Sunday, July 25, 2010

Acoss My Desk (weekly)

  • World Savvy: Think Beyond Your Borders

    "World Savvy is a global education nonprofit serving youth and educators through three core programs in three offices nationwide. Our mission is to educate and engage youth in community and world affairs, to prepare them to learn, work and live as responsible global citizens in the 21st century. "

    tags: acrossmydesk global globalcitizen

  • BBC News - India unveils prototype for $35 touch-screen computer

    The Indian government has unveiled the prototype of an iPad-like touch-screen laptop, with a price tag of $35 (£23), which it hopes to roll out next year.

    Aimed at students, the tablet supports web browsing, video conferencing and word processing, say developers.

    tags: ITGS itgsarticle acrossmydesk

  • Flipboard for iPad

    Just bought this for my iPad. Also bought Rory's Story Cubes today! I love Apps!

    tags: ipad acrossmydesk apps apple

  • New tricks for an older fox: Flat Classroom Workshop virtually

    Excellent blog post by Bob Esty, one of the virtual participants in the Flat Classroom Workshop 2010!

    "Was being a virtual attendee the same as being there? No. it was a small workshop, and those who were there were able to interact much more easily and fully than I as a virtual participant. The audio at times was hard to follow, and the web cam struggled to resolve the display screen with any clarity. But, was being a virtual attendee worth it? Definitely yes! Julie and the other workshop organizers clearly put a lot of time and effort to make it possible to attend virtually, and I got a lot out of it. I think the point of virtual participation is to make it possible to take part, not to replace the experience of being there. And the choice for me was virtual participation, or no participation at all. I would definitely encourage others to attend conferences virtually when it is not possible to be there in person."

    tags: flatclassroom flatclassroomworkshop acrossmydesk jul

  • technoLanguages | conversations about technology and languages education

    "A network for world languages teachers interested in conversations about
    language teaching, technology and 21st century education."
    Jess McCulloch has moved this network to a GROUPS account.

    tags: language educationalnetworking acrossmydesk


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, July 25, 2010 2 comments

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Acoss My Desk (weekly)


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, July 18, 2010 0 comments

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Acoss My Desk (weekly)


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, July 11, 2010 0 comments

Friday, July 09, 2010

Flat Classroom(tm) Project Announcements

July 9, 2010, from Flat Classroom(tm) co-founders Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay.


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.

Julie, Vicki, Honor, Tanya and Leigh at the Flat Classroom 'Birds of a Feather' at ISTE 2010, Denver USA
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

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.

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
Read more about this award winning set of projects and live events
Download our 2-page brochure to share with others

What are others saying about Flat Classroom Projects, Conferences and Workshops?

Is there a Flat Classroom in your future?
“We are building bridges between students that our future can walk across”

All inquiries to: flatclassroomproject@gmail.com

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Friday, July 09, 2010 0 comments

Sunday, July 04, 2010

Acoss My Desk (weekly)

  • The EdTech UNconference

    "The EdTech UNconference helps smart UNtech educators learn about technology in an UN-intimidating way, providing full one-year access to:

    * 500+ hours of use-whenever-you-want online tech learning and integration programs
    * monthly live EdTech sessions
    * recordings of all previous sessions
    * ongoing user collaboration (with pros standing by in case you get stuck)"

    tags: iste2010 conference techintegration education acrossmydesk

  • Understanding the Digital Generation

    "Today's world is different for our children. The technologies we take for granted or simply don't understand have become a part of our children's identities. This digital bombardment is shaping who they are and who they will become. We must realize they live in a different world, and speak a different language.

    This book and its subsequent DVD explore the characteristics of the new digital generation, and how education can be modified to enhance their learning experiences while supporting both traditional literacy and essential new 21st Century Fluencies. You'll see how the digital generation thinks, learns, views the world and interacts as we follow them through this vast digital landscape. If we want to take part in nurturing those who will be the architects of our future it's up to us to learn their language and step into their world, so that we may truly understand the digital generation.

    This book and DVD are both part of the 21st Century Fluency Series, providing a wealth of resources to educators aimed at making learning relevant in our technological age."

    tags: digitalcitizenship 21stcenturylearning acrossmydesk

  • The networked student model for construction of personal learning environments: Balancing teacher control and student autonomy

    AJET 26(3) Drexler (2010) -
    Principles of networked learning, constructivism, and connectivism inform the design of a test case through which secondary students construct personal learning environments for the purpose of independent inquiry. Emerging web applications and open educational resources are integrated to support a Networked Student Model that promotes inquiry-based learning and digital literacy, empowers the learner, and offers flexibility as new technologies emerge. The Networked Student Model and a test case are described in detail along with implications and considerations for additional research. The article is meant to facilitate further discussion about K-12 student construction of personal learning environments and offer the practitioner a foundation on which to facilitate a networked learning experience. It seeks to determine how a teacher can scaffold a networked learning approach while providing a foundation on which students take more control of the learning process.

    tags: educationalnetworking student research acrossmydesk


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, July 04, 2010 1 comments

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Acoss My Desk (weekly)


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, June 27, 2010 0 comments

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Across My Desk (weekly)


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, May 30, 2010 1 comments

Outside My Window May 30, 2010. Spring in Beijing

'Spring', with leaves on trees, and an unusually blue, clear sky, greets me this morning. The camera view from my third-floor study window is aimed towards the sky today. On the ground people are out and about on bikes, walking, running, enjoying this excellent weather and climate. Later today we will be at the Great Wall joining others for a sunset walk with a view to taking photos. More about that later.....enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

 Capital Paradise rooftops, Shunyi, Beijing, China

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, May 30, 2010 1 comments

The Flat Classroom™: Mobile and Ubiquitous

The Flat Classroom™: Mobile and Ubiquitous
Article for AALF newsletter, April 2010
Written by Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis
(cross-posted with the AALF article online)

"Imagine the possibilities if we brought students together from different areas of the world for a summit that challenged them to break through cultural misunderstandings, that challenged them to envision solutions for a better world", said co-founder Julie Lindsay, then Head of E-Learning at Qatar Academy.
"If virtual connections via global projects can promote enhanced understanding and a world view, think what a face-to-face opportunity might bring".
With this aim, the first Flat Classroom™ live event in Qatar saw students coming to the Middle East from geographically diverse locations. Students of different nationalities, from varying socio-economic groups and diverse school systems came to find out how to flatten their learning through cultural exchange and the use of emerging technologies. 

In the words of Edgar from Ethiopia, "It's about connecting, about bridging, about different communities. Learning is not always about 1+1, learning about different cultures and the world as a whole is really important, and it helps to make the world more of a global village". Within one hour of the first student workshop, laptops had been distributed, essential Web 2.0 tools explored and, with the help of a building-wide, robust wireless network at Qatar Academy, a backchannel opened to connect those face-to-face with each other as well as with those participating virtually. Conversation was prolific as students chatted for real and online about the challenges they were being asked to take on while virtual participants contributed ideas, resources and support. At that point in time we realised the power of social learning, of allowing learners access to tools to support exploration, connections and collaboration that lead to creations that make a difference to the world as we know it.

"We don't all ride camels, you know."
"We don't all act like that comedian Jeff Foxworthy says - we're not all red-necks in South Georgia."
I smiled as I saw the two students instant messaging as they worked on the Flat Classroom™ project.  "For some reason, students have a hunger and a desire to blast through stereotypes and it is often their first order of business before getting down to some very intense learning," says co-founder Vicki Davis of this incident.

This is exactly what Flat Classroom projects are about.  As we've hosted almost twenty projects and three face to face events, students are telling us that they've used social media to improve their social lives and now they are ready to improve their academic lives.  Learning is becoming mobile and ubiquitous (everywhere) for these students. A new pedagogy is evolving that incorporates true global collaboration where students are partners with those in other classrooms.  Rigorous technological abilities are coupled with digital citizenship, and a challenge-based interdisciplinary learning environment.

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 trend 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. The Flat Classroom Project 2006 is featured in Chapter 13 (pages 501-503), 'If it's not happening it's because you're not doing it', of the 2007 edition of Thomas Friedman's book, The World is Flat' upon which it was based.

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, teachers, expert advisers, class sounding boards and other participants easier. The topics studied and discussed are real-world scenarios based on 'The World is Flat' by Thomas Friedman.


Embedding social learning into the mainstream curriculum: the pedagogy of the Flat Classroom™
The use of social networking technologies is pedagogically relevant. Combined with an holistic and multicultural approach the walls of a classroom can be broken down. Our experience with the Flat Classroom Project has reinforced the approach that learning takes place in many different ways, times and places.  It also shows us that the research that emphasizes the effectiveness of cooperative learning, genuine assessment, and project-based learning can occur when students are literally on opposite sides of the globe.  The benefits of such a project are far-reaching. Social learning theory and research has shown us that sociability of online learning combined with interaction can help promote understanding.
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.

Elements of the project include: 
  • 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 of an educational networking platform (eg Ning), blogging, posting photos, videos etc and and a collaborative environment (eg wiki), to connect, collaborate and create 
  • assessment based on a common criterion based rubric 
  • real-life flavours of deadlines, accountability and interdependence 
  • completed personal videos which are then judged by global educators 
  • a concluding student summit, using a virtual classroom (eg Elluminate), to share and reflect
Further projects have developed since the original Flat Classroom Project in 2006. These include Digiteen (digital citizenship focus for Middle School), NetGen Education Project (in conjunction with Don Tapscott, and uses the Eight NetGen Norms from his book 'Grown Up Digital', in conjunction with the most recent Horizon Report on emerging technologies); and Eracism, (our newest project, developed as a result of the winning student pitch and video at the Flat Classroom Conference in Qatar, 2009), piloted as a global debate between lower Middle School classrooms.

Flat Classroom Conference and Events 
In addition to a series of regularly offered global projects (some are now offered 3 times per year), Flat Classroom co-founders now also run workshops and a biennial conference.  The aim of getting together in the one place is to fully extend and foster connections and collaborations that will ultimately improve classroom practice and pedagogical approach using technology as part of a global flat classroom.

The first Flat Classroom Conference held in Doha, Qatar January 2009, changed lives and cast a vision for the future of education.  Students, educators and leaders came from over 20 countries to learn how to flatten the classroom walls using emerging technologies.  Students were immersed in a challenge-based project that asked them to go beyond their comfort zones by working with team members from different cultures. Through an envisioning process teams created ideas on how to join classrooms together and improve understanding globally. These ideas were pitched to educators for feedback, then refined into a final presentation put up to an international vote. The top 3 teams then spent time developing their idea further and using multimedia to do a final pitch. It was through this process that the idea for Eracism was born, and became a reality as a global project 6 months later.

Since then Flat Classroom Workshops have been held in Hong Kong and Mumbai. These have included student and educator teams, working on ideas such as the 'digital divide' and 'opening up education' and challenging themselves to devise exciting ways to improve opportunities for learning globally.

In February 2011 the Flat Classroom Conference will be held in Beijing, China. The conference will provide opportunities for leaders in education, classroom teachers (pre-service and in-service) and administrators as well as students to learn with and from each other in a 'flat classroom' model. It is envisaged the workshop / conference experience will culminate in actions that are then shared around the world and sustained by continued projects based on community and curriculum needs.  Laptops and other mobile devices, in conjunction with access to wireless connectivity, as standard requirements for these live events, provide access to virtual and global participants as well. This virtual participation piece in addition to the live 'face-to-face' events includes interaction with, and in fact immersion into teams and development of ideas, and is a unique 'flattening' model in itself. Not only are sessions video streamed out to the world, but a ubiquitous backchannel, along with Skype, and Elluminate virtual classrooms provide immediate and purposeful connections between workshop participants. Cemented by the use of wiki technology for collaborative authoring, and essential multimedia tools for video sharing, participants brain-storm, research, collaborate, create and evaluate alongside their 'real' members just as well as alongside their 'virtual' team members.

Flat Classroom Projects and events are transforming learning through global collaboration and building the bridges that tomorrow's society will walk across. Is there a global collaboration in your future?

Flat Classroom co-founders, Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis have been featured in various media for their flat classroom set of projects, including Thomas Friedman's, The World is Flat, Don Tapscott's Book, Grown Up Digital, Curtis Bonk's Book The World is Open, Suzie Boss and Jayne Krauss' Reinventing Project Based Learning, Lawrence Peters' Global Education, and media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, and the Boston Globe. They also write often for a global audience via their blogs and educational networks.
Julie Lindsay, E-Learning Coordinator, Beijing (BISS) International School
http://123elearning.blogspot.com
Vicki Davis, Director of Technology, Westwood Schools, Camilla, Georgia, USA
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com

Resources
More information about Flat Classroom Projects can be found at http://flatclassroomproject.org
We invite educators to join our Flat Classrooms educational network and find global classrooms to interact with http://flatclassrooms.ning.com
Our Flat Classroom Conference and events website is at http://flatclassroomconference.com Come and join us in Beijing, February 2011!
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/flatclassroom
Email us at flatclassroomproject@gmail.com


Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, May 30, 2010 0 comments

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Across My Desk (weekly)


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, May 23, 2010 0 comments

Personal information, privacy, digital citizenship and education

(This post is paraphrased from a response given as part of a Web 2 in the IB classroom course. The original material is private therefore I cannot share it here)

I have been part of some interesting online discussions recently about students and what we should be encouraging/allowing them to post online. This is an important discussion to be having in our schools, and classrooms and with teh wider community. We need to find a balance between providing 21C learning opportunities for educators and their students and maintaining privacy through effective digital citizenship. I do not have a real problem with students putting related personal information online, within guidelines, as I fully believe we should be encouraging this and promoting best practice digital footprints/portfolios globally. There is no real point in hiding, the students deserve to have a global audience and to be learning how to manage this online identity. I believe this concept of what is 'personal information' has now evolved. In our flat classroom projects we do not encourage last names or telephone numbers, however in a recent project one classroom posted full student names. When queried the teacher informed us the parents had all given permission for this information to go online (an enlightened school? Does it really matter?). 

Emerging technologies allow others to find out about 'us' in many and varied ways. The important aspect to this is for students to understand how this works and, guided by their parents and teachers, be able to make their own decisions about what is public and what is private.
YouTube are VERY good now at taking material down if it breaches copyright. There was also a great segment on Click Online (Did you know they have over 1.7 million followers on Twitter??)this week about a blogger who has his account deleted because Google claimed he had breached copyright too many times. Copyright vs Fair Use is also another conversation that MUST be happening in schools and classrooms.

There are some further resources that you may wish to read about this:
What is your school's position on putting personal information online?  What about putting their learning online through a digital portfolio?  At BISS we are exploring digital portfolios and have completed a pilot implementation, with a full implementation starting next year for Grades 6-10.  More about this in a future blog post, I am working on this now!

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, May 23, 2010 1 comments

Labels:

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

A Vision for a School Library

What does a library of the future look like?  Where can I find one??
 
At a recent staff meeting at Beijing (BISS) International School we were asked to encourage students to borrow more books. We seem to have a good stock of books, but statistically student borrowing has dropped off. In particular the Middle and High school levels, the students who this year are fully 1:1 laptop, are not bothering to borrow books. Often they browse, read and research from books while at school, but the actual borrowing has dropped off. Our librarian is concerned, our Director is baffled. The 'borrow a book today' mantra has started. However, the reality is we are looking at what our library should look like and be used for.....well I think that is what we are doing.  In response to an invitation to staff to share ideas for the BISS library, here is the email I sent to the admin team this week.

My Vision for a Library (in the future? or NOW?)
I believe we need to have a vision for what the library should look 5 years and also 10 years from now. A library in the 21st century is not all about books. A library should be the heart of a school community. It should provide spaces and places for meeting, communicating, collaborating and creating.
  • A library is not all about ‘reading’ it is about vibrancy, discussion, research, multimedia.
  • A library is about IDEAS.
  • A library is about community
Our concerns with ‘books’ not being used, in my humble opinion, is miss-guided. What we really need to be investigating is the habit and evolution of ‘reading’. If books are not being borrowed does this mean students are NOT reading OR does it mean they are reading different things and different formats?
 
We need to analyse and come to a better understanding of the impact of technology, and in particular our 1:1 implementation in the Secondary School, on students and their media habits. Asking students to be using books more may not be the answer, and in fact may be a reactionary approach.
  • Maybe we need to reduce the number of books on shelves to provide room for better designed spaces e.g. ‘sound-proofed’ smaller areas where 4-5 people can plug a laptop into a large flat screen and collaborate over research or other online/multimedia task
  • Maybe we need to set up podcasting stations and higher-end computers for enhanced video work in areas that all can access, not just in specialist rooms
  • Maybe we need to initiate more discussions based on the reading material available, eg latest magazines and encourage higher order thinking through interaction with other communities and libraries via video conferencing and virtual classrooms
I believe the evolution of the library in a K-12 learning environment should be dictated by the vision for learning held by school owners and administrators. In the 21st century this vision must include development based on the impact of emerging technologies and on the need for a vibrant hub with a community focus and with a ‘flattened’ perspective and practice on using, re-using, and synthesizing information in order to create something new and innovative.

My 2 cents worth....thanks for reading 

In response to the above email, the Director of BISS has asked that I find a visionary library (preferably in Beijing) so that we can visit and model.  I am looking for best practice libraries; libraries and librarians with vision and the means to deign and plan around that vision, with support from their school community.

What does a library of the future look like?  Where can I find one??
Please share your ideas an resources via comments to this post.  Pictures?  Share those as well.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Wednesday, May 19, 2010 5 comments

Labels: ,

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Across My Desk (weekly)


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Posted by Julie Lindsay at Sunday, May 16, 2010 0 comments

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)