Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time (Pearson Resources for 21st Century Learning) [Paperback]

Julie Lindsay (Author), Vicki A. Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2012 | ISBN-10: 0132610353 | ISBN-13: 978-0132610353 | Edition: 1

What is education? What is a teacher? How do students learn in the 21st century?

The Flat ClassroomTM  project is redefining excellence in education. Schools and higher education are moving to online education, blended learning, and e-learning, redefining education as we know it. Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds will take your school online one teacher at a time.

Based on their award winning projects, these two classroom teachers use the principles that have connected thousands of students in educational Web 2 e-learning environments to take educators into the project plans and lesson plans that can make global collaboration a reality in the classroom.

Featured in Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, Don Tapscott's Grown Up Digital, Edutopia, Curt Bonk's The World is Open,  in the Wall Street Journal and beyond. Winner of ISTE's 2007 Online Learning Award, the Taking IT Global Outstanding Online Project, and was shortlisted in the International WISE awards in 2009 the projects created by the authors include Flat Classroom, NetGenEd, Digiteen, Eracism, and 'A Week in the Life ...' (an
Elementary Project).

The new school of education is global collaboration. Whether you want to become a teacher or add to your teaching toolbox, when you connect globally and have contacts around the world, you become a more valuable teacher to your school. The "Flat Classroom 15" challenges bring even the beginner into the exciting world of social media in the classroom in
a way that any teacher (elementary, middle school, high school, or college) can use. Connect your classroom and fall in love with learning again!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds'' is a terrific guide, by two real pioneering teachers, on how the networked world can be used for cooperative learning that can enrich education and empower students -- anywhere and everywhere.

- Thomas L. Friedman, author,  "The World Is Flat.''

 

Insightful, innovative, and practical, this book is a must read for any educator interested in preparing competent global citizens. 

 - Yong Zhao, Ph. D, Presidential Chair and Associate Dean, College of Education, University of Oregon

 

In a hyperconnected world, it's imperative that students gain deep, rich understandings of other peoples and places. This book demonstrates in concrete detail how every classroom can be a global classroom.

 -Dr. Scott McLeod, University of Kentucky and Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE)

 

The world is facing monumental challenges requiring creative solutions, and flattening our classrooms is our only hope! Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds will take you on a powerful journey of transformation - connecting your students with meaningful work and unleashing their potential to become leaders in our communities. Get ready to go global!"

- Michael Furdyk, Co-founder, TakingITGlobal.org

 

Open the door and find a new world! In this significant contribution to global education, Julie and Vicki have produced a resource for teachers that contains much needed information, challenges education thinking and provides resources on each and every page.  This is a book a teacher can read and immediately open a global door for their students. For me. it is so exciting (and a relief!) to see that the voice of change in education thinking is the voice of our students.

- Tony Brandenburg, Fellow, Australian Council for Computers in Education

 

This book has everything you need to start collaborative projects in your classroom. From educators to follow, to ongoing projects you can join today. Julie and Vicki do a great job of walking you through how to get started with collaborative projects in your own classroom. With links, ideas, and steps to keep both you and the learning focused. This book has enough people, links, and resources to keep you clicking for days.

- Jeff Utecht, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer, Consultant, Author

From the Author

High speed Internet, social media, and mobile devices have opened up a remarkable world of connection and collaboration. Global economies are now increasingly intertwined. Multinational teams are becoming the norm in the workplace. Yet most schools are unchanged.

As schools struggle to engage students with learning and disengage them from their cell phones and social networks, there are some schools leveraging technology and social media to launch learning forward. By implementing global collaborative practices, we are building the bridges today that the society of tomorrow will walk across.

We can change society for the better from the bottom up, while improving education and student engagement. We want students and educators to be able to connect and get along with other people globally without losing their own identity and sense of belonging to a country or culture. We are forging new pedagogies. We question current education systems that place value on content above process. We believe that collaboration and community learning increases understanding as a valuable part of what classrooms are already doing.

Global collaboration is not a choice between current pedagogies or global collaboration. Rather, it is an "and" proposition. We should use current teaching pedagogies and effective global collaboration pedagogies as part of the complete, healthy classroom ecosystem. You can get your classrooms and schools there one step at a time. This book will teach you how.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Pearson; 1 edition (February 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132610353
• ISBN-13: 978-0132610353
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 0.7 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! This Revolutionized My Teaching March 8, 2012

By Amy Jambor

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This creation truly did revolutionize my teaching. My students now participate in an authentic global experience that is providing them with the skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century. We know that communication and collaboration will play a critical role in the coming decades. So many of our students are going to be expected to work collaboratively while demonstrating cultural understanding. Students need to have working knowledge of the tools essential to participate in effective communication and collaboration. Flattening Classroms, Engaging Minds addresses the "what" and "how" of global collaboration. It is the perfect reference for educators and students. Vicki and Julie guide educators and students through the journey of working together to achieve a better future. Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsey are amazing leaders - truly inspiring!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Have" for Any Educators Library February 1, 2012

By Heather Davis

Format:Paperback

Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time is a strong call to embed Global Collaboration into the curriculum from the youngest student to the oldest. Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis walk beside you and guide you through the journey step by step having mapped this journey together already with their classes. If you are a person who must understand the pedagogy before beginning something new or someone like me who wants to jump into the actual creation process immediately then this is the book for you to help open the door into this incredible world. After reading the book it is apparent that embedding Global Collaboration is not an idea for the future but must be incorporated now if we, as educators, are going to meet the growing needs of our 21st century students.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Useful! January 30, 2012

By Kenneth Jones

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As an 8th grade language arts teacher working to reach and teach modern, global communication skills to today's students, I have run across many volumes from the experts in this field. Mostly, these type of books tell you what ought to be done chocked full of buzz phrases and broad prescriptions for ways to change the way we teach. Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis go so far beyond this with their long awaited work. They have created a very direct and quite fabulous "How To" manual for the teacher in the trenches. They offer plenty of pedagogical "meat", but add to it a practical slant that makes me really believe that I can do this! The reason for this is simple: They have been actually doing global learning and teaching 21st Century skills and producing 21st Century outcomes for several years. There are no more experienced doers of global learning on the edu-scene today! Their book is extremely well organized and clear. It is evident that these outstanding educators Walk the Walk! I highly recommend this work to any teacher looking for a path toward greater student engagement and authentic global learning.