Join us at the W.A.L.L. - We All Learn and Lead in China!

The Flat Classroom™ Conference is a unique limited-seating conference including students and educators to envision the future of education as they use leading technology tools such as wikis, blogs, social networking and multi-media storytelling. The conference is diverse in participation while allowing smaller groups with leading world-class presenters in a "flattened" environment where virtual participants join in the conversation from remote corners of the world.
Educators will leave the conference understanding how to collaborate globally and with contacts in hand to start projects. Students will leave the conference with leadership skills, technology skills, presentation skills, and a better understanding of diverse cultures and collaboration.

Educators come and join the Leadership Workshop! Teachers apply to bring students to the Student Summit and allow them to be challenged to find a voice while collaborating with others from around the world.

Early Bird registration until September 15! All details, including online Registration at http://www.flatclassroomconference.com/
Are you interested in sponsoring a Flat Classroom Workshop or Flat Classroom Conference? A range of sponsorship opportunities are available to ICT and education vendors as well as other companies and individuals interested in supporting the event. See http://www.flatclassroomconference.com/sponsors.html

Watch this space for further announcements coming about:
  • Eracism Project: A global collaborative debate, to be offered Semester 1, October-December 2010
  • NetGenEd Project: Another Flat Classroom Project that joins students to research emerging technologies in an increasingly digital world
Read more about this award winning set of projects and live events.

Download our 2-page brochure to share with others.

What are others saying about Flat Classroom Projects, Conferences and Workshops?

Is there a Flat Classroom in your future?

“We are building bridges between students that our future can walk across”

All inquiries to: flatclassroomproject@gmail.com

]]><![CDATA[Digiteen ™ Teachers Featured on Microsoft Internet safety Website]]>Wed, 28 Apr 2010 08:26:07 -0800http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/1/post/2010/04/digiteen-teachers-featured-on-microsoft-internet-safety-website.htmlDigiteen™ co-founders Vicki Davis and Julie LIndsay and Pennsylvania Public School teacher, Suzie Nestico, have been featured on the Microsoft Internet Safety website for their work with the Digiteen™ projects.

"We're excited about sharing the story of Digiteen and having students research the facts about Internet safety and take action to educate their peers about how to be safer on-line," says Davis. "They are largely responsible for their own Internet culture and this helps them get the facts in a way that promotes change in their on-line habits."

These brochures can be downloaded from Microsoft's Internet safety website or below:
]]><![CDATA[NetGenEd™ Project Judges Sought]]>Mon, 26 Apr 2010 08:58:32 -0800http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/1/post/2010/04/netgened-project-judges-sought.htmlWe have many classrooms around the world busily collaborating and creating their final multimedia piece to submit for judging.  The deadline for submission of multimedia for the internal judging processes as well as the global competition organised by Don Tapscott is May 10.

There are two types of awards for this project: Video Challenge Awards and NetGenEd Awards. The Video Challenge awards are given by Don Tapscott's office and are not related to the rubric that we have created for the NetGenEd project. The NetGenEd project awards are based upon our grading rubric for the project. Just because a student receives an award for the NetGenEd project does not mean they have won a Video Challenge Award and vice versa.

If you are still able to judge for us starting May 11 for about one week we now ask that you do the following:
  1. Read material on the judges wiki at http://netgened2010.flatclassroomproject.org/Judges 
  2. Follow these instructions:
How do I sign up to judge?
  1. Click "Join this Space" in the top left corner of this page.
  2. As you put in your information, make sure that you complete the comment box with your name, location, and the topic that you would like to join. (This will send us your e-mail address and all information submitted is private.)
  3. Wait for approval - you will receive an e-mail noting your approval.
  4. If you are already a member of this wiki, continue with the following points.
  5. Join the NetGenEd Judges Group on the Ning to get announcements and updates.
  6. Return to this page.
  7. Add your information to the topic of your choice below (first to wiki it gets it! include a hyperlink to your bio). You may add your name more than once.
  8. Be available to review/judge videos from May 11 for about one week. (Will take 1-2  hours at most.)
IN ADDITION: There will be a Judges meeting held in the first week of May. Watch out for an online meeting invitation and respond with your availability.]]><![CDATA[NetGenEd Project 2010]]>Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/1/post/2010/02/first-post.htmlNet Generation Education Project: Call for Classrooms
Written by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay
http://netgened2010.flatclassroomproject.org/

Award winning author, Don Tapscott, and award winning global collaborators Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis (co founders of the Flat ClassroomTM Project) are excited to announce the 2010 NetGenEd Project, another global collaboration to envision the future of education and social action by inspiring today's students to study leading technology trends and create their vision for the future.

This is the second NetGenEd Project collaboration between the two organizations with the 2009 project announced at the Flat Classroom conference in Doha Qatar 2009. The 2009 Net Generation Education Project was the replacement for the Horizon Project and included 10 schools with more than 300 students. The application process is now open for schools who wish to participate in the project in March - May of 2010.

In this project, students will study and "mash up" the results of the 2010 Horizon Report from the New Media Consortium and Educause and Tapscott's book Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. Students will study the current research and create wiki-reports with their student partners around the world analyzing current trends and projecting future happenings based upon this collaborative analysis. This project is managed by the students who assume roles such as project manager, assistant project manager, and editors of the various wikis.

After compiling their wiki reports based upon current research, and encouraged by "expert advisors" (subject matter experts in the industry), students will then create a video in one of two strands. Video strand I competition will be the NetGenEd Challenge where students are asked to envision the future of education based upon current global technological trends. Video Strand II Competition is the Macrowikinomics Challenge where students envision the future of global social action based upon their research in current global technological trends.  The video challenge will also be open to the public for submissions beginning March 1st.

"We are particularly excited about this year's project because we're not only asking students to envision the future of learning and the classroom but also how this media can be used to impact and improve society itself. This generation is the Net Generation and they are uniquely suited to speak for themselves in casting a vision for their own future," says project organizer, Vicki Davis.

This project is unique in that Tapscott will interact with students in forum posts throughout the project as they discuss Tapscott's research into NetGen and also current research as being compiled for Tapscott's forthcoming book (being written with Anthony Williams) MacroWikinomics. Additionally, he will keynote the project via a Youtube video released in March along with a student keynote to be recorded at the Flat ClassroomTM Mini-conference at ASB Unplugged in Mumbai, India in February.

Additionally, the Discovery Educator Network is going to host a series of webinars demonstrating how to tell a compelling digital story as well as leading a book club group for educators related to the NetGenEd project. The Flat Classroom Projects are global collaborative projects organized by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay and sponsored by Elluminate.

If you are ready to have your students collaborate globally and follow the best practices as used in the award winning Flat ClassroomTM, Horizon, and Digiteen projects fill out this form before February 12th and apply now!.

NetGenEd Application
2010 Timeline
  • 2/1- 2/12 - Application process for classrooms
  • 2/12-2/18- Selection Process (classes will be notified as soon as they are selected)
  • 2/15 - Ning, wiki, and google group are "live" by this date
  • 2/18 - Final announcements of Classrooms
  • 3/5 - Greeting from Don posted to the Ning via video
    • Weekly- discussions posted to the forum
  • 2/20-3/5 - "Handshake process" - Students join Ning - post introductions
    • 3/1 - Teams announce
  • 3/15-4/10 Research phase of project
    • 4/10 - Wikis complete
  • 4/1 - Student Keynote
  • Some time in March, there will be a live session with Don Tapscott
  • 4/10-5/8 - Movie Artifact phase of project (note that there will be some overlap between Research and Movie Artifact)
  • *Storyboarding
  • *Outsourced video requests posted to the Ning by 3/10
  • 5/10 - Final Deadline for All Movies to be posted
  • 5/10-5/20 - Post project reflections, student summits, awards
.]]>