Participating in both the Flat Classroom Project and Conference has been an amazing experience.  The project opened my students’ eyes to the possibilities of what we can accomplish as citizens in a Global E-learning economy.  The conference was a realization of those possibilities.  I watched as these dynamic youth obliterated racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural barriers to build innovative collaborative projects…projects, that when realized will address some of our worlds’ most pressing social issues.  

These students stand on the brink of implementing real change through collaboration and creation.  Their tenacity and resolve to achieve are awe-inspiring.  Seeing their infinite strides forward during the conference convinces me that project-based learning is by far the most effective way to educate our youth of today.  It’s our duty and our privilege to provide constructive, active, participatory learning environments that, in turn, will foster productive, effective, and life-long learners.  Through project-based learning opportunities like the Flat Classroom Project and the Flat Classroom Conference, we will raise generations of leaders who understand and embrace diversity…seeing that diversity as a strength that when utilized properly can move mountains and make our world a better place.  

The conference was a life-changing experience.  My only regret is that there were not enough funds for all of my students to participate…my hope is that next year there WILL be funds available so that more students…including my own…will be able to attend this worthwhile event.

Participation in the Digiteen and Horizon Project has given our students the opportunity to study the effects technology has on society–a topic they are all interested in, yet is not offered in their regular curriculum.  As a teacher, I can definitely see the value in a well-organized project that allows us to make the students more aware of things like online behavior and safety.  The added benefits, of course, are also quite substantial.  Since this is a global project, our kids remain motivated to complete their tasks on time because they are out to prove themselves to the world as opposed to their teacher or classmates.  In addition, the online computer skills that they acquire throughout the process will last them a lifetime.  Most students I talked to after the Digiteen project this year were amazed at the quality of their own work and are eager to use these skills in other areas.

My experience with the Flat Classroom Workshop has had a profound impact on many levels. While it was only three days, the conversations and ideas sparked during that period have already begun to seep into every day dialogue in and out of the classroom. With regards to the four students that I brought to participate, the change in them around school is palpable. They are more sure of themselves, sure of their ideas, and confident that their ideas merit respect and consideration. They are empowered to speak up, volunteer, and give suggestions within a small or large group. In essence, it's as if working with students from other cultures to come up with real-world solutions to real world problems has made these four female students see that what they do every day can contribute to something bigger. While we have returned from Hong Kong mere weeks ago, the students now dialogue with me regularly about how they could do things at school that are more applicable to what is happening NOW.

Regarding my personal experience, I feel this workshop functions as a light switch: ideas and connections are now illuminated and I find myself taking pre-existing projects and see how I could adapt them to become more relevant for the students while also making them more hands-on, constructivist, and student-centered. The implications for this are vast: while it won't happen overnight, the collaboration and ownership over ideas that are inherent in the very make-up of the Flat Classroom Workshop could definitely translate into an every day classroom where students use concepts introduced in class and then decide collectively the best direction to use to explore it further. In essence, the emphasis on choice is key here: the students don't make an iMovie because we say to; they don't record a podcast because they have to; they decide what tool will best express their ideas. It doesn't get much more real world than that.

I first guided a grade nine honors section of students through the NetGenEd Project in early 2009. After extensive post-project examination, it became clear to both me and my students that participation meant learning how to use more tools, as well as exposure to greater breadth and equal or greater depth of topic understanding than any other school project. To the student, each acknowledged the degree of synthesis required to craft an individual video highlighting how education can be improved combining NetGen norms and cutting edge digital tools. Moreover, the numerous acknowledgments and mentions of their individual work proved an additional success.

The modeling that Julie Lindsey, Vicki Davis, and Kim have shown over these projects is amazing.  They model the NETS-S, and T, as well as A, as they promote the idea of Flat Classroom.  They are inviting and open with their invitations to anyone who is interested.  Specifically, this has impacted me as a District Tech Teacher by showing me possibilities of how to reach out into the global educational world and participate in a meaningful way.  I used to do virtual pen-pals, but this is so much more focused, dynamic and on point with objective-based teaching and learning.

Time lapse photography allows us to view the wonders of a flower unfolding. The Flat Classroom Conference gave us a chance to see the equivalent joy of young minds unfolding as they encountered other ideas and and collaborated on projects that they felt passionate about in designing ways to address global problems. While only 3 students attended the conference in person, the shared experience has stimulated thought and action in our entire MYP program. After the conference, two other classes independently room participated in Flat Classroom type projects between the US and India. More importantly, teachers are undertaking new projects this year, an obvious testimony to the power of the model.