Plan to Flatten your Classroom - Join a Project!

[Julie Lindsay]

(cross-posted with other Nings and blogs in order to reach more people)

As the northern hemisphere academic year comes to an end and some us look forward to some down time I want to share with you our plans for flat classroom projects and events over the next 12 months. I encourage teachers to consider when they can embed a flat classroom experience into their curriculum. Also share this with colleagues within your schools. Flat classroom projects are cross-curricular and aim for cultural diversity.

Here are the projects we intend to run 2009-2010
Don't forget ALL project and workshop and conference details and press releases, as well as project archives, for ALL flat classroom initiatives can be found on our wiki at http://www.flatclassroomproject.org/

Flat Classroom Project
The plan is to run three flat classroom projects over the next 12 months to cater for different curriculum and calendar variations globally.

• Flat Classroom Project 09-3 (Oct-Dec),
• Flat Classroom Project 10-1 (Jan-March),
• Flat Classroom Project 10-2 (April-June)

Flat Classroom Project New Teacher Guide Flat Classroom Project Application Form

Digiteen
We also plan to run three Digiteen projects to cater for global requests and calendars.

• Digiteen 09-3 (Oct-Dec),
• Digiteen 10-1 (Jan-March),
• Digiteen 10-2 (April-June)

Digiteen Project New Teacher Guide Digiteen project Application Form

Horizon/ NetGen Remix ( late Feb-April 2010)
Based upon the annual Horizon Report, this project incorporates the current research on students, learning, and the newest technology and is announced in January 2010 with the title and the author(s) that will be incorporated into the project. More details coming soon

Eracism
This is a new project still in development based on the student-led outcome from the Flat Classroom Conference held in Qatar, January 2009. The winning student team invented the term and started ideas for 'Eracism' as a global project. We are currently putting it together and details are coming...however this will be cutting edge (of course) and include virtual reality, collaboration and interaction using Web 2.0 and have outcomes that can be transferred into local communities. Watch this space! We tentatively plan to run this new project twice:

• Oct -December 2009
• late March - May 2010

Educator Flat Classroom Project 2009 Also, as a heads up, and still very much at the discussion stage, we are planning an educator/pre-service teacher immersion project option. We aim to provide an opportunity for educators to be part of their own project as professional development or as part of their pre-service 'training', thereby developing skills and knowledge in Web 2.0, multimedia and global collaborative project pedagogy. Once again, watch this space for more updates!

NECC 2009 - If you are going to be NECC09 in Washington DC in 3 weeks, plan to come to our Flat Classroom Birds of a Feather session. Vicki Davis and I plan to provide inspiration and opportunity for like-minded educators to collaborate and plan MORE flat clasroom projects. There is a particular need to seriously plan collaborations for Primary level classes. We have many requests for projects to be adapted or created for this level of education. So, come along with your ideas and let's do it!

Flat Classrooms Ning - Don't forget, you do not have to be at NECC09 and face-to-face to help plan a new project! Come and join our educators only (no students on this one) Ning and start a group, start a discussion, start a conversation about joining your classrooms and flattening the walls.

Is there a flat classroom project in your future?