The Flat Connections Global Project is a global collaborative project that connects middle and high school students virtually to work on projects together. It aims to flatten classroom walls and encourage collaborative online learning. Students conduct research on emerging technologies and their impact, create a collaborative eBook, and develop a personal multimedia response. They take on leadership roles within multinational teams. The project runs from January to May 2014 and involves students presenting their work at online summits and having their multimedia submissions judged.

1. Flat Connections Global Project 14-1
Welcome!
Teacher kickoff meeting February 4/5 2014
The Information Guide can be found at
http://tinyurl.com/fcgpinformation
The project Teacher Guide can be found at
http://tinyurl.com/fcglobalprojectguide
This project is part of the Flat Connections
group of global projects
http://flatconnections.com

2. What is the FCGP?
The Flat Connections Global
Project is a global collaborative
project that joins together
middle and high school
students (typically grade/year
9-12, 14-18 years old).
The FCGP is about ‘flattening’ or lowering the
classroom walls to encourage students and
teachers to learn how to work collectively and
collaboratively virtually. The aim is for all
participants to not work in isolation but to be
connected throughout the journey of the
project. Connections and collaborations will
take place using Web 2.0 tools.
Teachers will meet every week to discuss
project goals, aims and progress. They will
monitor not only their students in the project,
but be part of the larger whole and be active
across the entire community.

3. What is the FCGP?
Students have the chance to take
on LEADERSHIP roles, and begin to
understand what it takes to build
and contribute to an online
learning community. They also
interact with expert advisers and
other classroom teachers in a true
flattened learning mode.
The project is designed to develop global
competence, cultural understanding, skills with
Web 2.0 tools for building networked learning
communities and global collaboration and
online learning. Intended outcomes include
amplified awareness of what it means to live
and work in a flat world through RESEARCH
and DISCUSSION of new ideas and ACTIONS
for FUTURE LEARNING.
The Flat Connections Global Project has evolved from a merge of
two well established and globally supported projects:
• Flat Classroom Project (2006-2013)
• NetGenEd Project (2008-2013)

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

6. FCGP Teacher Community
• FCGP social /educational network (Ning)
– Join teacher group
– Students and teachers together on the same
platform (http://flatconnectionsglobalproject.net/)
• FCGP Google group
– Set your own email preferences and make sure you
are receiving mail during the project
• Flat Connections teacher network (Ning)
– Teachers only (http://flatconnections.net)

7. FCGP Student Community
• FCGP social /educational network (Ning)
– Teachers can create a classroom group
– Students can create other groups if they wish
– Blog, discuss, share multimedia
– Chat area
– Teachers monitor all students, not just their own
– (http://flatconnectionsglobalproject.net/)
• Student Teams
– Need to find team members and connect via Ning
and wiki

8. What are Participant Roles?
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Project Managers
Classroom and Lead Teachers
‘All Projects’ Coordinator
Student
Student Leader
Expert Advisor
Judge

9. FCGP Extended Community
Expert Advisors
– The expert advisor is a teacher or topic expert or
researcher who joins the project to influence and support
students as they research and develop original content
and responses to the topic and themes they are working
with. Expert advisors are important to the FCGP as they
become part of the community of practice and help
students realise further that learning does not take place
in isolation. They are also a valuable resource and
knowledge base for research skills as well as content and,
in conjunction with classroom teachers, are vital to
encourage students to think more deeply and contribute
and collaborate more effectively.

10. FCGP Extended Community
Judges
– The multimedia judge joins the FCGP towards the
end. All final student eBooks and videos are
submitted for ‘judging’ with best examples from
the project overall celebrated at the final Awards
Ceremony. The project itself is not competitive in
nature, but we do like to review student work
and acknowledge work that is worthy. The FCGP
Meta-Judge takes the finalists nominated by the
other judges and determines the ‘best of project’
awards as well.

11. What are Project Outcomes for Students?
• Online learning community interaction –
‘handshake’ forums, blogs, discussions,
reflections
• Research and social bookmarking – Diigo
• Leadership and team skills
• Presentation via online Student Summit
• Major outcome Part 1: A collaborative eBook
• Major outcome Part 2: A personal multimedia
response (digital story/video) with collaborative
content

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

13. Project Themes
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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/

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

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

16. How will Workflow support FCGP 14-1?
FCGP-01: January-May
• Application Deadline: January 23
• Online Teacher Information meeting: Before February 7
• Classroom and student handshake: February 7-21
• Wiki editing and collaboration: February 22 - March 22
• eBook planning must be started by: March 8
• Video pitches and creation: March 23 - April
• Video outsourced requests due: Up before break or by April 5
• Video outsourced requests completed and uploaded: April 17
• FCGP videos due: April 26
• FCGP eBooks due: May 1
• Student Summits: April 26 - May 31
• Video Judging Phase 1: April 26 - May 6
• Video Judging Phase 2 (meta-judging): May 6 - 13
• Awards ceremony: After May 13 as determined by the project organiser

17. How will Student Teams function?
Researchers
Student
leaders
Media
fossickers
Team
Wiki
Outsourced
video clip
organisers
Content
editors
E-Book
managers

18. Team Grid - Topics

19. Main Topic ID and Research
Primary & Secondary sources
Expert Advisors
Sub-topic ID and Ranking
Challenges & Trends
Collaborative ranking
eBook Content Selection
Topics, subtopics, multimedia
Editing, citations, formatting
Personal Video Topic Selection
Student chooses topic
Aligns with research & eBook creation

20. Main Topics from the Horizon Report
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Cloud computing
Mobile learning
Learning analytics
Open content
3D printing
Virtual and remote laboratories

21. Main Themes & Video Genres
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Impact on society
Impact on education
Impact on work
Impact on the individual
Students are requested to choose ONE of the
following genres to focus on for their final video:
• Docudrama
• Public service announcement
• Social Entrepreneurship initiative

22. How is this project different??
• Student leadership and closer team work
– Decisions made within the team context
– Means classrooms must work together more
closely
• Basic template for content – student team
makes decisions about direction of research
and content priorities
• Wiki is not the showcase but the working area
• Final eBook – student leadership for
completion

23. What decisions do we have to make as
teachers?
• Choose student leaders carefully
• Balance teams – all learning and working
styles – may need teacher conversations
• eBook creation – what format to use? Many?
• Judging – eBook AND multimedia?
• Summit presentations – how to improve?

24. Project Schools FCGP 14-1
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Academy of Allied Health and Science
Atlanta International School
Berea District - Midpark High School and Middleburg Hts. Junior High
Don Mills Collegiate Institute
Franklin Regional Senior High
Hawkesdale P12 College
International School of the Americas
Kristin School
Merici College Canberra
River East Collegiate
Rye Middle School
Saucon Valley High School
Shorecrest
The American School of Tampico
Valley High School
White Plains High School

25. Who will you call?
• Project Managers
– Amy Jambor and Sheri Williams
• Lead Teachers
– Jessica Friday, Brian McLaughlin and Anne Mirtschin
• ‘All Projects’ Coordinator
– Yvonne Caples
• Flat Connections founder
– Julie Lindsay

26. Badges -Teachers & Students
Flat Connections will
introduce ‘Badges’ this
semester.
More information
coming soon!
http://credly.com

27. What now?
• PMs will email a meeting summary and
recording link for this kickoff
• Invitation to Google group, Ning group,
Timebridge
• Week starting February 10:
– Another teacher meeting run by Amy & Sheri
– Teachers start introducing students to concept,
content and outcomes of project
– Students can join the FCGP Ning – instructions and
protocols coming from PMs

28. Discussion and Questions
Ning community – please join! http://flatconnectionsglobalproject.net/

29. Final words………
• Anyone who has never made a mistake has
never tried anything new.
- Albert Einstein
• The important thing is not to stop questioning.
- Albert Einstein

30. Global Portal
Teacher Network
Email
Twitter
Julie Lindsay
flatconnections.com
flatconnections.net
admin@flatconnections.com
@flatconnections
julie@flatconnections.com