Discussions

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.

Flat Classroom Workshop, St. Louis
St.Louis. July 13-14, 2010
http://flatclassroomworkshop2010.flatclassroomproject.org/

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.

Flat Classroom Conference 2011,
Beijing, China February 25-27, 2011

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.

Announcing
New Projects

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

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 10-2 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