Seven+Steps+to+Flatten+Your+Classroom

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Connecting your classroom to other classrooms in the world need not be overwhelming. Learn the seven steps to connect your classroom successfully, safely, and in meaningful ways that will enhance your curriculum and excite your students. ======

Presenters: Victoria Davis -Flat Classroom Projects/Cool Cat Teacher, LLC

 * Slides available at http://coolcatteacher.wikispaces.com/
 * The Influencer by Kerry Patterson: "Discover a few __vital behaviors__, change those, and problems - no matter their size - topple like a house of cards."
 * What behaviors move us to a flat classroom?: Kaizen: slow, steady improvement (the only thing you can change is YOU! Take some time every day to work on your own personal improvement.) Unique to the teachers involved...Remember the Power of 3: what are the next 3 things I am willing to do __immediately__ (Monday morning!)
 * Need to overcome technaphobia: the only thing that works when influencing deep beliefs is Vicarious Experience: watch someone you can identify with CHANGE (not Lecture, not Personal Action)
 * Flat Classroom is about __expanding the classroom__
 * http://www.flatclassroomproject.org to see all the posting from the different projects
 * Study the 10 flatteners of the world as covered in The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman
 * A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink
 * Optimal size for cooperative learning group = 3
 * Each student responsible for making a video, then collaborating with partner in another school/state/country to produce final product
 * Collaborative Group Wiki: Team A + Team B + Team C = Final Product
 * **Only 25% of educational wikis are truly being used __collaboratively__; most are just publishing websites in a different way**
 * Online Presentation Skills are very important!
 * How are you connecting?: Two types of communication: synchronous (Skype, video conferencing) and asynchronous (blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc). Must be aware of the time differences
 * Skype can do almost everything that video conferencing can do
 * Five Phases of Flattening your Classroom: 1. Intra-connection (within your own class) 2. Inter-connection (within school/district) 3. Managed global connection 4. Student to Student (with Teacher Management) 5. Student to Student (with Student Management) **End product for students: "I have managed a global project and worked on a global team"**
 * **MUST LOOK FOR RELATIONSHIPS WITH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS AND FORM RELATIONSHIPS __NOW__!**
 * The flat classroom connects students to DIVERSE groups of people in every way. Students must have their own Personal Learning Network (PLN).
 * You are coaching students on how to develop __techo-personal skills__ (how to work on collaborative projects and deal with disagreements). The flat classroom __encourages problem solving__!
 * Digital Citizenship in Schools by Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey
 * See slide show for notes on the **7 Principles of the Effective Flat Classroom**