Co-founders of Flat Classroom®, Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis, are excited to be able to offer this global collaborative project to classrooms around the world. This project will run as a pilot for the coming semester, February-April 2012 and be open to Prep/Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 classrooms (4-7 year old students).

Can very young students effectively connect, communicate, and collaborate in a global project?
What does this look like? What products can students in mixed classroom teams co-create?
What activities and structure can we design and implement to scaffold this collaboration? There
are many wonderful opportunities out there already for students to connect using technology
tools. However the aim in this project is also to encourage students in different places to
collaborate, not just communicate, and to enhance understanding of cultures and life styles
beyond the immediate environment.

We invite teachers who believe global collaboration has a place in their classroom. We invite
those who want to improve digital citizenship and cultural understanding, leading to global
competency amongst students and teachers. We invite teachers who have some digital fluency
and access to digital tools who want to use them in meaningful ways to connect with others and
learn together.

The ‘Building Bridges to Tomorrow’ call for applications is open now! Classrooms will be
selected for the pilot and announced before the end of February. Following a teacher kick-off
meeting, classrooms will work collaboratively through March and April with final products and
celebrations taking place late April and into May.
We are looking for teachers who are creative and able to work collaboratively to help us build a
meaningful experience for the classrooms and the wider school communities. Apply now!

‘Building Bridges to Tomorrow’ is part of the series of Flat Classroom® Projects created by
Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis. Find out more from the Flat Classroom® website, and from our
recently released book, “Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration
One Step at a Time”.

Application Form for Building Bridges to Tomorrow: http://tinyurl.com/flatclassK-2

Flat Classroom® Projects: http://flatclassroomproject.net

Flat Classrooms® Teacher Network: http://flatclassrooms.ning.com

Contact us: [email protected]
Directors, Vick Davis and Julie Lindsay

For more about the pedagogy and benefits of adding global collaboration to your curriculum,
buy Julie and Vicki's book Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds from Pearson Publishing.
www.flatclassroombook.com 

Eracism Project 2012 Forming NowPress Release February 1, 2012.

Announcing, the Eracism Project 2012 - a global student debate that joins diverse cultures and includes authentic debate for global competence and international mindedness.   Fact based debate is a very essential skill with students who often equate the term "debate" with argument.  The Eracism project: A Flat Classroom ProjectTM was envisioned by the winning student team from the 2009 Flat Classroom Conference held in Doha, Qatar and their concept was to hold debates using Web 2.0 tools to improve cultural understanding.  

Schools selected for the Eracism Project 2012 will be asked to enter a 4 person debate team, with the remaining students in the class being researchers around the topic, 

"Government regulation requiring immigrants to adopt the beliefs, habits, and language of the dominant culture does more harm than good."  

The initial debates will be held asynchronously but in what organizers are calling a "simulated synchronous" environment with the final winning teams debating live in a virtual world.  This project was carried out in 2009 and is being run again starting in March 2012. A limited number of applications will be taken.

We welcome applications NOW from teachers and their classrooms around the world. We also need judges and volunteers to help with debate coaching. 
To apply for this project as a class or judge or volunteer or request to be involved in the teacher information meeting, please complete this form - (http://tinyurl.com/eracism2012)

Classrooms in Upper Primary, Middle and High School are encouraged to apply (students of age 11 and above). Organisers will create two strands in this project based on demand.

Application deadline is February 29, with announcement of project classrooms by Friday March 2, 2012.

The first teacher online meeting will take place near March 5, 2012. Actual date and time to be advised. 

Tentative TimelineThis project has a planned start date of March 5, 2012 with debates beginning March 25 and  concluding with the final debate held in a virtual world (and to be streamed live) in May 2012.  Schools applying must specify their school holiday dates so that they can be best placed in the project on  the debate grid.

Phase 1 - Research & Coaching - This will happen at the school level as classrooms research the topic and practice debate at their local level. 
Phase 2 - Asynchronous Debate Round - Students will use VoiceThread to debate with each round taking approximately one week.  
Phase 3 - Synchronous Debate - The top two teams will debate live in a virtual world with the debate streamed live on the web for students and educators around the world to watch.  
Phase 4 - Reflection - Students and teachers will reflect on ways to improve the methods for  global debates. 
Process
Due to the asynchronous components used, Eracism will use a hybrid debating style that is based on Conflict or Initiative Debating.  
The teams prepare their cases; they present their arguments and evidence; and, they rebut the other team's arguments and evidence. The debate cycle will generally align with the Middle School Public Debate Program found at http://www.middleschooldebate.com

Each debate will be adjudicated by 3 judges and the winning team advances to the next round.

Most of the debates will be carried out on VoiceThread with the final debate being streamed live in a virtual world.

Thank you to the sponsors of this project: Voicethread, Wikispaces, Blackboard Collaborate. (Virtual world platform to be announced soon.)

Co-founders of Flat Classroom (TM) Projects, Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis, have been planning for two years to once again run this ground breaking and inspirational global collaborative project. The project opens eyes and hearts as students debate on an issue that will bring together diverse ideas, develop transferable skills and create lasting friendships. 

More information about Eracism: http://www.eracismproject.org
Application Form for Eracism 2012: http://tinyurl.com/eracism2012
Flat Classroom Projects: http://flatclassroomprojec.net
Contact us: [email protected]
Directors, Vick Davis and Julie Lindsay
For more about the pedagogy and benefits of adding global collaboration to your curriculum, buy Julie and Vicki's book Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds from Pearson Publishing.  www.flatclassroombook.com