PROJECTS: The Flat Classroom Project, Digiteens
PLEASE NOTE: The descriptions of this project come from their websites, listed below.
The Flat Classroom Project is a global collaborative project that joins together middle and senior high school students. This project is part of the emerging tend in internationally-aware schools to embrace a holistic and constructivist educational approach to work collaboratively with others around the world in order to create students who are competitive and globally-minded. The project was co-founded by Vicki Davis (Westwood Schools, USA) and Julie Lindsay(Beijing (BISS) International School, China) in 2006 when Julie (then in Bangladesh) and Vicki joined their classrooms together for the first time to study and emulate the emerging flattened learning environment.
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. This is done through the Internet using Web 2.0 tools such as Wikispaces and Ning.
The Project uses Web 2.0 tools to make communication and interaction between students and teachers from all participating classrooms easier. The topics studied and discussed are real-world scenarios based on the book ‘The World is Flat’ by Thomas Friedman.
Julie & Vicki have recently written a book together that was released in February of 2012. The book Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds, gives very concrete ways for teachers to flatten their classrooms. One very interesting aspect of the book is that it is meant and designed to be read with a cellphone in hand, using hashtags, QR codes, videos, and other social media tools to enhance the ideas and techniques enhanced with the book. The book itself has its own website: http://www.flatclassroombook.com/
Julie and Vicki have a number of other projects going on based on their work together:
Each of these projects are teacher instigated, but involve students in learning using technology and digital means. Because they connect classrooms around the world, it is important that classes start the projects at the same time.
Click the links above to find out more about any of these projects.
To give a sample of some of the student created video work for the Digiteen Project, visit:
(WordPress might suppress this video, in which case visit the above link to see an example)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Gertsacov is the co-founder and co-organizer of Digital Family Summit. He wears many hats, including those of a professional clown, an author and publisher, an artist/educator, a non-profit administrator, a P.T. Barnum impersonator, a flea circus impresario, and the esteemed hat of the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland.