Flat Classroom Educator Group

Yong Zhao's new book in 2012 - "The book is about preparing global, creative, and entrepreneurial talents. It is my attempt to answer a number of pressing questions facing education today. These questions are exemplified by two new stories that have dominated the media recently, one around the Facebook IPO and the other the debt and jobs of college graduate"

Wonderful section of Bernajean Porter's Coaching HEAT wiki. The collection of online tools suggested here are organized into categories of instructional FUNCTIONS - many tools are able to serve in more than one role. While there are many, many more tools not listed here - the goal of this page is to give a framework for thinking about ALL the tools as providing functions in the learning, thinking and communication process.

Interesting site - The Collaboration Skills link goes to 'Seven Norms of Collaboration'

Silvia Tolisano @langwitches shares excellent ways to participate in a conference virtually, focusing on the Innovate 2013 event happening in Brazil this month http://www.innovate2013.org/

There's a massive educational game being leveraged right now that you probably haven't heard of. It's called Skoolbo and, as of this posting, has seen students answer more than 8 million literacy questions in just under half a year. Literacy scores have improved by an average of 22% since students started using the service.

"Thank you to all the amazing students and teachers who participated. If you are interested in Flat Classroom Projects, go to http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/about.html." This is what makes Flat Classroom so special and unique - A Project Manager who takes the time to blog about the project and suggest improvements.

This is what makes Flat Classroom so special and unique - A Project Manager who takes the time to blog about the project and suggest improvements.

As Vicki and Julie state, "Once you go Flat, you never go back!" My passion for global education has only gotten stronger through the participation of this project. All of these students that I had the opportunity to work with through both teams that we operated have done nothing but remind why I love my job! Kids are amazing! Simply put. When they shine and show their talents and you know that it is all them that have done the work, then as a teacher/leader you know you have done your job. I simply sat back and watched them blow my mind. It is amazing what kids can do when you place them in a situation where there is no ceiling but the ones they place on themselves. When they remove that ceiling WATCH OUT! because it is a spectacle to behold.

"Collaborative projects broaden teachers' horizons, too, connecting them with colleagues from around the world. Vicki Davis (@coolcatteacher) and Julie Lindsay (@julielindsay), founders of the Flat Classroom Project, had never met face-to-face when they launched their first collaborative project several years ago. Now, they have co-authored a book, Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds to share their field-tested insights about collaborative PBL. They lead teachers from around the world on several "flat" projects annually, using technology to overcome distances and connect learners in shared inquiry and problem solving. "

Interesting project that potentially joins students across countries and cultures to discuss and create media based on 'Does my digital me reflect the real me?'

Australia/Sydney-based award winning educator, Chris Betcher, talks about the long-term advantages for students of connecting and collaborating globally. He includes footage from his students today who worked on global projects over 10 years ago and the impact this had on their lives and future careers. This keynote was produced for the Flat Classroom Project 12-2, November 2012. http://fcp12-2.flatclassroomproject.org/Keynote Chris Betcher: http://www.chrisbetcher.com http://twitter.com/betchaboy

Aaron Maurer, middle school teacher with student teams participating in Eracism 12-2, shares his thoughts about the final debate where one student team debated in the HS round.

Flat Classroom Certified teacher Aaron Maurer shares his frank views and strategies for global collaboration and global education with Dr Z from the University of Northern Iowa. Excellent insight into how to flatten the classroom walls and meet challenges headon to globalize attitudes and experiences of students. Thanks Aaron!

Global project from Jason Graham and Tasha Cowdy

Helen McConaghy and teachers at her school created this interdisciplinary global project

An interesting panel session that will also be streamed to the world coming up this week.

"Teacher Preparation for the Global Age: The Imperative for Change, highlights promising practices identified during this meeting and subsequent discussions and suggests a framework for internationalizing the education of all pre-service teachers and increasing the number of world language teachers, especially in less commonly taught languages."