The concept of a 'flat classroom' is based on the constructivist principle of a multi-modal learning environment that is student-centered and a level playing field for teacher to student and student to teacher interaction.
What is the Flat Classroom™ Project?
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. The Flat Classroom Project 2006 is was featured in Chapter 13, 'If it's not happening it's because you're not doing it', of the latest edition of Thomas Friedman's book, The World is Flat' upon which it was based. (pages 501-503)
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 World is Flat' by Thomas Friedman.
More information about this project can be found in:
deeper understanding of the effects of technology on our world that leads students to not only study but actually experience the ‘flatteners”
students are grouped with global partners to explain trends, give personal viewpoints and create a video containing an outsourced video segment from their global partners.
use a ning for social networking, blogging, posting photos, videos etc and and a wiki, to plan their topic and build a web page on the topic.
assessed on a common criterion based rubric
has real-life flavours of deadlines, accountability and interdependence
completed videos are judged by global judges
student summit, using Elluminate, to complete the project.
Students analyse the trends of information technology and take a journey into excellence and the very future of education itself. Classrooms are flattened as teacher’s blog, share personal learning networks via nings, collaborate on wikis and reach out to those who share a common curricular perspective.
As a sister to the Flat Classroom Project the Horizon Project, and it's replacement since 2009 the Net Generation Education Project, created in conjunction with Don Tapscott and 'Grown Up Digital', also lowers or 'flattens' the classrooms walls by emphasizing connection, communication, collaboration and creativity as well as higher-order thinking skills and problem solving. This project is based on the Horizon Report released annually by New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative that outlines 6 trends believed will be impacting college and university campuses within the next five years.
A further imitative this year is the Digiteen Project which currently links classrooms of middle school students from Australia, Canada, USA, Spain and Qatar with the aim of promoting better online citizenship through research and discussion and culminates in each school taking action within their own community to promote this.
In October 2009 a new project, culminating from a student action project at the Flat Classroom Conference in Qatar 2009, called Eracismwill be launched. This will take the form of a global student debate and include a virtual world component.
Our highly connected world gives educators the global imperative to connect our people. Flat Classroom™ Projects have the power to produce world-class students with a world view, based on understanding, and not misinformed bias from the media. It will require many hard-working, well informed, ethical, diligent teachers and visionary administrators to give them the framework to operate. How about you? Will you be an advocate for a flat classroom™ project at your school?
Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis have co-created award winning global collaborative projects linking over 1000 students in more than 40 classrooms within the last 3 years.
Recent Awards
SHORT-LISTED (September 2009) for a World Innovation Summit for Education award in the pluralism section. http://www.wise-qatar.org/
FIRST PLACE in the Best Wiki 2006 category of the 2006 Edublog Awards.
FIRST PLACE in the SIGTel Online Learning Awards for 2007. Special Interest Group Telelearning is part of ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). The SIGTel Online Learning Awards recognize international innovation.
FIRST PLACE in the Taking IT Global collaborative project contest 2007
SHORT-LISTED (September 2009) for a World Innovation Summit for Education award in the pluralism section. (Laureate winners to be announced end of September 09). http://www.wise-qatar.org/
included in Thomas Friedman's 3rd edition of The World is Flat, (Julie and Vicki collaborated with Friedman online to write the excerpt in the chapter called 'If it's not happening then it's because you're not doing it')
