An overview of global collaboration strategies for classroom learning. Flat Connections teacher development and global projects are reviewed. These slides were used for an online webinar September 2014. The recording for this webinar is here: http://goo.gl/1kslWX

1. Global
Collaboration in
the Classroom
Meet Flat Connections
http://flatconnections.com

2. Meet Julie Lindsay…..
Global Education Consultant
Innovator, Leader, Author
MA Music, MA Educational Technology
Leadership
EdD Student, University of Southern
Queensland
Adjunct Lecturer, Charles Sturt University,
Faculty of Education
Co-author - ’Flattening Classrooms,
Engaging Minds’
Founder, Flat Connections
@julielindsay | #flatconnect | @flatconnections | about.me/julielindsay

3. Welcome!
Please add to the chat window:
● your location
● your current time
● your Twitter handle or website
● a sentence about yourself
This presentation is online here:
http://goo.gl/dk6HZG
The recording from the September webinar is
here: http://goo.gl/1kslWX

4. Web 2.0 Leadership
Project /
Challenge
based
Flat Connected
Learning
Collaborative
– Culture of
Sharing
Blended
learning
Flipped
learning
Inquiry
based
Learning Design Pedagogy

5. Today’s Agenda
● What is ‘global collaboration’?
● Some strategies and tools for:
o starting and developing a global PLN
o connecting your classroom with the world
● Flat Connections teacher courses
● Flat Connections global projects
● Sharing session
● Q&A

6. What is ‘Global Collaboration’?
Do we have a shared understanding?
What about……
● Global connection
● Global interaction
● Global awareness
● Global understanding
● Global……….

7. Connected Learning - FLAT?
We need to ‘flatten’ the learning
hierarchy. Students, teachers, ALL
learners, must have freedom to
communicate ‘across’ rather than
up or down

8. What does this look like?
• Community building as a prerequisite to
learning
• Collaboration that leads to co-creation
with other learners who are not in the
same time and space
• Pedagogical independence and
leadership within a school/institution

9. Technology must be the bridge, not the
barrier to shifting pedagogy
Image: 'forward’ http://www.flickr.com/photos/99771506@N00/3036132944

10. Collaborative and global learning using
technology
Assumes integration of Web 2.0 tools
• More intense and prolonged
interaction (synchronous and
asynchronous)
• Different contribution modes
• Individual and collaborative
authoring
• Learner centered
• Constructivist learning environment

11. This is beyond merely ‘integrating
technology’ This is a new ‘category’ of
tools and learning habits that
supports global collaborative
objectives

12. Content vs Process
In a flat and connected
learning environment, content
is second to the process

13. Why Global Collaboration?
Global competency
International mindedness
Cultural awareness
Glocalisation!

14. Process/Actions to
connect and
flatten the
classroom
Technology infused
learning

15. Students
School
You
Strategies for
meaningful interactions

16. Synchronous
Asynchronous
Blended learning modes
to support collaboration

18. Global collaboration by its very nature implies
asynchronous collaboration - therefore building
effective communities, knowing how to monitor
these communities are essential pedagogical
applications teachers need to be confident with.

19. Flat Connections shares a cutting
edge approach to “flatten” the walls of
learning by using digital technologies
to connect learners globally for
meaningful collaborations to build
bridges between students our future
can walk across.

20. Join the Flat Educator community! Connections Global
Flat Connections Courses for Teachers
Explore: http://www.flatconnections.com/flat-professional-development.html
● Flat Connections Global Educator
o 10 weeks
o Grad credit with UNI
o focus is on global learning, global education and
becoming globally competent
● Flat Connections Global Collaboration Primer
o 4 weeks
o aims to provide educators at all levels, across all
school systems, resources and strategies for taking
themselves, their classroom, their school, and even
their country global!

21. Examples from
Flat Connections
Global Projects
http://flatconnections.com
Welcome to our Flat Connections
Project Managers!

22. Flat Connections Global
Projects - ‘Flat Projects’
Common features:
● 10-12 weeks long
● Designed to support connection and
collaboration and creation of
products/actions
● Fully supported and managed
● Teacher PLC built as part of project
● Flexibility for new ideas within a framework
● Can be embedded across the curriculum

23. Explore Flat Projects
www.flatconnections.com/flat-projects.html

25. Flat Connections Global Project
High School – Grade 9-12
• 500 students
• 20+ classrooms
• 6 countries
• 36 student teams
• 1 Keynote
• 24 Expert Advisors
• 18 Judges and 3 Meta-judges
• 213 Videos
• 15 eBooks
In February-June 2014!
New project starting September 2014
http://flatconnectionsglobalproject.net

26. Teachers
Students
Extended
community
Community
Collaborative
Learning
Building working
relationships

27. Project Content
Horizon Report K-12, 2013
Emerging technologies impacting
education and learning shared via a
timeline of potential relevance.
http://www.nmc.org/horizon-project/
horizon-reports/horizon-report-
k-12-edition

28. Project Themes
• The future of learning and education
• Emerging technologies and how we can and will use them
• Connected and flat learning
• Collaborative and social entrepreneurship
• Global issues and actions to solve them
Open
Learning futurist, David Price OBE, argues that ‘open’ is
not only affecting how we are choosing to live, but that
it’s going to be the difference between success and
failure in the future.
http://engagedlearning.co.uk/

29. Educational Network (Ning)
for community development
http://flatconnectionsglobalproject.net/

30. Collaborative space (wiki)
for teamwork and sharing process & outcomes
http://flatconnections.wikispaces.com/

31. Collaborative wiki leading to a published
eBook
cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo by Anita Hart: http://flickr.com/photos/anitakhart/4586879133/

32. Student
final
video
Outsourced
content
Storyboard &
planning
Personal
content
Topic
subtheme
Video
specifications
Credits &
citations
Personal Multimedia Response to Topic

34. Welcome to
Building
Bridges to
Tomorrow
K-2 Flat
Connections Project

36. Tool: Youblisher

37. Malaysia
Colorado, USA
Tool:
Padlet

38. ‘A Week in the Life…’
A Flat Connections Project for Elementary School students
Grades 3-6, age 8-11 (and Grade 7 now!)

39. ‘Handshakes’
‘A Week in the Life’, Global Project Grade 3-6
Tool: Edmodo

40. Co-Created Showcase Voicethreads
Tool: Voicethread

41. Student Summits
A Week in the Life Project
Tool: Blackboard Collaborate

42. Singapore American School International School of the Sacred Heart, Japan
Asynchronous global debates between classrooms
Theme 2014-15: Global
Peace and Security
http://globalyouthdebates.com
Tools: Voicethread & Fuze

43. Digiteen / Digitween Projects
Digital citizenship……
Just in time
SKILLS, HABITS and
ATTITUDES
for learning while digital

44. Digiteen / Digitween Projects
Students
research digital
citizenship
qualities and
share with their
group members.

45. Digiteen/Digtween Projects
From their research, they create
presentations, videos, and also apps!

46. Digiteen/Digitween Projects
PSA: Be Careful What You Post

47. Digiteen-Digitween Projects
Two examples of Learning about Copyright & Creative Commons through research and projects
(Project tools used by first group: Glogster & Google Forms included on their wiki page)
Applying research on Creative Commons to licensed story on wiki page by second group:
Serene: I really liked working on the voki and creating
the characters. Skyping the other schools was also
really cool.
Learning About copyright was interesting and fun.
Learning how to embed the Glog was cool
Jordan: I liked creating and viewing the vokis of other
students on edmodo.
Kate's reflection...
I had a wonderful time working with the students from the
other schools! They were very helpful and fun to work with.
Although it was difficult at times because since you can edit
other people's work, you have to be careful of what you
delete. From that experience I think I learned that it is
extremely important to get the other person's permission
before you make changes to their work. In addition to all of
that I was able to have some fun when working with software
such as Google form and Creative Commons. It was a great
learning experience!
Ali's reflection...
Working with the other students was really fun. It helped me
learn so much about different cultures. I researched copyright
law a lot and I now know what all of the symbols mean. I also
learned how to use Creative Commons. Because of this
project I now know more things and can use technology
better.

48. Examples of students researching etiquette & respect to use within a Minecraft project.
Our action project is about teaching etiquette and respect
online.
To win the quiz you must answer correctly all ten questions
about cyber security and then climb the Cyber-Tree for a
special surprise. Link to Digitween wiki page.

49. Digiteen/Digitween Presentation
Link to Presentation

50. Find Projects
• Flat Connections – fully managed and supported –
(caveat – entry is via subscription, some scholarships
available)
– http://flatconnections.com
• Global Classroom – community of global educators keen
to connect
– http://globalclassroom2013-14.wikispaces.com
• iEARN – learning circles and other projects
– http://iearn.org
• Our Global Friendships
– http://ourglobalfriendships.wikispaces.com
•Global Virtual Classroom
http://gvc-clubhouse.wikispaces.com

51. PLN development
• Flat Connections
– http://flatconnections.net
• Global Education Conference
– http://globaleducationconference.com
• Taking IT Global
– https://www.tigweb.org/
• E-Pals
– http://www.epals.com/

52. PLN development - how?
Personal Learning Network - build yours now!
● Twitter
o follow others
o interact
o share what you are doing
o use hashtags
● Social networks
o join and introduce yourself
o blog - cross-post with your own blog
o start and join discussions

53. More tools……..for connection & collaboration
• Synchronous
– Skype, Fuze, Google hangout
• Asynchronous
– Edmodo, Ning, Voicethread, Wiki, Google
• Collaborative
– Wevideo, Lucidpress, Padlet, Popplet,
Wiki, Google site
• http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com

54. RESOURCES:
to read and watch
● THE Journal article: ‘Global collaboration projects that
go way beyond Skype’ March 2014
Featuring Theresa Allen, Flat Project Manager and Avylon Magarey - Flat Connections Global
Educator who are out there joining their students with the world!
http://goo.gl/vL3JuC
● Global Collaboration Projects February 2013
Slides full of resources form Flat Connected Educator, Honor Moorman
http://goo.gl/LWvlTN
● Global Projects Presentation 2014
Theresa Allen shares this via a Google Hangout
http://goo.gl/r3VF9P

55. RESOURCES:
to read and watch
● Connect, Collaborate, Change - Flat Connections
Julie Lindsay talks about connected learning as part of the Bob Greenberg ‘Brainwaves’ series
http://goo.gl/FT6o06
● Who says global collaboration is hard?
A discussion on the Flat Connections blog about enablers and barriers to global collaboration with a
call to action!
http://goo.gl/1KXKlh
● Flat Connections News - stay up to date!
http://www.flatconnections.com/flat-connections-news.html

56. We CAN work with the world

57. Three things to takeaway…...

58. Learning does not
happen in isolation!
Image: '| WHITE moment |’ http://www.flickr.com/photos/34145688@N00/90120985

59. Connect Students for
Collaborations!
Image: 'Star pencil’ ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/29468339@N02/6097158569

60. SHIFT
‘Content’ to ‘Context’
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29131777@N03/9528549446

62. Subscribe to Flat Connections News
Get the latest news and updates about global
collaboration and Flat Connections
http://eepurl.com/TZO7v

63. Learning about the world, with the world
Website - http://flatconnections.com
Education Network- http://flatconnections.net
Contact: admin@flatconnections.com